Halloween Terror Tales: Scary Stories of Masks, Mazes, and Madness

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, my spookies. October isn't over yet, and we're not
letting it go without a fight. Tonight, We're diving deep
into the Weekly Spooky Vault one more time to bring
you eight of the scariest, weirdest, and most Halloween soaked

(00:20):
stories we've ever shared, packed with haunted cornfields, cursed costumes,
masked killers, and late night terrors on the airwaves. Some
of these tails will chill your bones and others might
just make you check your closet yet again, but all
of them are here to make sure you're in that

(00:42):
spooky season mindset no matter what you're doing, whether you're
going on a nice fall walk or working a double shift.
We here at Weekly Spooky want you to have a
good time with scares, shadows, and to touch of Mayhew. Okay,
more than just a touch. I'm your host and narrator,

(01:06):
Enrique Kuto, and I ask you please settle in light
that pumpkin scented candle and prepare yourself and remember tomorrow
there's a brand new horror tale for you to enjoy. Now,
let the Halloween horrors begin. Never enter the Old corn
Maze On Halloween by William Rayne. There are always plenty

(01:32):
of strange rumors circulating in small towns across the world.
The one I grew up in has everything from tales
of lizard creatures beneath the woods to a bizarre bridge
that leads you somewhere else if you can cross it
on foot. Still, the one tale that I can personally
attest to is the haunted corn Maze just outside the

(01:56):
city limits. The labyrinth had been out there since law
before I came along. What always unsettled me about the thing,
be it from simple urban legend or the truth of things,
nobody seemed to know who even made it. Another unnerving
aspect of it was that, while there was no caretaker,

(02:16):
it never became overgrown or unkempt. Sure, the elusive individual
who put the whole thing together may well have family
members who maintained it when nobody was around. Given the
fact that it was out in the middle of nowhere,
but nobody knew one way or the other. It was
a strange thing, for sure, But the rumors of that

(02:37):
place throwing open the door to the other side on
that one particular day of the year always freaked me out.
When I was a kid, it was the Halloween of
two thousand and five that I learned this was not
a place to be so casually visited, not by the
living anyway, not on the thirty first of October. I

(03:01):
was around thirteen at the time, while my brother was
approaching seventeen. I idolized Derek had since we were kids.
Even when he was younger. He always seemed to be
so much more worldly than I am, though I imagine
just about anyone with a few more years under their
belt would come off as more knowledgeable than a wide
eyed and curious kid. He had already abandoned the sacred

(03:26):
traditions of trick or treating, something I was not yet
ready to give up. But when he invited me to
attend a party with him on the night of the
thirty first, I both eagerly and reluctantly agreed. As much
as I loved spending time with my brother, I wasn't
thrilled about turning my back on the opportunity to score

(03:46):
a bagload of candy. Derek knew how much I loved
getting dressed up and going door to door, so he
promised me he'd take me around the neighborhood before we
headed out that night. Being a costume part alar we
were headed to, he decided to bring a bag himself
when he joined the crowd of kids playfully running from

(04:06):
one house to the next. In all honesty, he looked
as happy as I was while we toured the surrounding blocks. Sure,
his vampire costume wasn't exactly the most extravagant garb for
the occasion, slick back hair, phony fangs in his mouth,
and a long black coat. Honestly, it paled in comparison

(04:27):
to my Michael Meyer's outfit. But I knew his girlfriend
Alicia was going to meet up with us at the party,
so I couldn't blame him for dressing more stylishly cool
and all. Supposedly, her little sister was going to be
there as well, something that left me both nervous and
a little intimidated. If I'm being honest, I had only

(04:47):
recently started appreciating the opposite sex at that time, but
it was enough to make my palms sweaty while restricting
my tongue's ability to function properly when attempting to form words.
Regard Tredless of my apprehensions, I was having a great
time just hanging out with Derek even with his friendly
reminders that I needed to just be myself when we

(05:09):
got there. When the sun finished its descent for the night,
it was time for us to head back to the
house to pick up my brother's car. We dropped the
candy in the house, gave an obligatory goodbye to our folks,
and got on the road. I hadn't been informed about
where the party was taking place, but I had just
assumed it would be at one house or another. When

(05:31):
we passed by the last neighborhood before the city limits sign,
the butterflies dancing in my stomach began to sink to
the bubbling acid below. Where are we going? I asked,
though I had a solid idea of the answer. I
didn't tell you, Derek said, looking genuinely uncertain. The parties

(05:51):
out at the old corn Maze. Oh, come on that please?
Don't still freak you out, does it? He asked, with
a chuckle. What, No, of course not, I just didn't.
There's nothing to be scared of, kid, We ain't going
into it or anything. Just seemed a good kind of
creepy spot for the party, is all I couldn't argue

(06:12):
with that. It was one hell of an eerie spot
out there in the middle of nowhere. I knew some
of the older kids would go out there sometimes, but
I still felt uneasy about it. I was certain that
most of the stories folks told about the old maze
were made up, just spooky tales to mess with the
younger generation and all, but they would still get my

(06:33):
imagination going. You sure we should be going out there tonight, though,
I asked, attempting to hide the trembling in my throat.
They're just stories, Danny, Derek said, with a smile. You
know that, right, I mean, yeah, but it's only to
scare people. Kid. Halloween was invented by the candy companies.

(06:56):
You know, nowhere gets haunted just because it's the third first.
It's all bullshit, just like every other stupid story around
these parts. You gotta stop being so scared of everything.
When I head off to college, you're gonna be on
your own. I love you, kiddo, but I ain't always
gonna be around to protect you. It was hard to
argue with him, as he fully believed every crazy urban

(07:19):
legend to be false, this one more than others. I
still felt a little embarrassed by the way he talked
to me. Yeah, I was very easily freaked out at
that age, but I was getting better that creepy old Labyrinth,
though I never wanted to get within a shout of
that place. I trusted my brother on just about anything,

(07:41):
but I couldn't convince myself to side with him on this.
A few years before, some guy named Jackson Fiddle supposedly
went missing while investigating the Labyrinth just around the thirty
first Sure, I didn't even know if he was a
real person, being that just about everyone seemed to know
everyone in our life town, and I had never heard

(08:02):
of the guy before the rumors of his disappearance. The
story about the woman who showed up at the emergency
room on the morning of November one of ninety eight,
all bloody and beaten, though, that one messed me up
for a while. From what she said, or from what
folks said, she said her car broke down out by
the old corn Maze. This being before everyone and their

(08:25):
mother had a cell phone, she couldn't reach out to anyone,
so she just started walking somehow or another. Whether she
got turned around or just wasn't paying attention, she ended
up strolling right into the neatly preserved labyrinth. When they
asked her why she didn't just turn around, she claimed

(08:46):
she tried, but it closed up behind her as soon
as she crossed into it. As far as what happened
to her when she got lost in there, that varies
from person to person. Some say that some local boys
up to no good followed her inside after having sabotaged
her car to break down. According to that version of things,

(09:09):
they beat her and raped her, leaving her for dead
in that damned place. After she crawled her way out
of there, she managed to get back to town, but
was never the same since. Other more exaggerated stories claimed
that she came up on some devil worshipers in there
who tried to sacrifice her before she managed to make

(09:32):
her escape. Some even say that she ran into anything
from supernatural creatures where wolves or Wendy goes and the like,
to aliens looking to run some experiments on her. I
think the alien one came around because the pathways through
the maze aren't so much cut down as the stalks
are folded flat against the ground. Seems like it's sort

(09:56):
of like how crop circles are arranged where supposedly no
man or machine could have bent them so perfectly, and
all that craziness. Oh yeah, a lot of tall tales
came from that old place. I suppose my story is
no different, or will be when I get done telling it.

(10:16):
I imagine most will read these words with as much
skepticism as Derek had back then. I can't blame any
of you, of course, truth be told, I still have
a hard time believing it to this day. For the
sake of picking up the pace, or in not dragging
this out any longer than necessary, I won't waste time
getting into much concerning the party itself. Yes, there was

(10:39):
a veritable herd of teenagers out there when we arrived,
each one dressed in everything from lazy to extravagant costumes.
That alone set my mind more at ease when we
got there, the fact that everyone there looked to be
just having a good time, hidden behind one mask or another.
We spent more most of our time hanging out with

(11:01):
Alicia and Sandra, her sister. She was a bit younger
than me, but she was a really cool girl, also
quite pretty in her gender swapped Freddy costume. The fact
that we were both dressed as eighty slashers made it
easier for me to get over my nerves. We talked
a lot about scary movies and the like, something we

(11:22):
were both huge fans of. Everything was going great, even
after I took it upon myself to sneak a beer
from the table they had set up beside the keg.
It would not be until later in life that I
developed a taste for it. That first sip of whatever
cheap brand the underage drinkers had gotten their hands on,
damn near flipped my stomach. Derek full On slapped the

(11:44):
red Solo cup out of my hand when he noticed it,
looking at me with an expression of disappointment and anger,
before cracking up so hard he spilled his own drink
across the grass. Can't blame you for trying, kid, he said,
wrapping his arm around my shoulder, when a couple of
the older looking guys walked up, causing my brother to

(12:05):
visibly tense up. Our night went from a fun and
relaxing time to something that still haunts my dreams to
this day. Got some balls showing up here, Russell said,
the guy wearing the cheaply made Frankenstein costume, something quite
fitting to his considerable bulk. The fact that he called

(12:26):
my brother by our surname made me believe this wasn't
just friendly badgering. Yeah, what we gonna do about this?
The other, smaller, more slender guy dressed as a mangy
looking werewolf, asked, cracking his knuckles. Back off Nate, Derek said,
pushing himself in front of Alicia and me. Everyone's just

(12:48):
trying to have a good time, guys. We can settle
this another time. Nah, Bud Frankenstein said, how about we
settle up right now? Head back to the car, Danny,
my brother, said, giving me a quick glance before turning
his attention back to the duo before him. I'll be there,

(13:08):
and his words were cut short when the werewolf pushed him,
causing him to almost topple over his girlfriend. Most of
the crowd stopped whatever they were doing, turning their attention
to the fight that was likely to break out any minute.
There were murmurs throughout the group as they gathered around us,
forming a makeshift circle, something that assured me that things

(13:33):
were about to get messy. Not here, Derek said, not now,
They're not a part of this. Sandra and Alicia were
attempting to back away while I was darting my eyes
from my brother to the guys who had some score

(13:53):
to settle. Tell you what, the big guy said, placing
his hand on his buddy's shoulder as if commanding his
guard dog to heal. I got an easy resolution to everything.
If you guys got the balls, dude, just drop it. Okay,
this is didn't say you could speak yet, Frankenstein cut in,

(14:15):
pushing my brother back again with one hand. Derek looked
fit to burst. I knew he could hold his own
in a fight. I'd seen it myself when some bigger
kids were giving me a hard time at school. Sure
they were a year or two younger than him, but
he taught them both a solid lesson after he caught
them trying to clean my clock. He kicked both their asses,

(14:36):
barely breaking a sweat. Still, the big guy with the
poorly applied makeup looked like he could easily bench press
my brother's chevy. So what do you say, willing to
get your hands a bit dirty to make all this
go away? Frank said, glaring down his nose at Derek. Fine,
he replied with a heavy sigh, What the hell do

(14:59):
you want me to do? Do? No? No, not just
you He glanced over at me with a menacing smile.
This is for you and Junior both. Hell, how about
the little ladies too? Go to hell, Nate, Derek sneered.
They got nothing to do with this. They do with

(15:19):
Nate says, they do. The Weasley werewolf added, this is
between you and me, don't it's okay? Alicia cut in,
having walked up beside her boyfriend. We'll play his stupid
little game. Sandra nodded, folding her arms, while I gave
another token nod. I can't say I was thrilled about

(15:41):
whatever they had in store for us, but I would
be damned if I was about to turn my back
on my brother. Derek whispered back and forth with his
girl for a moment before turning back to his opponent.
All right, what the hell do you want us to do?
Simple enough, he said, cutting his game to the old
corn maze. Y'all spend one hour in there, just one

(16:06):
whole hour to the second, and we're good. That's it,
Derek replied, while my fingers began to tremble. One hour.
That's it, buddy boy. You gotta go in, though, Don't
just hang out in the entrance or nothing. Like walk
around and shit, can't just stand there waiting for the

(16:26):
time to run out. Then we're done. You and I
squeaky clean. Nothing more to be said or done. Okay, then,
Derek said, glancing back at me and the girls, nodding
his head. One hour and we're good. I'll even pour
you a beer when you come out, Frankenstein said, with

(16:46):
a satisfied smile. But you' all come out even one
minute early, and I'll kick your ass so bad you'll
be eating Thanksgiving dinner through a feeding tube. You got
me one hour, Derek said, holding his hand, and out
one hour. The big guy nodded, shaking my brother's hand.
I'm so sorry about this, Derek said. As we approached

(17:09):
the entrance to the Old Corn Maze. I didn't expect
them to be here. No worries, babe, Alicia said, rubbing
her hand on his back. Yeah, Sandra said, I say
we go in, find a place to chill and tell
some scary stories for an hour, then come back out
and party some more. I just nodded, trying my best

(17:30):
to keep the trembling of my extremities as hidden as possible.
I can't lie. I was scared even with Derek convinced
that the stories of the labyrinth were blown out of proportion.
The idea of actually entering the thing had me shook.
Of course, I wasn't about to reveal that, especially since
I had already developed a bit of a crush on

(17:51):
the girl in the Freddy costume who came off like
this was just as simple as strolling into a grocery
store with her folks before. Before we walked in, we
all looked back to see every face of every costumed
party goer glaring in our direction. From the expressions on
a few of them, I could tell that I was
not alone in my fear of the old Maze, something

(18:14):
that didn't exactly help my concern at the time. See
y'all in an hour, Frankenstein called out, don't chicken out, now,
we'll be watching. For the first few minutes, we just
walked in silence. I never really took in the height

(18:35):
of the cornstalks before, how they almost towered over our heads,
just like the stories told. It wasn't just grass or
dirt under our feet, but perfectly flattened stalks. They crunched
slightly as we strolled onwards, but I couldn't even make
out the sounds of the crowd outside. After we entered,
the aisles weren't particularly wide, causing us to walk two

(18:59):
by two as we see enttered on. Derek and Alicia
walked in front of Sandra and me, but I just
gazed around as we moved deeper in, even with the
moon shining down from above. I was actually quite surprised
how easy it was to see. Still. I wasn't about
to let my guard down, and neither was anyone else
from what I could tell. Anyway, I say we round

(19:22):
this corner, Derek said, gesturing to the right turn up ahead,
and just plant our asses and wait. Works for me,
I said, feeling no inspiration to bury myself any deeper
in this place than we had to. As my brother suggested,
we took that turn, stopped, and sat down on the
cozier than expected ground. Perhaps, had we a little more

(19:47):
time to appreciate how comfortable flattened cornstalks can be, this
would not be a worthwhile tale to tell. Before I
so much as allowed my butt cheeks to snuggle themselves
into a comfort trouble setting the blood curdling squeal that
echoed from somewhere ahead of us very nearly inspired every
ounce of blood pumping through my veins to stop cold.

(20:11):
Derek and Alicia looked as freaked out by this as
I was, while Sandra darted her head between each of us.
What the hell was that? She asked, placing her palms
against the ground. Probably someone trying to mess with us,
Derek suggested, Looking as uneasy as the rest of us.
That far ahead, though, I asked, I could see from

(20:33):
behind us, But how could another scream much closer than
the last? Cut my words short? I got back to
my feet, as did Eric and the girls. This is
a setup, my brother said, appearing confident in his theory.
Nate probably sent someone in while we weren't looking. They
might have been in here for a while, just waiting

(20:55):
to have some fun with us. It did make sense.
The big guy and the Frankenstein costume did come off
like he knew something when he gave us that friendly
reminder before we entered. Given the fact that whatever beef
he had with my brother would be set right by
this little dare, it would stand to reason that he
wasn't going to make it easy for us. Yeah, I

(21:18):
thought they just want to force us to take off running,
make us embarrass ourselves in front of everyone before he
kicks the crap out of Derek. Three more screams, each
coming from different directions, assured me that our working theory
was right. While the girls looked back at my brother
and me, both smiling at us, I nodded my agreement.

(21:40):
Hell with it, Derek said, with a mischievous grin. Let's
go see what they cooked up for us. Yeah, Yeah,
I said, feeling the most confident I had since walking
into this labyrinth. I can't deny that somewhere in the
back of my grapefruit, I still felt uneasy about both
my surroundings and the unsettling shrieks, but a higher percentage

(22:03):
of my mind fully believed this to be what we thought,
that my brother's adversaries wanted to put on a little
show for us, who were we to deny their invitation.
After walking for another five minutes or so, right turn here,
up a few more feet, another left and right, and
on to another straightaway, with the occasional dramatic, painful yells

(22:25):
guiding our path, we finally caught sight of one of
the likely handful of people who were screwing with us
this particular pathway looked to be a good twenty feet long,
with one opening to the left and another right about
half way up at the far end. Standing directly in
front of another wall of cornstalks, was a tall, slender

(22:46):
individual in a filthy black robe, with the hood pulled
down low enough to only reveal the wider than human
toothy grin. When I first saw it, my heart skipped
a beat or four. It wasn't until Derek let out
a soft giggle that I took in how comically sinister
the costumed person was trying to come off. They just

(23:09):
stood there, heaving in exaggerated breath, keeping their head tilted
down with their arms somewhat outstretched from their sides. It
was sort of like how that quintessential douchebag at the
gym looks after knocking out that first handful of reps
that I'm swollen now because I lifted heavy stuff sort
of thing. When all of us started to laugh at

(23:31):
intermittent intervals, the mimicked heavy breathing became more agitated, inspiring
the hooded figure to wail out in one final attempt
to intimidate us. Unfortunately, for our cose playing friend, we
weren't buying it. Even after two more similarly dressed individuals
walked out from the left and right openings ahead, our

(23:52):
laughter didn't let up. Gotta try harder than that, boys,
my brother shouted, practically daring the trio to take their
taunted to the next level. With one last howling scream,
the one at the far end came charging toward us,
slipping some sort of dagger from inside of its robe.
Oh here we go, Derek said, still chuckling. This ought

(24:16):
to be good. I'll never forget that smile he gave
me when he glanced over his shoulder. He was so
confident that he had this whole thing figured out. So
was I, for that matter. Even when the robed figure
showed no sign of slowing from only a few feet away,
my brother still looked back at me, wearing that care

(24:37):
free smile. The transition of our circumstances, going from something
fun and care free to one of anguished shock and horror,
barely allowed my mind to accept what was happening. It
was the sound of the blade tearing into my brother's
gut that hit me more so than the blood that
spat from his still smiling mouth. I don't know if

(25:01):
it was Alicia or Sandra who screamed first, perhaps both
of them, for all I knew at the time. Three
more times I heard that meaty thunk as the knife
was pulled free and inserted back into Derek's Torso run, Danny,
he spluttered, spritzing more specks of crimson onto his shirt.

(25:24):
I was frozen in place, barely aware that I still
had a body attached to my reeling mind. When one
of the girls grabbed me by the wrist, attempting to
pull me back with them as they began to run
back the way we came. I still could not so
much as hope to break my gaze from my beloved
brother's wide and horrified eyes. If whoever, or whatever these

(25:49):
things were could so easily put an end to someone
who had always been so much stronger and more confident
than me, I had no doubt I would not survived this.
In some ways, I didn't even care. I felt so
weak and pathetic at the time. I couldn't do a
single thing to help Derek. I just stood rooted to

(26:14):
the spot, preparing myself to share the same fate as
my closest friend and brother. Snap out of it, Alicia
demanded slapping me hard across the face. That exaggerated smile
under the dusty black hood stared back at me as

(26:35):
the blade was pulled from Derek's stomach for the last time,
dropping him to the ground while his girlfriend still screamed
at me. I was practically paralyzed by the sight of
blood dripping from the long, jagged blade, blending with the
pool forming around where my brother lay barely twitching. Damn it, Daniel,

(26:56):
she yelled again, slapping me even harder than before, finally
inspiring my mind to collide with my body. I looked
at her and back to the robed figure, who was
wiping the dagger caked in my brother's blood across its chest.
We got a run, kid, you with me? I just nodded,
something that was likely difficult to differentiate from my bodily

(27:18):
spasms at the time. As the robed figure began to
move in closer, stepping over Derek, I started to back
away as he, she, or whatever the hell it was,
lunged at me. It fell hard to the ground itself
as my brother clutched its ankle go he moaned. That

(27:41):
was enough to finally inspire me to run. Alicia and
her sister were already a good ways ahead of me
while I kept stealing glances over my shoulder. It was
during one of those intervals when I turned back to
what lay ahead of me, only to see no trace
of anyone, that I skidded to a halt once more, Alicia,

(28:02):
I called out, barely more than a whisper, Sandra, where'd
you go? Nothing. I began to move steadily forwards in
whatever direction we had been going before I lost sight
of my companions. But when I heard the crunching of
quickly paced footsteps coming from behind, I had no more

(28:22):
time to waste. I took off, hoping to be out
of sight before the robed figures caught up to me.
I could still see the unnervingly wide grin on the
surface of my brain as I ran from one aisle
to the next, Getting myself so turned around, I had
not the slightest clue where I was anymore. Even with
the acknowledgment that I would not easily be making my

(28:44):
way out of that god forsaken labyrinth, I still kept going,
darting from right to left, up and down, over and over.
After running on fumes for the better part of ten
or twenty minutes, if I even had the slight hope
of guessing any sort of time frame. I slowed down,

(29:04):
hoping to catch my breath before it left me passed
out on the flattened cornstalks. When I stopped, blindly charging onward,
I tried to regulate my wheezing while attempting to listen
out for any sounds around me. I couldn't hear a thing,
no footsteps, no screams, no voices, only the thumping of

(29:26):
my pulse against the inner lining of my ears. When
the image of my brother falling lifelessly to the ground
flashed before my eyes, I fought to shake it away,
hopeful to focus on my escape before dwelling on whether
he may or may not have survived this. If I
get out, I thought, I'll get help. He's still alive.

(29:49):
I know he is, I fought to convince myself. But
you can't get him the help he needs if you're
dead too. Yes, with that sound of my brother's flesh
being torn and apart by the lengthy serrated blade beating
against my ear drums, as much as the images flashing
behind my eyes, I didn't believe it for a second,
but I had to convince my legs to get moving again.

(30:13):
It was while I waged that inner battle that another
stomach churning squeal snapped my attention back to my dire situation.
It was close, alarmingly close, but I knew I had
to check it out. Given that it sounded as though
it was one of the girls screaming this time, as
opposed to those we had thought to be only messing

(30:33):
with us, I knew I had to at least attempt
to do what I could to save them. Sure, I
was certain I wouldn't stand a chance against any of
the robed figures, but I had to try. Perhaps it
was little more than my desperation to not be alone
in this anymore that drove my actions, but it was
something again. I ran from one turn to the next,

(30:56):
pursuing yet another horrifying shriek. As I plundered onwards, It
didn't take me long to locate the source of the
new sound to accompany those already haunting my subconscious. But
when I found what I was looking for, I knew
that there was nothing I could do to help. The
red and green striped mini dress was almost treaded in places,

(31:17):
revealing torn flesh and tissue, spilling more crimson fluids across
the ground. My legs gave out, dropping to my knees
beside the young girl, whose eyes glared lifelessly up at
the night sky. Her long brown hair was matted with
blood and chunks of gore, seemingly thrown back at her
from the sequence of attacks that ripped her apart. I

(31:42):
lost it. I just started crying and wailing out, unable
to even hope to battle against such a formidable foe.
The impact of my brother's death hit me at full force,
colliding with the surface of my brain as though it
was launched from a cannon. I continued to howl my
hopelessness into the night even and when I felt myself
being lifted from the ground, it was as though I

(32:04):
was floating weightlessly as the robed individual carried me through
the maze, having thrown me over its shoulder like a
healthy sized bag of dog food. I didn't fight, I
didn't rebel. I didn't attempt to escape. It had been
futile to begin with, just the thought that I could
survive something that my brother could not. When my escort

(32:25):
stopped walking, I was still out of it. While my
wrists and ankles were bound to some sort of wooden
prop Through the tears that still flowed, I could see
that I was in a much wider spot in the maze,
one that was at least four or five times the
size of the slender pathways I had been running in
and out of. Could this be the center of the maze?

(32:47):
I thought, glancing around as much as I could. There
were six of them now, the robed figures, each with
their own unsettling grin peeking out from the darkness of
their hoods. Once my extreme were sufficiently restricted, the one
who carried me there backed away to join the others
in line. They all just glared at me, heaving their

(33:09):
heavy breath while maintaining their sinister smiles. What are you
waiting for? I asked through gritted teeth. I was beaten,
I was done for. I did not doubt that. Why
were they just glaring at me? What the hell are
you waiting for? Still nothing? They just stood there like

(33:35):
robed statues. They weren't even forcing out that exaggerated wheezing anymore.
Just get it over with you, bastards. As one of
them broke from formation, slowly coming closer to me, I
wasn't afraid anymore. My heart ached for the loss of
the person I cared most for in this world. If

(33:55):
they took him away from me, they could have me too.
For all I cared no more running, no more tears,
no more. As it moved in closer, stopping only inches
from me, it leaned over at the waist, almost pushing
its face right next to my own. I closed my eyes,

(34:18):
readying myself for the blood to spill freely to wading
cornstalks pressed to the ground, when happy Halloween baby brother
whispered into my ear. When my eyes blinked back open,
they met not the malicious, grinning thing that sought to
lay me to rest, but the smiling face of the

(34:39):
person I had idolized since I was a child, Derek.
What the I could barely form anything close to a
legible sentence as Alicia and Sandra lowered their hoods, pulling
away the grinning masks, followed by the two guys who
forced us in here, and another blinde I'd never seen before.

(35:02):
They weren't laughing at me, only smiling warmly, as though
they thought this torment they had put me through to
be a heartfelt gift of some kind. You're alive, You're
all I stuttered, while the truth of things struck me
like a serrated blade to the mid section. Are you

(35:22):
kidding me? I belted, wrestling against the bindings holding me
in place. How could you? Why the hell would you?
It's okay, kiddo, Derek said, still smiling, chuckling a little
under his breath. It was just a joke. I just
wanted to give you one good scare for Halloween, one

(35:43):
good scare. I thought you were dead, I shouted, still
pulling against the ropes around my limbs. Whoa danny, my
brother said, reaching out to hold my arm. Still, You're
gonna hurt yourself. Let me, don't touch me. Do you
have any idea? What do you put me through? I
could tell that my brother's accomplices were growing steadily more

(36:05):
uncomfortable as they stared on with varying, though equally uncomfortable expressions,
but I didn't care. I felt betrayed by the actions
of the one person I thought I could truly trust
in this world, not only for this ridiculous charad, but
for leading me into this damned maze in the first place.

(36:25):
You know how I feel about this place, I said,
lowering my voice. You know it scares me exactly, he said,
resting his hand on my shoulder. That's why I chose it, kid,
I'm going off to college next year. I need to
know you'll be all right without me. It's time to
face your fears and grow up some believe me, Danny.

(36:47):
I'd never do anything like this if I didn't have
a good reason. Cut me down, I said, refusing to
look him in the eye. He just stared back at me,
or so it looked through my periphery. The smile faded
from his face by the time I allowed my eyes
to meet his again, but I was still angry, still betrayed.

(37:09):
Cut me down with a heavy sigh. He reached into
his robe, pulling out the pocket knife he had carried
for the last few years. After the last rope was cut,
I just stood there, looking up at him, rubbing the
raw flesh on my wrists from my writhing against the
coarse ropes. Danny, I just get me out of here.

(37:32):
You know your way out right, you guys sure as
hell got around well enough, yeah, he said, lowering his
head and looking defeated. This way, come on, Danny, Sandra said,
pulling off the heavy looking robe to reveal the wounds
that appeared so much more fabricated than they had through

(37:53):
my fear altered vision. We didn't mean leave me alone,
I said, swatting away the hand shoes reached out. Think
we went too hard on him, Frankenstein asked Derek as
we passed by him. Maybe I didn't think. Wait, my
brother said, cutting his head from side to side. Where's

(38:14):
the It wasn't until then that I noticed the circular
clearing no longer had any visible exits. Assuming this to
be just another part of the night's festivities, I felt
my face begin to flush once more. Seriously, guys, I said,
turning to face the group of suddenly bewildered looking teens.

(38:35):
Enough already, can we just this isn't us? Daniel, Alicia said,
looking thoroughly perplexed as she glanced from her sister to
her boyfriend Nate. Is this you, guys, Derek asked? Nuh uh,
I don't even It's all planted in the ground, the
blonde guy said, tugging at the stalks two at a time.

(38:58):
What What the hell is this, Derek, A very uneasy
sounding Alicia asked, before screaming out again when something rolled
across the ground towards us. Alicia wrapped her arms around
her sister, who had begun to whimper slightly, while the

(39:22):
big guy in the Frankenstein costume muttered curses under his breath.
When the pumpkin came to a halt, staring straight up
with a fierce and mocking smile carved into its jack
o' lantern face, everyone grew silent and still. I just
glared down at the thing with my jaw unhinged, still
battling to wrap my mind around everything that had occurred

(39:44):
up until this point. When the long cornstalks began to
rustle violently, making it appear as though the whole labyrinth
was quaking around us, it was hard to differentiate my
own involuntary shivering from my surroundings. A low humming sound
was barely audible above the trembling leaves, but it gave
me the impression that something was drawing closer, as if

(40:08):
gradually escalated push through. Frankenstein said, waving his hands between
the stalks, it's just corn. We can shit. We all
spun to see him wrestling against the vines that were
wrapping around his arms and legs. Derek ran to his side,
quickly slicing through the attacking greenery with his pocket knife.

(40:31):
Help me, my brother shouted, while cutting and pulling the
stems away. As Moore continued to wrap around the big guy.
I ran up with the skinny werewolf and blonde guy,
and we all attempted to yank at the weeds, which
were practically engulfing the writhing Nate. Sarah had dropped to
the trembling ground, shaking her head and whimpering louder, while

(40:51):
Alicia stood seemingly frozen in place with her hands cupped
around her mouth. Within seconds, no matter how hard we
fought against the cornstalks, as ridiculous as that sounds, we
could no longer see even a hint of the boy
in the Frankenstein costume. While we still frantically battled to
free him, he was swiftly pulled away from us, with

(41:14):
only his muffled scream in his wake. When his yelling
fell silent, I still stood there, just staring at the
opening he had left behind, mentally checked out, while Derek
snatched me by the wrist, shouting for the others to follow.
When the deep and guttural laughter echoed from seemingly all
around us. It didn't take much convincing for everyone to

(41:38):
start running. Yeah, the haunting voice spoke, run, run, run away,
My little darling, Sandra squealed out a high pitched shriek,
while the blonde guy whined and moaned, What the hell
is that? Derek, the visibly shivering boy in the werewolf costume, asked,

(41:59):
while we can continued sprinting across the slender pathway left
in the wake of his friend's hasty withdrawal. How should
I know, my brother barked, still not letting go of
my wrist. Run Run, run, run, r run away away,
bellowed out, with each word coming from a different direction,

(42:21):
ending with a sinister laugh. That damn near knocked my
feet out from beneath me. Keep going, Alicia said, now
helping her little sister remain upright. Almost as soon as
the words left her mouth, our path became blocked as
another wall of thick corn stalks burst from the ground.
The blonde guy, who had been running the fastest, lost

(42:43):
his footing as he skidded to a halt, falling with
his back flat against the ground, stopping just short of
the newly formed blockade. As the werewolf reached to help
him back to his feet, the flattened stalks sprang to life,
wrapping around him. Likedls No, he screamed, help me. His

(43:04):
words were quickly muffled as the vines constricted, yanking him
flattered to the floor of the labyrinth. Given the blood
curdling squeal that erupted from his mouth, I was unsure
if he was being pulled into the ground to be
buried beneath it, or if the snapping sounds that accompanied
his horrified wails or his bones fragmenting as the stalks

(43:26):
returned to their previous state. When the blood began to
bubble and seep through the thin gaps, spitting and spraying
against the still trembling greenery around us, I needed no
further clarification on his fate. Holy hell, the slender boy said,
backing away while attempting to wipe the fresh bloodstains from

(43:47):
his furry shirt. This way, Derek said, heading back the
way we had come, gesturing to a left turn a
few feet back. Come on, Jordan, there's nothing we could
do for him. The where still glared down at the
crimson pool where his friend once lay, shaking his head
from side to side as he backed away from it.

(44:09):
Move Jordan, we have to. My brother had no chance
to finish, urging his friend to run before more of
those vines shot from each side, instantly swallowing him whole.
I stared on again, with my lower lip quivering as
I could only make out the lone horrific eye peering
out from within the tendrils of green. For a moment,

(44:31):
it was as though everything fell silent around us as
we gazed upon where the maze had claimed another soul
for its own. It wasn't until the vines retracted on
each side, carrying with them whatever section of the boy
in the werewolf costume they held that each of our
screams blended into one again. My brother snatched me by

(44:53):
the arm, while his girlfriend did the same to her sister.
By this point, I was only vaguely aware of anything,
with my mind still reeling from the shock of everything.
I knew I was running. I knew I was speeding
alongside the person I trusted most in this world, but
beyond that, everything was a blur. We sped right straight

(45:15):
for a bit, then left and right again, every move
almost guided by what the labyrinth would allow pathways opened
and closed around us, leading this way and that, while
that guttural voice continued to mock our desperation. Ah, yes, yes,
this way, no, no that, Which will it be? What

(45:36):
will you see? Shall you set yourselves free?

Speaker 2 (45:40):
Free?

Speaker 1 (45:41):
How long will it take do you think to find me?
It laughed again, a loud and haunting belly laugh at
our expense. I felt my senses begin to return, only
to find us still charging onwards in search of an exit.
I noticed that Derek was now carrying a hysterical Sandra,

(46:03):
while Alicia held on to my wrist. I almost wanted
to ask her to let go, as I found it
difficult to move as freely with her clutching onto me.
But it did make me feel ever so slightly safer
like this, Even if I did believe our escape attempt
to be feudile, we were in its domain. Whatever the
hell it was it was toying with us. We ran

(46:26):
the path it chose, not one of our own selection. Still,
regardless of those undeniable facts, I knew we couldn't let up. Unfortunately,
this inner rationalization came to a quick halt when we
came face to face with our inevitable end. When the
opening before us closed shut, forcing our hasty retreat short.

(46:48):
I felt my stomach lurch at the sight of only
more tall cornstalks to our sides and backs. There we stood,
each gasping for breath, while the young girl in the
tattered red and green striped mini dress sobbed in my
brother's arms in a space maybe five by five feet,
with nowhere left to go. Just let us go, Derek

(47:12):
shouted into the night. Not just yet, my good lad,
there's far too much fun fun to be had. What
do you want from us? It was you who came
to me, dear boy, would you so abruptly put an
end to my joy? Please? Alicia begged, tears forming in

(47:33):
her eyes. Just let my sister go take me, Derek said,
glancing back at me. Let the others go, and you
can do whatever you want with me. No, I barked,
don't just give up an interesting offer you have presented
to me. But should that be enough to set your
friends free? I have each of you now to do

(47:57):
with as I please, but you still beg for unwarranted release.
They're innocent, my brother said, in a cracking voice. This
is all my fault. Please, just when the stalks parted
to our left. I once more felt my jaw drop.
It looked as though it could very well be that

(48:19):
same circular clearing we began running from, but it was
not how we left it. The wooden prop I had
been tied to was now replaced by a large throne,
pieced together by a combination of vines and bones, some
of which appeared as though they had been freshly pulled

(48:39):
from some unsuspecting corpse. When I noticed the bloodied and
matted fur poking out in places, I had to assume
that theory to be quite accurate. After taking in the
sight of the torn slivers of the werewolf costume, it
didn't take long to see the strips of green latex
that once belonged to a cheaply made Frankenstein outfit. Come in,

(49:03):
Come in, Come in, Come in to my home. Do
not leave me here to linger alone. It wasn't until
I spoke again that I took note of what was
sitting upon the gore lined throne. That same pumpkin, which
had rolled into this very area, now gazed down at

(49:23):
me from a skeletal frame composed of just as much
greenery as the chair upon which it sat. The robit
war looked to be one of those my would be
kidnappers left behind, though the elongated emerald bones of the
arms and legs protruded considerably more than its previous owners. Welcome, Welcome,

(49:47):
my travelers, for now, what exactly possessed you to come
through my door? We all stood in a row, glaring
up at this abomination before us. With every word it spoke,
the carved expression on its face adjusted to fit. It
was my fault, my decision to come into your maze,

(50:09):
my brother said, with confidence in his words. Is that true?
The pumpkin asked? Was it all because of you? Yes?
So please don't punish them. Just take no more words,
the creature said, holding a leafy finger to its mouth.

(50:30):
The fact that not only had its voice deepened even more,
but a rhyme did not follow his lone sentence made
me fear our time was at an end. You do
not belong here, it screamed, spitting pumpkin guts and seeds
to the ground. How would you feel if someone just
let themselves into your home? Would you let them leave unscathed?

(50:53):
I'm so sorry, I know more words. It lifted itself
from its throne, standing twice the height of Derek as
it glared down from its hollow, triangular eye holes. As
what felt like minutes dragged by, we held this silent,
staring contest. Given all I had witnessed, I knew it

(51:16):
wouldn't let us leave this place with our lives. When
the apparent lord of this maddening place finally broke the
suffocating silence, I would find my assumptions proven wrong once more.
Three lost, three may yet be free? Which one of
you will stay here with me? Before I had the

(51:37):
slightest chance to intervene, Derek stepped forward as the creature
slipped off the robe, revealing more of its hauntingly thin frame.
My brother looked back at me with a smile, tears
dripping down his face. I love you, kiddo, were his
last words before the filthy blow. Black fabric was thrown

(52:01):
over my head, hiding whatever happened next from my eyes.
When I pulled the robe away to see only the
outside of the old corn maze before me, I fell
to the ground, unable to prevent the scream from breaching
my lips, even when the arms wrapped around my back
while the girls attempted to lift me back to my feet.

(52:23):
My agonized wail would not let up. In the weeks
following the disappearance of my brother and his friends, the
authorities searched every square inch of that labyrinth, as well
as the woods surrounding it, but nothing was ever turned up.
They even plowed the whole thing down before digging in
search of anything that remained of its victims. Ultimately, they

(52:47):
couldn't find so much as a trace of anyone it
claimed for its own, but there was nothing left of
the old corn maze by the time the work was done.
I can't say that it surprised when it turned back
up the next Halloween, though I couldn't help but wonder
whether it grew back the natural way or just sprouted

(53:09):
out of the ground overnight, Given that I didn't return
to that awful place until the following October thirty first,
I have no idea how it returned, but I knew
it would be there, didn't doubt it for a second.
I didn't go trick or treating that year or any
other after that last time. Sure, I let my folks

(53:31):
think I did, but I had made arrangements for the
ride back out there long before that night. I just
had to see it for myself, you know, just face
off against that damned thing and beg for it to
give back what it took from me. Before I could enter, though,
the pathway was blocked to me not by the stalks

(53:52):
forming another wall, but by the one who chose to
stay behind to grant us freedom. In many ways, I
wasn't surprised to see him either, even if the hope
of pulling him free from that place were short lived.
We talked for a while that night and every Halloween
that came after it. Even all these years later, he

(54:14):
still looks as young as he did that last time
we went door to door in search of bag loads
of candy. It may be the only time I can
see him, and he refuses to tell me what his
existence consists of the other three hundred and sixty four
days of the year. But I will carry on this
tradition for as long as I am able. Sandra and

(54:37):
I are going to be parents. Sing Yes, we've both
been through our fair share of therapy over the years,
as has her sister, But that awful night brought us
all closer than I could ever have imagined. Maybe it's
simply the fact that we could only confide in each
other after that night, as nobody would believe our account
of things. While the psychiatrists help, we haven't exactly been

(55:01):
forthcoming about everything with them. Given my wife's condition, I'd
say there's a good chance our son could be born
any day now. I just hope that he doesn't decide
to wait until Halloween to make his grand entrance. I
have an appointment to keep, after all, one that I
hope to have him accompany me on when he's old enough.

(55:24):
It's only right that he meets the man he's named after.
I don't know why that thing allowed us to leave
that night, something that Derek claims he doesn't have an
answer for either, though I suspect he understands far more
than he's letting on. Perhaps someday, though, when my life
has passed me by and I'm nearing the end of

(55:46):
my journey, maybe then I'll have the answers I seek
When my final Halloween comes, when I visit that labyrinth
for the last time, maybe it'll allow me to enter
it again. If I can't free my beloved brother, perhaps
I can join him and whatever truly lies beneath the

(56:09):
old Corn Maze just outside the city limits. I went
on a Halloween hiking trip with my friends. My reading
light saved my life by Michael Kelso. If only Jolene

(56:32):
hadn't worn that stupid mask, things might have ended differently.
I might have called off the whole trip and saved everyone.
It all started as I stood at my mailbox, waiting
like a little kid who had ordered a toy from
a cereal box. The mailman usually came at three o'clock,

(56:52):
never failing unless something had happened. I stood at my mailbox,
staring at my watch that said three ten. So what
was the hold up? Did he have a flat tire?
Did a terrorist attack? Did a bear grab him when
he was trying to deliver me my precious delivery. Just
as I was about to turn and go back to

(57:13):
the house, I saw the little yellow light flashing on
top of a car coming my way and nearly jumped
out of my skin. This was it. If it didn't
come today, there was no way I'd have time to
order another one before leaving for the camping trip. The
car slowly pulled up to the mailbox and I said hello.

(57:35):
Instead of putting the mail in the box, he handed
me a few letters and looked away. My heart sank
as he turned and faced the road. Isn't there anything
else for me? I said, trying to keep the desperation
out of my voice. He turned and looked in the
back seat. Oh wait, it looks like there's something I forgot,

(57:58):
he said, reaching in the back and handing me a
brown envelope with the address on it I'd been looking for.
He smiled and waved as he drove off, leaving me
holding my prize. This was going to be a good
camping trip now. I nearly skipped back to the house,
threw the other mail on the table without looking at

(58:19):
it before ripping open the package. There it was my
glorious booklight. I'm an avid reader and an avid camper.
It's always been a struggle to read during camping trips.
I took along various battery powered lamps and flashlights, but
nothing seemed to work for me. Getting comfortable enough to

(58:39):
really settle into my book was a challenge. When I
saw this light advertised on Instagram, I instantly knew this
was what I needed. It was a booklight that wrapped
around your neck with a light at each end that
would shine write down on your text. There was no
doubt it would be perfect, and I ordered one right away.

(59:00):
Finally I could finish packing for the camping trip. My
friends and I loved to go hiking and camping. With
a huge state park so close, it was a no
brainer that we would be there as often as possible.
Every time we decided to go, we would all meet
up at the trailhead and hike to the site together.
This time would be the exception. There were scheduling conflicts,

(59:24):
and if we wanted to go at all, it wouldn't
be at the same time. Dawn and Rose could barely
get away for the weekend. They would have to catch
up to us later at the camp site. At the
last minute, even Jolene called and said she was running
behind and might not make it until later. In retrospect,
I should have seen it coming, seeing what the date

(59:44):
we had set for our trip was, but instead of
canceling and choosing another time, I just shrugged it off
as conflicting schedules and hef did my backpack, then started
down the trail. Being by myself on this trail never
really bothered me before. I hiked this many many times
and never had a problem. I decided to go early

(01:00:07):
and get the camp set up so we could have
maximum time together. My schedule had been cleared for the
entire trip, and I was going to take full advantage.
The sun had set by the time I started down
the trail, and it would be dark by the time
I got to our campsite. Hiking at night wasn't the
best thing to do, even though I knew the trail.

(01:00:27):
But aside from getting camp set up, I was also
excited to use my new booklight. It worked surprisingly well
lighting up the trail and made it much easier to
use my walking stick for the more difficult parts. Taking
it slow, going at my own pace, and enjoying as
much scenery as I could was a luxury I was enjoying.

(01:00:47):
Usually Dawn would lead the group and drive us hard
until we got to camp. I wanted to get out
my book and read as I walked, but I figured
that would be tempting fate, and I had no desire
to face plant on the trail. After discovering a tree
route the hard way, as I walked, lost in thought,
suddenly the forest became eerily silent. The birds stopped singing,

(01:01:12):
squirrels stopped chattering, even crickets stopped chirping. It was so
quiet I could hear my own footsteps. It was very unsettling.
I stopped and slowly turned around, using my light to
search for anything unusual. After a full circle, without seeing
anything out of the ordinary, I tried to shake off

(01:01:33):
the feeling and just kept going. It didn't take long
for me to begin speeding up. Every step was somehow
more desperate than the last, as if getting to my
campsite would somehow protect me from whatever was out there,
making the animals and creatures of the night afraid to
make a sound. By the time I could see the

(01:01:54):
clearing where we camped rising in the distance, I was
power walking, nearly running. All of a sudden, the noises
started back up again, as if someone had flipped a
switch or I had somehow stepped out of some invisible
danger zone. I paused and turned back to see if
there was any physical sign of what had happened, if

(01:02:16):
there was some kind of creature lurking behind me or something.
But there was nothing, and nothing seemed to be even
more unnerving. It wasn't until later, after everything was over,
that I realized how stupid it was for me to
travel this trail by myself, let alone in the dark.
I guess it was a combination of things that made

(01:02:38):
me do it. First of all, just the disappointment of
everyone nearly canceling at the last minute. Secondly was my
surprise package that came on time, and just wanting to
use this cool new light in any way I could.
But the really big thing that did it for me
was my stubbornness. I had decided I was going camping,

(01:03:00):
come hell or high water. I didn't realize it would
be the former. It didn't even register that I was
heading out alone on a trail at night on October thirtieth,
the day before Halloween. It didn't take me long to
get my tent set up, and I didn't bother with
a fire. I just dove straight inside and zipped up

(01:03:21):
the entrance, somehow believing that the thin layer of tent
material would keep me safe from anything that went bump
in the night. I lay there on the bare tent floor,
breathing hard in sheer terror, wondering why I was so frightened.
There hadn't been any tangible proof of anything following me.
I had seen nothing. What had gotten me so worked up?

(01:03:44):
This is what I told myself over and over until
my breathing slowed back to normal as I unpacked my
backpack to settle in. Once I was secure in my
sleeping bag, I finally dug out the book I'd brought
along for the trip. It was a domestic thriller called Secrets,
about a woman whose life was turned upside down. I

(01:04:06):
turned on my light and began reading. It didn't take
me long to become so engrossed in the story that
the world around me disappeared. That was when the adrenaline
crash from the fear grabbed my face and said, you're
going to sleep now. Some time later, I woke up

(01:04:29):
and pulled my face out of the small puddle of
drool that had soaked into my sleeping bag. I sat up,
wipe my mouth, and stretched. To my great surprise, the
book light was still on and I hadn't broken it
by laying on it. The darkness outside had given way
to a dull gray. It must have been just before sunrise.

(01:04:49):
Pulling myself out of the sleeping bag gave me an
instant reminder of how cold autumn mornings can be in
the forest. While pulling on my jacket, I froze there
was something or someone moving around just outside my tent.
Zipping up my jacket quietly, I slid towards the zippered
tent window in hopes of getting a closer look. My

(01:05:12):
hands shook as I pulled the tabs slowly, hoping to
make as little noise as possible and sneak a peek
at whatever was out there. My eyes slid up to
the opening and peered out. All I could see through
the slit were dim outlines of trees through the growing
morning light. I scanned around as much as I could
through my limited view, when suddenly a pair of glowing

(01:05:36):
eyes appeared in the window. I screamed and threw myself
backward onto my sleeping bag, landing with a thump that
took my breath away. The shadow of the creature moved
from the window to the main tent flap. I lay
there helpless as the zipper undid itself and the hideous
face of the monster poked itself inside. It roared so

(01:05:58):
loud I clamped my hands over my ears. My life
flashed before my eyes as it slowly entered the tent.
Growling and snarling. Regret filled me. Why didn't I wait
for my friends. But then why should they die with me?
Maybe it was better they were late. They would find
my horribly mutilated, impossibly eaten body, but they might survive

(01:06:22):
if they ran away. As these thoughts chased each other
around in my brain, I noticed something. The creature was
wearing a sparkly bracelet. Not only that, but it seemed
to have a manicure. Now that I looked more closely,
it was wearing a T shirt and sweatpants. I reached

(01:06:43):
up and grabbed the creature's face, then ripped it off
with all my might. Ouch, it said, as the fur
came loose. In a heartbeat, I was holding the creature's
face in my hand and Joline stood there rubbing her ears.
You think you could yank my ears off next time,
she said, sure, after I'm done having a heart attack,

(01:07:06):
you jerk, she smiled, still rubbing her ears. Happy Yalloween,
Screw you, I said, throwing the mask at her and
storming out of the tent. Wait you're not really mad,
are you, I heard her say from behind me as
I tromped down the trail. I didn't bother to turn
answer or even slow down. Where are you going? She said?

(01:07:29):
The thought registered in my head, but I couldn't seem
to answer the question where was I going? I was
just stomping down the trail with no destination in mind.
The sun was peeking over the horizon as I passed
a clearing in the trees. Without thinking, I slowed to
a stop and stood there, admiring the simple, elegant beauty
of the sunrise. I heard and felt a presence beside

(01:07:52):
me as I stared into the rising sun. Beautiful, isn't it?
Jolene said. I turned to her, and I should throw
you off this cliff, I said. She took a step back,
her eyes filled with uncertainty. Sucks being afraid, doesn't it?
I said, yeah, she said, staying a healthy distance away

(01:08:15):
from me. I guess it. Does. You know what I
should do with that mask? I said, I'm sure you
have a few creative suggestions, she said carefully. I turned
to her, with a gleam in my eyes. You should
scare the hell out of Dawn and Rose. Her look
slowly transformed from fear to confusion as the edge of

(01:08:39):
her lip slid up into a grin. It was late
afternoon when Dawn and Rose came huffing and puffing up
the trail to the campsite. I'd started a fire and
made some lunch. There was also some coffee brewing on
the flames. Well, you too, sure took your time, I said,
poking at the fire and adding another piece of wood.

(01:09:00):
You're lucky we came at all, Don said, I was
going to call and cancel like Jolene did. I said,
trying my best to sound upset and disappointed. Are you
kidding me? Rose said, dropping her backpack. After we busted
our butts to get up here, fraid so, I said,
that's great, Don said, pulling her cell phone out of

(01:09:23):
her pocket. You wait until I talked to her. I
wasn't sure if Jolene had silenced her phone or not.
Don's call could ruin the whole prank. My mind searched
frantically for something to do. Don't bother, I said, I
already tried calling her this morning. It went straight to voicemail. Hmm,

(01:09:45):
Don said, putting her phone back in her pocket. She's
probably snuggled up in bed sleeping. Well at least you
two made it, I said, pointing to the logs around
the fire. Take a load off. They looked at the
log with disdain, but shrugged and sat. I guess exhaustion
will lower your standards regarding where you rest. We chitchatted

(01:10:08):
for a while, mostly about how upset we were with
Jolene for skipping out on us. Then I helped them
set up their tents. We had just finished when off
in the distance we heard a roar and a scream.
What was that? Dawn said, looking around, trying to determine
what direction it had come from. I don't know, I said,

(01:10:30):
putting on an Oscar level performance of looking frightened while
trying not to smile. Jolene had outdone herself. She said
she would look for roaring sounds on her phone, but
that was so loud. I didn't know her phone could
get that loud. Light was just beginning to fade, making
it even harder to see if there was anything coming

(01:10:50):
out of the trees towards us. Rose was having a
full panic attack. What do we do? What do we do?
She said? Let's just go in our tents and hope
whatever it is doesn't care about finding us. I said
we should leave, Rose said, her eyes darting all around
searching for danger. I think so too, Don said, If

(01:11:13):
there's something out there, it could come after us. I
tried to do a quick pivot to save the prank.
Where would we go? I said, our cars are miles away.
If that thing was after us, it would stalk us
on the trail too, and we wouldn't have our tents
made up to hide in. They stared at me with
what looked like suspicion that turned into resignation. I guess

(01:11:37):
you're right, Don said, we should just go in our
tents and hope that thing goes away. Are you kidding me?
Rose said, why not just wrap ourselves in our sleeping
bags and serve ourselves up as burritos for that thing?
Don't you think you're overreacting? I said, we don't even
know what that was. Maybe it was some animal calling

(01:11:59):
for a minut eight, and the scream could be someone
saw it and was scared. Dawn watched our back and
forth conversation. Let's just get to our tents. She said no,
Rose said, I want to leave right now. There's the trail,
I said, pointing, no one's stopping you. She looked from

(01:12:22):
the trail to Dawn to me. I turned and went
into my tent. A few minutes later, I heard another
tent flap rustle, followed by a third. A smile crept
across my face. This was going to be fun. I
was so excited I barely read any of my book.
Within an hour, I heard something outside the tent, rustling

(01:12:43):
through the campsite and knocking things over. Here we go,
I whispered. It was all I could do to stay
in my tent. When I heard Rose scream. There was
no way I could watch Jolene chasing them around with
that ridiculous mask on and not howl with laughter. I
wanted to give the prank time for them to be
scared before revealing our devious plan. Fits of laughter fought

(01:13:08):
to escape me, but I held them in as I
heard Dawn screams join the fray from the sound, they
were all running around, destroying the campsite. Between the growls,
running knocking into things, and screams of terror, the whole
cacophony of it was nearly impossible to sit through. Every
inch of me was aching to jump out and yell
Happy Halloween, we got you. After a few minutes, the

(01:13:33):
noise died down. Everyone must have gotten tired. I was
still waiting for the aha moment when I heard Dawn
or Rose curse at Jolene. The mask wasn't that convincing
once you calm down and got a close look at it.
Any minute now I leaned close to the wall of
my tent, but all movement had stopped. It was like

(01:13:55):
everyone had just laid down and took a nap. I
couldn't take it in any longer. I ripped open my
tent and jumped out, yelling surprise, happy, Hallop. The rest
of the word died on my tongue. The campsite wasn't
in disarray, it was destroyed. Both Dawn and Rose's tents

(01:14:16):
were flattened. As I stepped closer, I saw rips and
gouges in there as well. As I looked around the campsite.
At the carnage, my first thought was, Wow, Jolene really
overdid it, But that thought didn't hold for long. The
more I moved through the camp, the more I saw
claw marks and huge footprints, something that Jolene couldn't do.

(01:14:39):
All doubts ended when I came across Dawn. She lay
in a pool of blood, and at first I thought
it was a trick, that they had turned Jolene back
against me, And now I was being pranked. However, that
thought died a quick death when I saw Don's severed
arm lying a few feet from her. Her eyes were

(01:15:02):
wide open in shock. She looked at me with a
blank stare of accusation and tried to whisper something, but
I couldn't hear it. I leaned closer, and she whispered again,
her final words haunting me. This couldn't be Jolene. It

(01:15:24):
wasn't a trick or a prank. Something real had just
invaded our camp and destroyed my friend. Fear gripped me
as I looked around to see if this creature was
lying in wait to kill me too. As I searched
the rest of the camp, hoping moment by moment that
this thing was gone, I also didn't find Rose. Eventually,

(01:15:47):
I found a large pool of blood not far from
her tent, but nobody was around. The trail of blood
led from the pool off toward the woods, and I
had no desire to follow it. The next thought that
came to my panicked mind was if this wasn't Jolene,
then where was she. She purposely didn't tell me where

(01:16:11):
she was hiding, so I wouldn't unintentionally give away her
position by glancing at a certain spot. It was a
smart plan until she went missing, and I have no
idea what's going on. The next thought was calling for help,
but when I got out my phone, I found it
was also dead. Even though I didn't want to, I

(01:16:34):
went over to Dawn's now dead body and searched for
her cell phone, but I found it in pieces. There
would be no call for help. Despondency smothered me and
pulled me to the ground. I sat in the middle
of the campsite, beside a pool of blood that used
to be one of my friends, only a handful of
feet away from the broken body that used to be

(01:16:57):
another one of my friends, having no idea where my
third friend was. I'd never been in such a desperate
place in my life, not only physically but mentally, and
I hoped I would never be in such a place again.
I had no idea what to do or where to go.
The realization began to set in that I had lost

(01:17:19):
three of my closest friends in the space of a day.
Tears flowed down my cheeks as I sat there in
the growing darkness, with only the embers of the dying
fire to keep me company. Should I sit here and
hope that help would stumble by in the form of
another hiker, or even better, a park ranger. It was

(01:17:40):
late October and the trails weren't very well traveled once
the weather turned cold. As I sat there, a gust
of wind blew through, tearing at the few remaining leaves
clinging to their branches. They began to fall, as if
the forest was crying with me or for me. I
wish I was aware of what the forest knew about

(01:18:02):
this thing that had destroyed my friends and my life,
and how I would get out of here alive, and
most of all, about what had happened to joe Lean.
As much as I wanted to just sit there and
mourn forever, I knew I couldn't. I knew I had
to get up and go figure this out. How would

(01:18:23):
I get out there? How would I survive? Maybe my
tent held the key. By some miracle, my tent was undamaged.
I started digging through my backpack. There were always things
in everyone's backpack that they have for emergencies that never happen.
Usually it's a snake bite kit, a length of rope,
or band aids that seldom if ever get used. But

(01:18:46):
as I was digging, I came across some things that
might be useful. There was a can of pepper spray
and a small pocket knife. At this point, I was
happy to have anything I could use as a weapon.
They went in my pocket along with the rope. So
now it was decision time. Do I pack up my
stuff right now and leave, hiking down the trail in

(01:19:08):
the dark, having no idea if this thing is still
on the hunt? Or do I lay down and get
some rest, wait for morning and hope it doesn't know
I'm here. Neither one was a great option. There was
no way I could even consider burying dawn. I didn't
have a shovel, and I would need all my energy
to hike back out of here if I hoped to survive. Thankfully,

(01:19:32):
the decision was made for me. As I lay there,
mind whirling from everything that had happened, I fell asleep.
I woke hours later to a bright morning sun peeking
through my open tent window. I yawned and stretched, thinking
about what a beautiful morning it could be. When I

(01:19:55):
suddenly remembered everything that had happened. That's when I heard
the growling. It was just loud enough to get my attention.
Fear gripped me as I tried to figure out what
to do. My brain went into full useless mode as
run out of the tent. Screaming rose to the top
of possible options. The growling didn't seem to get any closer.

(01:20:16):
As I lay there awaiting my fate. Encouraged by the
fact that I hadn't become the monster's breakfast yet, I
got up to my knees and quickly looked out the window.
What I saw disgusted and enraged me. There were two
mountain lions having their breakfast. Normally I wouldn't care about
such a thing more than staying as far away as possible,

(01:20:40):
But today their breakfast was my friend's dead body. I
did exactly what was at the top of my brain's list,
ran out of the tent, screaming. At first, I ran
straight at them, hoping it would scare them off. They
both just stopped and stared at me as if I
was some rude interlooper interrupting them having morning tea. The

(01:21:04):
next thing they did was turn and take a few
steps toward me. As I stared at their blood soaked faces,
I realized I had done the worst thing possible. I
lowered my hands and started backing away, trying to look
as non threatening as possible. This seemed to encourage them
to increase their pursuit. I was almost back to my tent,

(01:21:26):
but it didn't seem like diving inside and hiding was
an option. Not now they were aware of me and
very interested in me, Possibly as lunch. As my list
of potential actions dwindled to wait for death, my hand
brushed against my leg and I felt something in my pocket.

(01:21:48):
It was the pepper spray. I pulled it out, having
no idea if it even worked on cats, and aimed
it at them. They didn't slow. In the slightest it
looked like a stream of water sprayed out of the
can and landed on the first cat's face. Its reaction
was immediate. It let out a massive yell and began
clawing at its face. The second paused in confusion, watching

(01:22:13):
its companion devolve into convulsions of pain. When it looked
back at me, I had already sprayed its face, causing
the same reaction. For a long moment, I was treated
to the insanely comical sight of these two predators twirling
in circles trying to claw their own faces off, and
then the impossible happened. They both decided breakfast wasn't worth

(01:22:36):
the cost of admission and ran off. I looked down
at this small, innocuous looking spray can that had just
saved my life. It was tempting to give it a
kiss in celebration, but I didn't want to take any
chance of getting any spray on me. Writhing in pain
wasn't high on my list of things I wanted to
do today. Having just escaped down death, I decided on

(01:23:01):
my plan of action. My backpack was packed in under
half an hour, and I was on the trail, having
said my goodbyes to Dawn and what was left of Rose.
A sharp pang of guilt stabbed me as I left
the campsite. Dawn's last whispered words haunted me. Shouldn't have come.
She was right, of course. If any of us had

(01:23:24):
known what was about to happen, there was no way
we should have been here. But that's the whole point
of life. I guess none of us know what's going
to happen at any minute. As if I wasn't depressed
enough as it was, that thought sent me into a
near panic as my eyes darted all around searching for danger.
Now it wasn't only the monster, but the mountain lions

(01:23:45):
and any other creature whose home I had invaded. Right then,
I knew I would never visit this place again. Even
the woodland creatures were quiet out of respect for my
fallen friends. How would they know? As if? In answer?
The monster stepped out onto the trail and stared down

(01:24:08):
at me. It was massive. I'd never seen anything that tall.
Not only was it tall, but its shoulders were a
good five feet wide. It was covered in dark fur
that had splotches of wet, dark stains down the front
of it. My mind told me that that was all
that was left of Rose. It unleashed a deafening roar

(01:24:29):
that made a small river flow down my pant leg.
My mind was like a little dog chasing its tail,
trying to figure out what to do. As I stood there,
frozen to the spot. It took two steps and was
right in front of me. When it reached for me,
some basic survival mode kicked in and I went back
to the last thing that had saved my life. I

(01:24:50):
whipped out the pepper spray and emptied the can in
the monster's face. It reared back and screamed so loud
I had to hold my ears as I ran around
it and sprinted down the trail. My heart was pumping
pure adrenaline. My feet barely touched the ground. I had
never run so fast in my entire life. The trees
were a blur as I wound back and forth along

(01:25:11):
the trail. All I could think was just get away,
just get away. As hope soared that I might be
able to do just that, I heard a noise coming
from behind me. It was like a bulldozer with legs.
I heard pounding and crashing, as if something was destroying
whatever got in its way. I glanced back and the
monster was gaining on me, but it was flailing its

(01:25:34):
arms around in front of it, as if to protect
its eyes from whatever might be there. That momentary distraction
was just enough. My foot caught on a branch I
wasn't looking for, and I went tumbling at full speed
off the trail and into the brush. I hit a
tree hard with my back. I was sure I heard
a crack. It was all I could do just to

(01:25:56):
stay conscious. I watched through bleary eyes as the monster
and passed me on the trail. There was no way
I could celebrate or even move. Running so fast for
so long had taken its toll, and now having fallen
and possibly injuring my back, had just added to my immobility.
It took me a few long moments to catch my breath.

(01:26:17):
Once I did, I slowly moved body parts to make
sure they still worked. I saved the worst for last.
Trying to sit up caused pain to shoot down my back.
That wasn't a good sign. It seemed like I would
be here for a little bit, at least until I
recovered enough to make another try for my car. I
knew it was less than a mile away, but right

(01:26:39):
now I couldn't even think about getting up to walk,
let alone run. I painfully pulled my backpack off and
sat it beside me. Next, I tried to cover myself
in my pack with the loose leaves that blanketed the ground.
Within ten minutes, I was satisfied that no one would
be able to see me from the trail without looking
very closely. There was a peep hole I had left

(01:27:02):
open to keep an eye on the trail. The monster
would be back eventually. There was no doubt about that.
Once it realized I wasn't on the trail anymore, it
would backtrack looking for me spraying. It may have saved
my life, but it also doomed me to be its
enemy forever. It would search high and low to find me.

(01:27:23):
I was as sure about that as anything. Even though
it was mid morning, the trees here were dense and
light had to filter through a lot of them to
make it to the ground. Reaching into my pack, I
pulled out my reading light, which was surprisingly still in
one piece. I used it to check my wounds and
found they were mostly cuts and scrapes. As my adrenaline crashed,

(01:27:46):
I could feel myself being once again dragged into unconsciousness.
My eyes drooped, then suddenly shot open as I heard something.
The part of the trail I could see through my
peep hole was quite small. I leaned to the left
a little bit, trying not to make any sound. That's
when I heard the sniffing and saw the monster coming

(01:28:09):
slowly back up the trail. It was on all fours,
smelling the ground. One eye looked like it was swollen shut,
and the other was bloodshot. It got to the point
in the trail where I had fallen and stopped, then
turned and looked right at me. My blood turned to
liquid nitrogen. The monster stalked straight towards me, as if

(01:28:33):
it could see me plain as day. I glanced down
and realized, to my horror that my reading light was
still on. I panicked if I turned it off, the
monster would know I was there. If I left it on,
it was a beacon, leading it right to me. I
gently pulled it from around my neck, trying to move
it as little as possible. Once I had it off me,

(01:28:56):
I set it on top of my backpack so it
was at the same level as it had been around
my neck. As I slid away from the pack, I
reached into my pocket and pulled out the knife, then
opened it. The monster was so close I could smell
the stench of death coming from its mouth. It got
right up to the light and brushed the leaves away.

(01:29:17):
To see what this thing was, there was only one
shot for me to survive. I swung the knife with
all the strength I had left, stabbing it in the
eye that wasn't swollen. It reared back and screamed in pain.
I didn't wait around to see what was going to happen.
Every ounce of energy I had went to running away
from this homicidal monster. My back screamed at me, but

(01:29:41):
I ignored it. The creature screamed again, this time and
rage rather than pain. It tore off after me, but
couldn't see, so it ended up slamming into a tree
three feet behind me. My legs kept pumping, driven by
sheer terror. As I glanced back, I saw the monster
listening to me run away. It followed my sounds and
ran after me again. I pivoted and ran up the

(01:30:03):
side of the trail, just in time for it to
miss me and fall face first on the trail. It
wasn't far to the trailhead. Now I knew it was
getting close. There was a hard turn in the trail
where I had to be careful of my footing. It
was narrow and there was a steep drop that ended
in the river below. I ran to where the turn
was and suddenly stopped. The monster had gotten up and

(01:30:26):
was listening for me again. It was a gamble, but
I stood at the turn and jogged in place, as
though I was still running away. It listened, then launched
itself toward me as soon as it began to run.
I quietly stepped around the corner and softly walked down
the trail a few feet. If my gamble paid off,

(01:30:47):
I would be home free. If it didn't, I would
be dead. Time slowed as the beast galloped towards the turn.
I watched and waited until finally I saw the bloody
fur of its face with the knife still sticking out.
At the last moment, it seemed to sense me around
the corner and tried to turn, but momentum had already

(01:31:08):
carried it past me, and it had no chance of
staying on the trail. I leaned over and watched as
it fell helplessly over the edge and tumbled down to
the water below, hitting its head on several trees as
it went. It had just come to rest at the
bottom when I took off running. The trail had loomed

(01:31:28):
in front of me, and I didn't want to take
any chances of that thing recovering and catching me. Before
I got to my car, I'd never seen a more
beautiful sight than my beat up Toyota Corolla. When I
approached it, I paused yet again and looked around for
who or what might be watching me. Hanging from my
driver's side mirror was the mask Jolene had worn. I

(01:31:52):
took it off the mirror and looked at it in
shock and confusion. Inside was a note there was a
crash from the woods that told me the monster hadn't
given up. I jumped in the car through the mask
on the passenger seat and broke every speed log getting
out of the park. Even once I was on the
main road, I pushed the pedal down to make the

(01:32:12):
car go as fast as it could. My speedometer needle
was vibrating when I hit eighty. It wasn't until I
was close to home that I slowed down. I got
out and went into my tiny house, bringing the mask
with me. I collapsed on the couch as my back
complained I would have to schedule an appointment with my chiropractor.

(01:32:34):
Once I was safely inside, I picked up the mask
and pulled out the note. It read, I'm sorry to
leave without telling you. The girls were coming up the
trail and I was about to jump out at them
when I saw this monster following them through the woods.
I couldn't warn them or you without the monster seeing
when they set up their tents. It was watching from

(01:32:55):
the edge of the woods. I panicked and quietly left
while it was busy watching the camp. I hope you're
alive to read this, and if so, you can someday
forgive me Jay. I lay the note beside me on
the couch, and all I could think of as tears
streamed down my cheeks was Dawn's final words to me.

(01:33:20):
Shouldn't have come The Strictfield Slasher by Rob Fields Prologue.

(01:33:40):
I was at the Strickfield Town Center Mall on Halloween morning.
I was very much surprised when it was announced in
one of my classes this week that Strickfield University wasn't
having any classes today or tomorrow, something about how it
was made into village law that there's no school or
college on Halloween as well as November first, unless you

(01:34:04):
went to Strickfield Academy. In light of that, I decided
to head out to the mall for the first time
ever and check it out. The mall itself was okay,
not too many stores in here for a big mall,
but I noticed some of the vacancies were being filled,
probably for the holidays. When I reached the other end

(01:34:25):
of the mall, that was when things started getting better.
I went into Spirit Halloween and picked up makeup for
my costume for tonight. After that, I went into a
women's clothing store next door. I was so happy to
be able to find a pair of sexy bib overalls
in my size for more of my costume. When you're

(01:34:45):
chunky like me, finding stuff in your size can be
hit or miss, but not today, thankfully. When I finished
my shopping, I got a text from my boyfriend, Dillard Fuller.
Heard from your roommate. You're at the mall. Can you
pick pick up my board game I ordered from the bookstore.
I'll pay you back tonight at the party, I replied,

(01:35:06):
and said I would. Then I started walking to the
other end of the mall to go to the bookstore.
When I looked down one of the far wings of
the mall, I saw a faint light. Curiosity got the
better of me, and I decided to see what was there.
I reached the light and saw only a single store

(01:35:26):
called Tinkers. It looked like a junk or oddity shop.
Since I walked down this way, I figured I might
as well go on in. I started looking at all
kinds of knickknacks, but didn't find anything I just had
to have. After a time I felt I wasn't alone.

(01:35:46):
Can I help you? A man appearing to be fifty asked,
just looking around, I replied, looking for Halloween things. The
man brightened up, why don't you come up to the counter.
I have some Halloween items you might be interested in.
I humored the man and followed him to the counter.

(01:36:08):
He had things in there, from old video game consoles
to board games. He even had some Halloween things on display,
ranging from old vinyl records to unopened original Ben Cooper
costume mask sets to even what's that? I asked, pointing
to it. The man, who introduced himself as Isley Tinker,

(01:36:31):
opened the case and pulled out what looked like an
old movie on video cassette called The Strickfield Slasher. It
was in a professional looking clamshell. I opened it to
see the video cassette. My boyfriend actually watches these things,
I said to mister Tinker. He still got his VCR

(01:36:52):
DVD combo deck hooked up. What's this movie about? Mister
Tinker explained that Backer. Around nineteen seventy one, these film
students set out to make an independent horror movie for
a class project. For Halloween. Damian Carnivosh was a person
who might have been considered goth by today's standards based

(01:37:14):
on how he looked and dressed. However, back in those
days it wasn't cool anyway. Damien came from money, much
like the Mirons I'd heard so much about. Since he
had money, Damien had no problem securing the cast he
needed to make his movie. Also, there was no way
he was going to film the movie at his family

(01:37:36):
spooky old mansion on Pleasant Valley Road, since it was
known to be haunted. Damien had found another old mansion
where he wanted to shoot his film, grim Manner. The
problem was the old plantation was located in the backwoods
of Strickfield, and people weren't too inclined to go in there.

(01:37:56):
Damien made it known that he wasn't afraid. Also, hasn't
it always been said that money talks? Again, Damien had
plenty of money. He easily got the cast to accompany
him out to grim Manor. He even got a benefactor
who agreed to put up a special grade of film
for Carnivoge to use in exchange for a producer credit.

(01:38:20):
Among the cast was this huge beefy football player who
would play the title character of the strict Field Slasher.
What Damian either didn't know or didn't tell the cast
was that grim Manor was also supposed to be haunted,
much like his family's Carnivoche estate. The cast and crew

(01:38:43):
would live in grim Manor as they were filming. In
the beginning, they would leave the old plantation house to
go to their classes, then return to film at dark.
As time went on, it was becoming more and more
evident that the big beefy football player Scott Mead started
losing his sanity and was taking his role as the

(01:39:06):
Strickfield Slasher way too seriously. I'd better stop here, Tinker said.
The rest of the story isn't something a charming young
lady like yourself would want to hear. It's very sensitive stuff.
I smiled at mister Tinker for the compliment, and said,

(01:39:29):
our group likes watching horror movies, especially my boyfriend who's
into these VHS tapes. Please go ahead and finish the story.
It's not like I'm going to die from hearing it.
At first, mister Tinker didn't seem to want to. Then
he took a soft, deep breath. Okay, but I warned you.

(01:39:52):
Mister Tinker continued the story and said that on that dark,
stormy Halloween night, Scott me And had finally lost his
mind and started attacking his fellow actors and crew members,
brutally slaying them one by one. It didn't take long
to see just how he had horribly painted the walls

(01:40:13):
and stained the floors of the rooms where Meade killed
his fellow cast and crew. No one ever knew what
became of Damian Carnivosh, except that he was never seen again.
Whether or not he turned up like the others making
the Strickfield Slasher, nobody knows, mister Tinker finished. Then I

(01:40:38):
became skeptical. Okay, so how did you come to know
all about this? I knew you might doubt me, young lady,
mister Tinker replied, Make no mistake, there was an official
police report regarding what I just disclosed. After several missing
persons reports were filed, the Strickfield Police went out searching

(01:41:00):
for the missing students and eventually traced their whereabouts to
grim Manor. It was there where they found the bodies,
or rather what was left of them. They also found
a few cameras and several cans of film that contained
the footage, which was how the police were able to
determine what had happened to those students. Mister Tinker also

(01:41:25):
mentioned that the police had found some more bodies that
were brutally slaughtered at the Old House on the Hill
located at one eight five Indian Hollow Road, much like
the horrible scenes at grim Manor, the bodies of a
group of college kids having a Halloween party were found.
What's more, Scott Meade himself was never found. In addition

(01:41:49):
to Damian Carnivoge, mister Tinker continued, it was a few
years ago when someone brought a VHS collection into my
shop wanting to unloak. I bought the collection from him,
since VHS tapes are highly sought after here in Strickfield
and the surrounding areas. I looked through the collection and
found that video cassette you're holding. I had seen things

(01:42:13):
about this movie posted on your university's website and knew
I had a rare piece. When I found it in
the collection, I raised my eyebrow. I think my roommate
and I did see something about this. Mister Tinker. Zoe
Griest and I had been spending nights in our dorm
room and looking over all the different legends on Strickfield

(01:42:34):
University's website. In fact, I think it was just last
night that we saw what you're telling me. I sighed,
what are you asking for this movie? I know my
boyfriend would absolutely love this. Mister Tinker took the tape
back and looked at it again. Based on the back cover,

(01:42:55):
there weren't that many copies of this movie made. Possibly
given the reasons I just explained and the fact that
only fifty copies were made based on the numbering on
the back cover, this video cassette is probably a collector's item. However,
you are the only one who asked about it since
I acquired it. He seemed to think about it. Tell

(01:43:18):
you what, I'll let you have it for twenty dollars done,
I exclaimed, and opened my purse to fish out a twenty.
After finishing the purchase, I left the store with the movie.
I looked over the clamshell case again as I made
my way to the bookstore. When I reached it, I
suddenly remembered the mall's bookstore itself was on the university's website,

(01:43:41):
something about how two girls went completely crazy and started
eating people in there. I walked into the bookstore and
easily picked up Dillard's board game without any issues or
anybody wanting to eat my brains. Afterwards, I went back
to my dorm. When I got back, I saw Zoe
was out again. I found myself looking at the Strickfield Slasher.

(01:44:06):
I couldn't tell you why, but I felt I really
wanted to watch the movie. Only thing was I didn't
own a VCR. I could have just waited until the
evening to surprise Dillard, but I just had to see it. Fortunately,
I knew right where to find a VCR. I left
my dorm and went to one of the empty classrooms

(01:44:28):
at University Hall that I knew had one. I quietly
closed the door and got everything going. I took the
tape out of the clamshell case and slid it right
into the slot. The machine pulled the tape in and
began playing on its own. There were no trailers for

(01:44:48):
upcoming releases or even a copyright warning. The video was
in black and white and actually looked like it was
filmed in four K, even though everything looked like it
was right out of the early seventies. Seeing that everything
was okay. I went over to a table and sat down.
From there, I began watching The Strickfield Slasher. As soon

(01:45:13):
as I saw the dark and stormy sky that started
the film, I knew right then it was going to
be scary. Chapter one. It was around seven pm when
Zoe and I were riding our scooters from Strickfield University
to Dillard Fuller's party. We both stopped fast when we
reached the driveway. Now we were looking at each other.

(01:45:37):
What is it, Brianna, I asked. I pointed right up
at the house. Don't you recognize it, Zoe? This is
one eight five Indian Hollow Road. That's the same house
where all those college kids were having their Halloween party
back in nineteen seventy one, the night Scott Mead left
grim Manor and made his way here. We just saw

(01:46:01):
that on the university's website. Now Zoe looked worried. We
were both dressed up as sexy clowns, but I thought
she looked way cuter than me, especially with looking as
scared as she was. Maybe we should just leave, Zoe suggested.
Then she pointed to me. Also, the webpage said Scott

(01:46:24):
Mead was never found. I shivered a little after remembering
what me did in the movie. I wasn't sure if
those kills were real or practical effects. Still, Zoe, we're
long past nineteen seventy one. I doubt Scott Mead's going
to be out prowling around tonight in search of well.

(01:46:47):
Zoe pointed at me again, say it. I gave her
a worried look. Young sexy college girls like us. We
both consider things and eventually decided to ride our scooters
up the hilly driveway. We parked them at a nearby
tree and brought our bags to the front door. As

(01:47:09):
soon as I rang the doorbell, there was this really loud,
blood curdling scream, like some girl was being murdered inside.
Zoe and I both shrieked and then got a grip
when we saw normal movement in the house. Then I
had an idea and rang the doorbell again. Again we

(01:47:30):
heard the horrifying scream. A few moments later, Dillard Fuller
himself answered the door, dressed up as a mad doctor.
Halloween songs were playing inside, not loud enough to wear.
It was blasting everywhere. Zoe Brionna, glad you guys could
make it. He said, nice fucking doorbell, dill hole. Zoe muttered,

(01:47:55):
we thought some chick was really being slaughtered in there.
Dillard laughed a little. Yeah, I didn't know about the
doorbell being rigged until you two rang it just now. Anyway,
come on in. He stepped aside. The two of us
entered and looked around to see how creepy this house was.
We came into the living room where the others were.

(01:48:16):
I turned to Dillard, did you rent this place or something? Babe?
Don't you know about the history of this house? We did?
Xander Weiss called out, and we do. Eddie Prance added Dillard. Xander, Eddie,
and Rock Harris were all members of the Sigma Chi

(01:48:37):
fraternity in addition to playing football for the Serpents. Along
with Zoe and me, there were three other girls. Nancy
Lyles was the only sorority girl here and belonged to
Alpha Delta Kappa, while Ganice Vender and Misha Bolton House
were university cheerleaders. There were nine of us total. Seriously,

(01:49:00):
why would you guys even throw a party here? I
asked them? And after that shit that happened back in
nineteen seventy one, why not Rock grumbled. We got it
all to ourselves, super cheap. It's ours till tomorrow afternoon,
Eddie added. Then Dillard wrapped his arms around my waist.

(01:49:22):
Did you pick up my game? Honey? We shared a
quick kiss. I held up the bag right here. There's
something else in it too. He kissed me again. When
we came apart, I handed him the bag. No way,
Dillard gasped. When he pulled the Strickfield Slasher out. He

(01:49:43):
looked right at me. Where did you get this, Brianna?
He opened the clamshell and looked at the tape. Yeah,
this is the real deal here, He looked at me again.
You know how extremely rare copies of this movie are.
You can't even f he's on eBay or Etsy or
even the more obscure websites. I told him where I

(01:50:06):
found the tape, as he whipped out his wallet and
paid me back. Never heard of no store called Tinkers,
Eddie said, skeptically. You sure it's in the mall. I
go there every day and I ain't never once seen
that store there. Look, I know where I went and
found that movie at I snapped. Dillard looked Eddie's way,

(01:50:28):
don't sweat it man. Maybe the store just opened. It
is getting closer to the holiday season, maybe, Eddie muttered.
Sure enough, Dillard brought his VCR DVD combo deck to
the party. It was hooked up to an old school TV.
I mean we're talking boob tube here. Dillard popped the

(01:50:49):
tape in. Gather around, everybody, It's time to watch a
very rare piece of horror cinema. The nine of us
were sitting together and watching The Strickfield Slasher. Now Dillard
wanted me to sit on his lap. Even watching it
for the second time, this movie still creeped me out.

(01:51:10):
Then Dillard told everybody some trivia about how the movie
was filmed on some special black and white film which
made the picture quality look like it was filmed in
four K like before. The movie started out on a
night just like tonight, except in the movie it was
both dark and stormy. There were nine people attending the

(01:51:33):
Halloween party at grim manor Funny Thing. There were the
same number of guys and girls like at our party,
and they were wearing similar costumes too. A few of
the other guys agreed on how good the picture quality
was for an old VHS. The characters were talking among

(01:51:54):
each other and doing party stuff. Many of them were
drinking canned beer. A few of the girls were being
flirty with the jocks, one of them showing her boobs
without reservation. It wasn't long before they decided to kick
the party up a notch. They all gathered around in
the living room to play a sexy version of Truth

(01:52:14):
or Dare. Zoe, who sat next to me and Dillard,
took my hand and held it. When the game was
really getting interesting, Scott Mead crashed the party and started
brutally killing people. I squeezed Zoe's hand a few times
too at how scary Mead was. When I watched The
Strickfield Slasher earlier, I was holding myself at how scared

(01:52:37):
Scott Mead made me feel. He was playing some big
monster of a man who escaped from the Eerie City
Asylum a real place. Eventually, he made his way to
grim Manor and went on a murder spray. Like mister
Tinker told me earlier, Mead went totally batshit crazy and

(01:52:57):
viciously killed nearly everybody. Then he left grim Manor and
made his way across the village until he came to
a house on a hill where some other college kids
were partying the very same house we were in at
that moment. Getting back to the movie, Scott Mead was

(01:53:18):
creating a hell of a bloodbath with the partiers. I
still wondered if the kill scenes were fake or if
we were actually watching a snuff film. The blood, gore,
and nudity certainly weren't toned down in any way. Even
the screams were as blood curdling and realistic as could be.
Just hearing Scott Meade scream each time he went to

(01:53:40):
murder somebody kept making shivers go down my spine. We
were at the part of the movie where Scott Mead
went upstairs to the bathroom. He opened the door and
found the flirty girl who was showing her goods, all
hot and naked and taking a shower. Dillard pointed to
the screen. Today, a final girl could get away with

(01:54:00):
being nude like that in a slasher movie, but back then, yeah,
she's dead meat. Suddenly a huge flash flickered at the windows,
making everybody shriek. Then a loud rumble followed. It seemed
we were getting a dark and stormy night on Halloween

(01:54:22):
and Strickfield ourselves. Then I noticed Rock was sneering at me. Hey, Brianna,
you think you could be a final girl in a
scary movie?

Speaker 2 (01:54:33):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (01:54:34):
I knew where that asshole was coming from, you heard Dillard.
Even though I'm fat, I'd probably be able to survive
in a horror movie made today, I sighed. But I
think even i'd be dead in this movie. I've never
seen any slashers where a fat girl became a final girl.

(01:54:54):
Dillard pointed right at Rock. Lay off, Brianna, I mean it.
I won't put up with you giving her a hard time.
When Rock finally shut up, Dillard turned to me, you okay, hun,
I nodded, I'm not offended. Really. The truth was I
was easily chunky, maybe considered big, not morbidly obese. However,

(01:55:18):
plenty of guys checked me out when I came to
Strickfield University, but Dillard was the one who acted on me.
I had been with him for a good two years now.
Even now, he didn't have a problem with me sitting
on his lap as we kept watching the movie. When
Zoe squeezed my hand again, I gulped at, knowing what

(01:55:38):
I was about to see on a repeat. Viewing what
everybody else would see. For the first time, you just
knew the guys were appreciating the shower chick, especially when
her nudity was quite graphic. The chick tried being seductive
to the killer while letting the shower rain down on her.
It seemed as though Scott me would spare her. Suddenly

(01:56:02):
he screamed like a crazy person. Then he grabbed hold
of her and ripped her arms right out at the roots.
When the girl screamed and started bleeding everywhere, the others
all groaned at how grotesque the scene was. Mead finished
her off by grabbing her head and twisting it off
in his hands. Even seeing that similar scene in Creep

(01:56:23):
Show made me WinCE man. No wonder the Strickfield Slasher
never really saw the light of day, Dillard said, The
story's just terrible. It's all extreme violence and nudity just
for the sake of having it. Whatever made Damien Carnivosh
want to film this piece of shit? Anyway, Those Carnivoche

(01:56:44):
people were always fucking crazy. Nancy muttered, No wonder that
house on Pleasant Valley Road has always talked about so much.
You keeping the movie, Zoe asked Dillard. Yeah, I'm definitely
keeping it, he assured her. Brianna here found it for me,
and it's a rare collector's item. He don't throw stuff

(01:57:04):
like that away. It was then when I realized, hey,
we never turned the music down to watch this movie.
Eddie took a drink of his beer and got up. Yeah, yeah,
I'll get it. He went to the stereo the guy's brought,
then started pushing the stop button. Huh, what gives man,

(01:57:29):
Rock called over his shoulder. It's called the stop button,
you moron. Eddie turned around. I did push the stop button.
Rock got up and went to Eddie. He opened the
CD and tape decks. Both ain't nobody playing nothing in here?
Then he looked around, where the fuck's that music coming from?

(01:57:52):
Then Jennie stood up and stammered, anybody suddenly the front
door or practically exploded. We either gasped in surprise or
screamed when we saw this mountain of a man wearing
a sack cloth over his head. He looked exactly like
the character Scott Mead played in the movie. This guy

(01:58:13):
was so tall he had to lower himself to be
able to get through the doorway. Upon smashing through, he
was so drenched in muscles. He easily made Rock look scrawny,
and he was holding the absolute biggest meat cleaver any
of us had ever seen. I wasn't sure about the

(01:58:33):
others here, but I was definitely scared as hell. Any
of you guys order him, Edie asked, uneasily, not as
drunk as I thought. When nobody spoke up, I knew
right away we were all in for a world of shit.

(01:58:54):
Chapter two. The giant looked over everybody in the house
and started heaving. Then he looked up to the ceiling
and screamed, the same way Scott Mead screamed in the
movie before going after his victims. Nobody stuck around to
see if this guy was real or not. Funny thing.

(01:59:16):
The music we were hearing suddenly got quicker and louder
as we all moved and scattered in different directions. Okay, no,
Zoe turned and ran with me. As it turned out,
Mead turned and chased after Zoe and me. First, for
a giant of a man, he could run like a
regular sized person. Oh Jesus Christ, Zoe shrieked, why is

(01:59:41):
this happening? I don't know, I shrieked back, like Scott
Mead and the Strickfield Slasher. This guy never spoke a word,
He just growled, roared, and screamed. Soon Zoe and I
reached the stairway and ran up. It was a good
thing we didn't stop, because that a big meat cleaver
would have got me in the back for sure. Zoe

(02:00:04):
screamed when we turned to see the blade embedded in
the wall at the top of the stairs. When we
heard Scott Mead coming up, we turned and ran. We
made it into the open room that was probably the
master bedroom. Zoe slammed the door and locked it. We
didn't have much time to catch our breaths when Scott
Mead exploded right through this door too. When he screamed again,

(02:00:27):
Zoe and I slipped past him and got back out.
We were almost to the stairway when we heard him
coming for us again. Zoe and I had to take
the steps two at a time. As soon as we
were a few steps away from the stairway, the music
got really loud. Then it drastically changed. After Mead had
jumped the stairway and landed right by us. He took

(02:00:51):
one long look at me and then suddenly turned his
eyes on Zoe. She screamed when Mead grabbed her by
one of her pigtails and pulled her back him. Oh
God help me, she screamed as Mead grabbed the other pigtail.
When I moved to try and save her, he pulled
on both of Zoe's pigtails until he pulled her face

(02:01:14):
apart right down the middle. You could literally see just
her eyeballs, muscles, and bone. Now blood was quickly flowing
down Zoe's body and wetting her costume. Her eyeballs went
up to the ceiling as she screamed her final scream
before she dropped to the floor forever. The music changed

(02:01:37):
to match this dismal event. Mead growled and picked up
his cleaver. Then he took another long, hard look at me.
Chapter three. I shook my head quickly and suddenly ran
out the front door as Mead screamed like a deranged

(02:01:59):
lunatic behind me. Now, Mead roared as he came outside
and started chasing me down. I knew there was no
way I could outrun him. In a matter of a
few minutes, he would easily carve my fat ass up
into fine cuts of meat. Suddenly, a big pickup truck
passed in front of me and breake to a stop.

(02:02:19):
Eddie Prance was in the back, holding his hands out.
Get in here, he yelled. I grabbed his hands to
let him pull me in back, but Mead reached the truck. Suddenly.
Eddie cried out when he sprang forward to escape and
fell on top of me. I gasped when I saw
the meat cleaver slam into the back of the truck,
making the entire front end come right up off its wheels.

(02:02:42):
Eddie and I were right where Mead could easily reach us.
We got to our feet and tried to run. Come on, Brianna,
Eddie yelled. Suddenly Mead was right there and grabbed Eddie
by his long hair. Oh shit, he screeched, Oh God,
help me, help me. I grabbed Eddie's hands and tried

(02:03:05):
to pull him my way. Eddie really clinched his teeth
as Mead pulled his hair harder. The next thing I knew,
Eddie's neck skin was pulling apart. Suddenly, Mead had Eddie's
entire face and hair right in his fist, as if
it were a Halloween mask. The rest of Eddie and
me fell and tumbled over each other. Now, Eddie screamed

(02:03:29):
as he got up and started running around like a
chicken with its head cut off, except he had a
bare skull with just eyeballs, muscles, and bone. Blood ran
down his body and soaked his costume. Mead marched right
after him. Then Eddie started to slow down and sink
to his knees. Before Eddie could sink any further, Mead

(02:03:52):
grabbed his neck bone and yanked up hard to take
his skull and his entire spine along with it. What
was left of Eddie's body slumped over forever. Mead held
his cleaver up as he screamed at the sky. Rock
tried attacking Mead from behind, but all he made the

(02:04:12):
Strickfield slasher do was move just slightly. Now the killer
turned around and saw Rock. Mead screamed insanely again before
he swung Eddie's spine and skull hard at ROC's head.
The impact made ROC's head shatter like it was ceramic.
I screamed really loud on seeing that graphic horror right

(02:04:34):
in front of me, knowing it was very real. ROC's
headless body stood for many long moments until it wobbled
and fell to its knees. Then it toppled over and
landed hard on its chest. I looked past Mead to
the truck and saw everybody else who was in it
was getting away. It was then when Dillard Fuller came

(02:04:57):
to me and took my hand. Come on, honey, let's move.
As the two of us turned to run away, Mead
focused right on me again. Then he pointed and screamed,
bloody murder. Once more, Dillard and I ran like hell
with Mead in hot Pursuit. Chapter four. Dillard and I

(02:05:24):
ran until we reached the barn. We went inside and
pulled the door shut. He found a baseball bat. Just
as Mead crashed right through the door. He turned and
saw Dillard and I again, he pointed right at us
and screamed with madness. Dillard roared as he jumped his
skinny ass up and swung the baseball bat, catching Mead

(02:05:46):
right on top of the head. I think I actually
felt the impact of the bat and knew Dillard didn't
hold back. When my boyfriend landed on his feet, Mead
just stood there and looked down at him. Then he
pointed right at Dillard and screamed again, Oh shit, Dillard
yelled as he turned back to me. Run, Brianna, Run.

(02:06:10):
Dillard and I ran out a side door when he
slammed it behind him. Mead still crashed right through it. Suddenly,
Dillard took me down, saving my life as that huge
cleaver flew right over us. Come on, Dillard yelled, grabbing
my hands and helping me back to my feet. I
stayed with him as Mead chased us down again. We

(02:06:34):
gained a little time since Mead stopped to pick up
his weapon. Soon he was pursuing us again. For a
giant man, he was running like he'd gotten his full
ride to Strickfield University in track and field instead of football.
Also for a chunky girl. I wasn't doing too bad
and keeping up with my boyfriend. Then we heard Mead

(02:06:56):
screaming behind us again and knew it wouldn't be long
before he'd catch up to us. Suddenly, Rock's truck came
right out of nowhere and slammed into Mead. We turned
to see Xander Weiss was driving it. Mead was holding
on as Xander eventually rammed him right smack into a tree.
I swore I could feel my own bones breaking on impact.

(02:07:20):
I knew I was fine, but just seeing the way
they crashed. Then I screamed when I saw Mead was
on his feet and shouting with utter derangement. Suddenly, Mead
started pushing the truck back. Xander was flooring it to
try and keep him pinned where he was. Die, you
fucking bastard, die, Xander screamed, just as crazily, fuck you.

(02:07:49):
Even though there had to be a shit ton of
horsepower under the hood. Mead was screaming his insane screams
and actually started pushing the truck back. You could literally
see the tires spinning in the dirt and grass. Mead
screamed an even more insane scream before he lifted the
right front end and turned the truck over onto its side.

(02:08:13):
Xander might have been better off staying in the truck.
When he tried to escape Scott, Mead was right there
to grab him and raise him up over his head.
Oh shit, were Xander's last words when Mead ripped him
in half like he was made out of cloth and
stuffed with cotton. After doing that, Mead became slickened from

(02:08:35):
head to toe with blood. We gotta get out of here,
Dillard yelled. Then he grabbed my hand, making me turn
and run with him. Why the fuck is this happening,
I screamed, This was just supposed to be a Halloween
party tonight, right. Guess somebody didn't tell him that. Dillard

(02:08:57):
called back. As I was trying to focus to keep
up with him. I knew I wasn't feeling right. Maybe
seeing all that carnage was making me sick inside. Still,
I managed to stay with Dillard. Chapter five. Dillard and

(02:09:18):
I ran into some woods nearby. I let him continue
to lead the way. I was hoping we'd lose Scott Mead,
But why was he here and chasing after us?

Speaker 2 (02:09:30):
Now?

Speaker 1 (02:09:30):
After all this time? He was obviously young and strong.
Back in nineteen seventy one, you'd think Mead was old
enough to be retired and collecting social Security. By now,
looking at him, you'd swear he was still hitting the
gym every hour of every day. He was still able
to run fast. We couldn't see under his sack mask,

(02:09:51):
but it was like the bastard never aged a single day.
Dillard and I came out of the woods and ran
across some farmer's field. It wasn't long before we could
hear Scott Mead screaming his maddening scream behind us. Christ,
if we don't lose that big fucker, we're both gonna

(02:10:12):
be dead. Dillard gasped, No two ways about it. We
were both running out of steam. Still, we kept running
and running. It wasn't long before a car pulled right
up in front of us. It was Mancy and Janice.
Get in you two. Let's get the fuck out of here,

(02:10:32):
Maancy cried. Dillard and I quickly got in the back.
Genie floored the gas. At least we could catch our
breaths now, But our rescue and relief was very short
lived when Scott Mead was suddenly right up in the
road ahead of us. Chapter six. Mancy and Janice screamed.

(02:10:55):
Then Janice slammed on the brakes. How the fuck did
he get ahead of us like that? Nancy gasped, I
could have sworn me left his ass back there. Who cares?
Dillard yelled, get us out of here. Janice put the
car in reverse and floored it. Soon she was able
to turn us around. She put it in gear again

(02:11:16):
and did some squealing and peeling. Scott Meade landed right
on the hood. Before I could think I felt my
head hitting the roof of the car. I was seeing
stars and was dizzy. Now. I wasn't even aware of
Dillard pulling me out of the car, Brianna, he yelled
to me. He sounded like an old record being played

(02:11:39):
really slow. I was still too dizzy to shake the cobwebs.
I was sure I felt skinny Dillard lifting my big
body up and on to his shoulder. I was also
sure I heard more screaming, probably from Genie and Nancy.
God damn you, I heard Dillard yell at meed, you motherfucker.

(02:12:03):
I think I passed out when I felt Dillard running
with me on his shoulder. Chapter seven. I finally woke
up and recognized where we were. Then I saw my
boyfriend was right there. You okay, Brianna, Dillard asked, holding

(02:12:25):
my hand. I nodded, I think so. I got up
and attempted to walk. Dillard was there with me. When
I was doing okay and not feeling dizzy or sick.
I looked back at him, Yeah, I'm fine. Ow. I
put my free hand to where my head's still hurt.

(02:12:46):
Feels like I got cracked by a baseball bat. I
raised my eyebrow and you really carried me on your shoulder.
Dillard squeezed my hand. You bet I did. But you're okay, right,
I nodded, Yeah, I think I'll be fine. Then I
recognized our surroundings. Why the fuck did you bring us

(02:13:10):
back here? Don't you think Scott Mead will double back
here to find us? Dillard sighed and shook his head.
I don't know, honey, but seriously, why are we being
terrorized by Scott fucking Need Isn't the Strickfield Slasher just
a fictional movie, a fictional character? I had to think.

(02:13:33):
Then I saw the VHS tape of the movie sticking
out of the VCR. I let go of Dillard's hand
and went to it to pull the tape out. Honey,
I'm really sorry, I groaned as I threw the tape
on the floor and tried smashing it with my shoes.
What are you doing, Dillard demanded. I don't know. The

(02:13:57):
Strickfield Slasher is here in the real world trying to
kill our asses. Right, maybe if we destroy this fucking
tape we can send him back. I even jumped up
and down on the tape, hoping my weight would be
enough to break the casing when I stepped off of it.
Oh bullshit, the tape isn't even cracked. I turned to Dillard.

(02:14:19):
I know I way enough to be able to destroy
a fucking videotape. Dillard even tried destroying it, but no
matter what he did, Okay, I don't get it. Then
Dillard had an idea. He put the tape back into
the VCR. I'm glad that oversized idiot didn't destroy my equipment.

(02:14:41):
What are you doing, I asked, Let's watch the credits.
Dillard said, sometimes you learn things by watching those. There
wasn't much of the movie left no surprise. The Strickfield
Slasher was never stopped. The movie ended with him walking
off into the sunrise. From there, the credits rolled. Dillard

(02:15:06):
and I watched them carefully, and then I saw it
right there, Dillard, I yelled, pointing at it. When he
paused the movie. I pointed to the credit special film
stock donated by E Tinker. I looked at Dillard. The
man I bought the tape from this morning introduced himself

(02:15:26):
as Isley Tinker. You think it's a coincidence, he sighed
and looked back at me. Okay, we'll have to go
on that. We finished watching the credits and saw that E.
Tinker also had a producer credit. Finally, the tape reached
the end. Then the VCR automatically started rewinding. Dillard and

(02:15:51):
I looked at each other. What do we do now, hun,
I asked, you're the film student here, what do we do?
What the holy shit? Dillard shrieked. It happened just like that.
Suddenly everything went from color to black and white. We
weren't watching the movie, but you'd swear we were looking

(02:16:14):
just as four K as that VHS tape did. Before
we could think about what to do next, we turned
to see Scott Mead was standing right there, just outside
the front door he had crashed through earlier. To let
us know he was back. He raised his big cleaver
and screamed like a madman once again. When Scott Mead

(02:16:40):
finished screaming, Dillard and I didn't think about it and
ran upstairs again. I saw the split in the wall
where Mead threw that cleaver when he was chasing after
me and Zoe earlier. We made it upstairs and had
to think, fast, shit, there's nowhere for us to run.
Brianna Dillard grown when we heard Scott Meade screaming again.

(02:17:03):
We knew it would only be seconds before he'd be
on us. Then I had an idea. I want you
to listen to me very carefully. Then I explained my plan.

(02:17:23):
When Scott Mead found me in the bathroom, I was
naked and glistening wet from the water raining on me
from the shower nozzle. Oh believe me. I knew I
was crazy, but Dillard and I were never going to
make it back downstairs with me blocking our way, which
was why I was doing the brainless bimbo thing from
the movie itself and taking a shower. Mead was looking

(02:17:47):
me over as I turned and presented myself again, I
wasn't the sexiest girl in our group, with being chunky
and having a bubble butt. At least I had the
tits that came with having my chunky frame. I also
said I found it hard to believe skinny Dillard wanted
to date me just after we met at the university. Hell,

(02:18:09):
guys didn't even want to date me back in high school.
I only said I was sexy earlier because Dillard would
tell me so. He made me feel good about myself. Now,
Scott Mead was looking me over as I kept soaping
myself up. I was expecting him to do to me
what he did to that porn looking girl from the
original movie. I really didn't want to die, but I

(02:18:32):
wasn't going to let this giant buffoon get my boyfriend
if I could help it. Well, what are you waiting for,
I demanded, I'm all wet and sexy, baby, I screamed
when Mead suddenly reached out and grabbed my throat. His
hand was big enough to almost go completely around my neck.

(02:18:53):
One sudden movement of his wrist would snap my neck.
Easily closed my eyes and waited for everything to end.
Then Mead suddenly roared in pain. I opened my eyes
and saw the tip of the sword sticking out of
the Strickfield Slasher's chest. I looked past him and saw Dillard. No,

(02:19:18):
you were supposed to run, you were supposed to live,
I yelled. Our story ain't ending like that, Brianna. He
called back, I love you and we're getting out of
this together. Now, come on. Dillard snatched my hand. When
Scott Mead fell to his knees, I moved past him
and came to my boyfriend. I grabbed my clothes off
the floor and quickly got dressed. Then Dillard and I

(02:19:41):
ran out of the bathroom and were soon leaving the house.
We realized we were the last two left out of
our Halloween party from earlier tonight. I hope you killed
that son of a bitch, I told him. Yeah, I
hope so too, Dillard replied in a that told me

(02:20:01):
he wasn't believing it either. We found the scooters Zoe
and I had used to come here and took off
on them. I was sure we both knew it was
only a matter of time before Scott Mead would recover
and find us again. We continued riding the scooters until
we made it back into Strickfield limits. We knew we

(02:20:23):
had to reach the police station and get help. We
parked the scooters outside the station and got off to
go in. As soon as we reached the double doors.
That was when tragedy struck. Scott Mead was suddenly right
there with his big meat cleaver raised high. Also, we
should have realized things weren't over when we never stopped

(02:20:46):
hearing that horrible music all around us. When Meade screamed,
so did we. Then I screamed even louder when he
brought the cleaver down and sliced Dillard in half on
the spot. I screamed even more when both halves of
Dillard Fuller each fell to a knee and then split

(02:21:09):
apart to fall onto their perspective sides. Then I fell
onto my knees as Scott Mead screamed his loudest yet
and raised his cleaver for what would be his final kill.
Dillard and I should have known we weren't going to
get out of this horrible Halloween nightmare, especially when everything

(02:21:32):
was still in black and white. I probably could have
gotten up and ran, but what was the point. No
matter where I'd run, Scott Mead would be right there waiting.
He would always find me. I would never have any
peace whatsoever. Also, the Strickfield Slasher himself had just taken

(02:21:54):
the love of my life. I was on my knees
in both trembling and at knowing I had just lost Dillard,
and that goddamned music was just horrible. Now for the
final time, Scott Mead raised the big butcher's cleaver. Then

(02:22:15):
everything started to go dark when the cleaver came right
down on me. Fast epilogue back in the real world Isley,
Tinker stopped the VCR and pressed the rewind button. When
the video cassette was finished, he ejected it and placed

(02:22:39):
it back inside the clamshell case. From there, he returned
it to the display near the cash register. Once more,
the Strickfield Slasher was available to purchase. It wasn't long
before some new prospects had entered his establishment at Strickfield
Town Center Mall. More college kids from the university or

(02:23:03):
the high school coming in to look for Halloween items.
No doubt, Like before, he would approach the students and
offer his assistance. He would bring them up to the
counter and show them what he was selling for Halloween.
Of course, someone would inquire about the Strickfield Slasher. Tinker

(02:23:24):
would tell the story the same as he did with
all his previous customers. Of course, they just had to
have that copy of that extremely rare movie filmed around Strickfield.
Tinker would sell it for twenty dollars, which would guarantee
both the sale and more profit for him. From there,

(02:23:48):
it would be only a matter of time before one
or more people would sit down to watch The Strickfield Slasher.
Summoning the possessed title character himself. Tinker had indeed been
the one who supplied the special film stock to Damian Carnivosh,
earning him a producer credit. Just as people had their

(02:24:13):
Halloween traditions, so did Issley Tinker. His was, of course,
the Strickfield Slasher, in which the movie was both cursed
and possessed by one of the restless spirits of grim manner.
As long as the spirit was kept satisfied, it would

(02:24:33):
continue its existence within the black and white, fictional yet
realistic world of Strickfield itself. Tinker himself knew it would
only be a matter of time before the video cassette
would find its way back to him, so that the
vicious cycle could begin again. He would continue to make

(02:24:56):
money on selling it, and the spirit contained within the
medium would get more victims. Tinker sighed after his latest
customer had just left with The Strickfield Slasher. Ah, Yes,
I do so love Halloween Stalk by Mike Eskewey. I'm bored, lonely,

(02:25:29):
and horny. This is not exactly a great combination for
an exciting reading week. The exceptional and brilliant life of
me Joshua Fox or Foxy to most of my friends
I wish the nickname suggested more success with the ladies,
but well, let's say it's been a long, dry summer,

(02:25:54):
and fuck if I'm not thirsty. Canadian Thanksgiving, the less
cool cousin of American Thanksgiving, happens in October. But hey,
it's reading week, so it kind of works out. I'm
coming home to my old stomping grounds from being away
in the big city of Toronto. It'll be a week

(02:26:17):
of getting together with some friends, playing some dungeons and dragons,
and maybe putting on the skates for a few games
of Beer League hockey with the boys. Maybe I was
expecting college to be like in the movies, and ladies
would be throwing themselves at me. I am somehow getting
the idea that the sexy comedies of the eighties might

(02:26:39):
have lied to me. There was a distinct lack of
pante raids, and it was more study your ass off
and get your homework done than endless fun. I'm lucky
that I got my college education paid for courtesy of
the Ontario government and a summer of manning a hot
dog cart at the Blue Jays games. The drive home

(02:27:00):
up Highway six was as always long, boring, and well,
if you've never seen a cow, then hold onto your
butts because you are in for a treat. I parked
my ass at my parents' house and Owen Sound and
hoped that this week doesn't suck. My mom and dad

(02:27:21):
have taken off to somewhere warm, sunny and probably filled
with conservative nut jobs like Florida. Come to think of it,
maybe Owen Sound and Florida have a lot in common,
just with less alligators on meth. Then again, I laughed
at my own stupid thoughts and continued driving. Fortunately, Foxy

(02:27:43):
wasn't totally without a clue or a plan for the
week ahead. In some ways, there is this cool thing
called the Internet. Heard of it? Of course, you have
all the debauchery and raunchy shit you can imagine, and
all available at the click of a mouse. Kind of
figured the boys might blow me off for the week

(02:28:05):
with work, girlfriends, and kids. So I had to come
up with a plan B. What's plan B, you ask,
Internet hookups? Yeah, I know, fuck sexy MILFs in your
area right now. Just pay nine to ninety nine and
enter your major credit card. Nah fuck that. I tried
the sensitive approach and cast a wide net and tried

(02:28:28):
the college dating website scene, and I'll see what happens
when I cast a line. Before leaving my dorm, I
fired up the old laptop and sent off a few
messages to some girls up in the area. I knew
a few of them from going to high school, and
some I knew by reputation alone. I kind of had
a feeling that my odds of success weren't great. But hey,

(02:28:51):
as a great wise man once said, you can't score
if you don't take a shot right now. Wait, you're thinking,
am I really this lonely and desperate? Yes? And no.
Before I left for school, I did have a girl
I was going steady with, but well, it didn't work out.

(02:29:13):
Maybe it was her, Maybe it was me. Maybe I
shouldn't have tried to fuck her best friend Courtney. Maybe TLDR.
I'm an idiot and got what I deserved. However, who
says that good guys don't get a second chance? Am
I a good guy?

Speaker 2 (02:29:31):
Well?

Speaker 1 (02:29:32):
I'm not Hitler. That has to count for something. Coming
into Owen Sound was something that I always looked forward to.
The lovely fall colors of the trees and the big
hill coming into the downtown. Sure this place sucked to
grow up, but I'll be damned if it wasn't a
gorgeous place to look at for a little while. I

(02:29:53):
drove up to my parents' house on the west side
of town by the old Blockbuster and unloaded my backpack
and hockey back. Walked into the old house that was
clearly built before people knew what HVAC was and half
decent wiring. It's quiet here, even the dog is gone.
They almost never take that yappy thing with them on vacation.

(02:30:16):
That's pretty weird. Guess the neighbors finally said, fuck you.
Your dog won't stop shitting on our lawn, so no,
Bob and Linda, I won't look after your mud. My
room was just as I left it. It looked like
a bomb went off in it. Dirty clothes, fast food wrappers,
and I'm pretty sure a half empty can of red

(02:30:36):
Bull stuffed up under my computer desk. Speaking of my computer,
I fired up the old desktop that I didn't take
with me to school. I logged onto a few of
the college dating sites that I was on before I left,
and kind of hoped that I'd find someone to help
take my mind off things for a while. Seems like
more than a few swiped away from yours truly, but hey,

(02:30:59):
this is just separating the wheat from the chaff. The
strong survive. Right after sorting through like twenty messages and
getting shot down almost consistently a hit, I've never been
so happy to see a blinking notification on a website
that wasn't only fans click that so fast that I

(02:31:21):
thought the mouse would disintegrate in my hands. It was
from Tracy Kidd, totally out of my league, totally not
into me yet. Hey, Josh, glad to hear your coming
back to town for a week. When was the last
time I saw you? Was it the baseball attorney in
Sawble Beach or at jeans party in Chesley? It's been

(02:31:41):
way too long. I was totally surprised to hear from you, though,
such a pleasant surprise. Sorry to hear that your friends
ditched you for the week or likely will that totally sucks,
blah blah, get on with it. But I kept reading
with anticipation, as this could go my way, or I'm
spending my week with a jar of vasileene and porn

(02:32:03):
hub so I'm stuck this week by myself too, And
I was wondering if you'd like to get together, no
pressure or anything. I have to close my parents' cottage
for the winter, and I could totally use a big
strong man to help me out. Well, more like, I'd
rather not be alone in a giant house by myself
for a week. So tell you what, why don't you

(02:32:24):
come up when you're here and we'll get together, have
a few laughs, go in the hot tub and drink
what's left in the liquor cabinet. Now, this is what
I am talking about. I texted her so fast, and
after literally a few seconds, she replied back, Holy shit.
She gave me a winkie face emoji and said she'd

(02:32:45):
be available later tonight. I texted back and asked for
the address, but tried to play it cool. Pretty sure,
I look dumb as hell, but it's a bold move, Cotton.
Let's see how it plays out. Got the address. I
had a vague idea on where it was, Sauble Beach.
It sounded like it was close to Soggin First Nation Territory,

(02:33:08):
the Indian Reservation. I'd been there a few times for
hockey and had a few friends from there. Good guys, deaf,
the kind of people you want backing you in a fight.
You don't fuck with res kids. Had an idea that
kid was Ojibweh, but didn't want to ask. It's cool though.
Native girls have the most intense dark eyes and that

(02:33:30):
amazing black hair. I knew Tracy had a rep, but
it was well earned. She didn't take any crap from
any of her boyfriends, so she had that tough girl
air about her. She was confident, undeniably sexy, but so
far out of my league. It was like a ten
year old kid playing in the NHL with a broken arm.

(02:33:52):
I can't deny that. I'd love to have a face
off with her and jersey her if you catch my
drift still, she responded to. So if I didn't have
a shot, then she wouldn't have answered me. Maybe this
reading week is gonna work out after all. Get together
with a pretty girl, fuck her brains out, and return

(02:34:12):
back to the dorms with an awesome story. I could
also totally brag to my buddies Ryan and Dylan how
I got laid and they decided to ditch me for
things like jobs and Beer League losers. I texted her
back and said I'd take a quick shower and grab
some supplies and head up her way within the hour.

(02:34:34):
It was late afternoon, but I'd still make it up
there before it got too dark. And then the real
fun began. I got in the shower and tried to
imagine all the ways that i'd be all mister super
sexy and smooth oper Radar. Something felt kind of off
as I got out of the bathroom, though, it kind
of felt like someone was watching me. It only happened

(02:34:58):
for a few seconds, but for a moment or two,
I swear I saw a pair of eyes dart by
my bedroom window. That would be crazy because I was
up on the third floor. Maybe cut back on the
red bulls before I leave for her place, got my
luggage together, some condoms I had stashed for just such

(02:35:19):
an occasion, and a six pack of Canadian from the fridge.
I'm sure Dad won't mind if I take a few
beers to entertain a lady again. Something seemed weird as
I was just getting my keys off the kitchen table
and I looked out towards the back door. I swear
I saw the biggest damn dog I'd ever seen, just

(02:35:40):
peering in at me and looking at me. Now, who
the hell, let that monster off the leash. Should I
call the cops or help someone find their dog? Well,
if it's important enough, then someone will come looking, and
I'm sure that Kujo, the giant dog will find his
way home. My car felt like something out of Fast

(02:36:01):
and the Furious as I hit the gas and hit
every single light out of town and up Highway six
towards Soble Beach. I cranked up the radio and started
singing along badly to whatever was on it. Frankly didn't matter.
Tonight was gonna be great and I wasn't gonna let
anything spoil it. This fox was on the prowl Baby,

(02:36:24):
passed by a few small towns along the way to
Soble Beach. This place was world renowned as a tourist destination,
huge white sand beach, thriving beach community, and of course
racial tensions because you know, northern Ontario. I mean, why
do people gotta be shitheads? Everyone shit stinks, so why
can't we all just get along? Right right? Leave it

(02:36:48):
to me. I'll solve all the world's problems, like the
fucking United Nations. The only part of the ride that
wasn't full of fun and fantasy was still shaking, that
weird feeling of those eyes watching me. The main road
in Dissamble was quiet, like so quiet you could hear

(02:37:08):
a mouse fart for miles. This place rolled up the
sidewalks after Labor Day weekend and it was just the
locals left here till the winter comes for the snowmobile crowd.
Everything was closed or being closed up, and the only
thing open was a convenience store that sold stuff to
tourists at inflated prices, and the locals knew better than

(02:37:30):
to drive to Owen Sound. I used to spend a
lot of summers here with the boys and even my
on and off girlfriends. We'd hang out by the giant
sign at the beach entrance and walk downtown and not
have a care in the world. Those summers were amazing
and I never wanted them to end. We'd usually rent

(02:37:50):
a cottage a few times a summer along the beach
and it was nothing but parties, loud music, weed, and
staying up all night playing poker or an old till
we passed out. My GPS started droning on its directions
to get to Tracy's place. Where in the hell was it?
Back roads, twists and turns, and I don't even think

(02:38:12):
I was anywhere near people at this point. If you
lived back here, you either valued your privacy or had
more money than sense to build this far back. It
was dirt roads, trees, dense bush, and even an occasional swamp.
Truly paradise, come to think of it. The GPS lady

(02:38:33):
sounded kind of hot. Wait, we are not fantasizing about
fucking Skynet before Tracy, are we? We are? It's a
new level of sadness, but that's okay. It'll be prime
time soon enough. Finally I found the address and it
was tucked back about as far as one could go

(02:38:54):
without being totally off grid. I think your neighbors must
be easily fifteen or twenty minutes away, and I haven't
seen any cars pass me, and at least that long.
On the plus side, no one will hear her scream
my name when we get down to it. I drove
carefully along the dirt road, trying not to bottom out

(02:39:14):
my car. I'm still paying this thing off, and the
last thing I need is to take it in because
I knocked off my muffler. Her cottage comes into view
and it's way bigger than I expected. Looks like someone
built this place by hand, and they had amazing taste
as well. Two stories, big glorious windows, and a gorgeous

(02:39:35):
wrap around deck and even a little swing set. This
place was like something out of a TV show or
a movie. I pulled up beside her pickup truck and
started to get out when I noticed something as I
opened the car door. What in the hell was that smell?
It smelled like a wet dog mixed with something else.

(02:39:58):
It almost smelled like rotten meat that had been left
out in the sun for a few hours. You spend
enough time in the woods and you know what trouble
smells like. And this did not exactly scream friendly. Must
be roadkillers. Something died in the woods nearby. I mean
there were bears, coyotes, and foxes around here. Probably safe

(02:40:20):
to assume that I should get inside quickly. I'd rather
not end up as something's dinner tonight. I probably taste great.
One last thing to prepare, I sprayed a little bottle
of axe body spray on myself before I went up
to the door. Might as well smell like desperation and
a little bit of horniness in a can, right, I

(02:40:44):
headed up the deck stairs and knocked on the big
wooden door. I waited a moment or two and then
knocked again and nothing. Did I get the wrong house.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone
to text her, but of course, no cell service. I'm
pretty sure even if I got a bar of service

(02:41:05):
out here, it would be a minor technological miracle. Maybe
she was fucking with me. I mean, it's entirely possible.
I started to walk back towards my car and defeat
and shame when I heard a voice call out from
an upstairs window. Josh, hold on a few, I'm just
getting out of the shower. The door's unlocked. Head into

(02:41:27):
the living room. I'll be down in a few. That
was Tracy. I opened the door and walked into the cottage,
and man, what a trip. This place was decked out
in all sorts of things. On the walls. There was
a gigantic painting of a pack of wolves above a fireplace,
and pictures of what I presumed were her family. They

(02:41:49):
also had tons of handmade things that looked like they
must have come from the reservation. I think I had
heard that her brother John was a big shot dancer
in the powwow circuit. It's pretty bad ass looking, to
be honest, I mean, I somehow managed to fuck up
coloring books, so this was way beyond my skill level.

(02:42:10):
I sat down on her sofa and just kept looking
around the place, half being amazed by all the stuff
and the other time being kind of snoopy and way
too curious. After about ten minutes, I hear footsteps coming
down the staircase behind me. I can't contain my excitement,
and I spin around on the couch and try to

(02:42:30):
look cool. It didn't work, as I turned around so
fast that I almost fell off the couch. I looked
up and saw Tracy Kidd for the first time since
last summer. She looked gorgeous, long black hair, Her makeup
was done just right to make her eyes pop, and
she wore a pair of gray sweatpants and a crop

(02:42:52):
top black hoodie. She was beautiful. Hey Foxy, long time,
no see have any trouble find the place? She said
in a playful tone. Yeah, my GPS tried to take
me into Lake Huron, but I got here all right. Man.
Her folks certainly made sure this place would be the
biggest pain in the ass for a pizza guy or

(02:43:14):
Amazon to find. You'd be surprised how easily all the
cousins find it. After pow Wow and John comes home
for a few weeks, she laughed. I'm glad I was
able to come up. By the way, thanks for messaging
me back, Trace, I needed a friendly face or two
while I was home. I'm more than happy to help.

(02:43:35):
I even brought up a few beers as well. Well,
aren't you a fucking gentleman, she laughed. Don't worry. I'm
fully stocked out here as I got to close this
place up for the winter, and I'm not supposed to
leave anything behind. My parents said, do what you want,
but make sure the locks are tight, the windows closed,
and the power is off before Thanksgiving Monday. I'm just

(02:43:57):
glad to be out of the city for a few days,
so anything you need I got. I'll admit it took
a lot of restraint to not say anything stupid or
push my luck too far before we even had a
chance to get comfortable together. Anything huh, Well, that remains
to be seen. Her voice and demeanor changed for just

(02:44:20):
a second, and I think if I played my cards
right then I likely would not be sleeping on the sofa.
I'm pretty handy and I can count to ten without
using my fingers, so that as to count for something.
I joked back with her to see if I was
gauging the room right. She smiled back at me, and

(02:44:40):
it was the kind of look that suggested I could
lower my defenses and see where things led, but slowly,
and try to play three D chess as it were.
Tracy sat down on the couch next to me and
we just caught up on old times and what we've
been up to since last summer. She was working for
the conservation Authority and doing some stuff for her brother,

(02:45:03):
like helping him book gigs. So kind of like Showbiz
meets Captain Planet. It did sound pretty cool, if very
busy and time consuming. I told her that I was
at Humber College for photography. I wanted to live my
dream of being a sports photographer, maybe someday work for
the NHL or the Canadian Hockey League. As the night passed,

(02:45:25):
we started developing into deeper topics and it was actually
pretty pleasant. She asked me why we never hung out
more in high school. I always thought you were too
cool for me. You always had a boyfriend, and let's
be real, most of these guys make UFC fighters seem
like cuddly little kittens. In comparison, you could have just

(02:45:48):
asked Fox, you were a good guy, kind and not
too much of an asshole. I didn't care much for
that Dylan friend of yours, but always thought you were
all right. I remember the first time I saw you
and your boyfriend fight at school. You punched him so
hard when he laid his hands on you. It was
like watching wonder Woman come to life. It was pretty

(02:46:11):
fucking awesome. Funnier when he begged you not to do
it in front of his friends. Yeah, he had it coming.
I dated a lot of jerks back then. I could
handle myself though. My grandmother taught me a lot of things.
She taught me mostly to take shit from no man
and to end it decisively. She looked at me differently

(02:46:32):
when she said that. To me, the air in the
room seemed to shift, and it wasn't just idle chit
chat anymore. It was something more real. I'm sorry that
you had to go through that trace. You deserve better,
a lot better. Tracy inched closer to me on the

(02:46:52):
couch and actually started to cuddle into me. I actually
felt all my bravado and all my intent ooze away
as she did. I was vulnerable, and so was she.
This was the make it or break it moment. This
is where I either have an amazing night or I
fuck it up completely. I've been lonely for a while, Josh.

(02:47:17):
Things got different after you left. She almost whispered it
like it was a secret she wasn't supposed to tell anyone.
What do you mean, what's wrong? I asked, and genuinely
meant it. The idea of getting laid kind of became
secondary now. I mean, what if this was something else?

(02:47:38):
What if this was one of those moments where something
becomes really real. I know why you came here, but
I'm not mad. Oh fuck no, No, it's fine. I
wanted you to come. It's more than just a hookup. Right.

(02:47:58):
How do I answer this? Maybe I'll play honestly because
I don't know. She can lay me out cold and
leave me for the bears outside to eat. I'll admit it.
A lot has changed since I came here and actually
started talking with you. It's one thing to have a
hot girl answer you on a dating site, and another

(02:48:19):
thing to have said hot girl, invite you up to
a cottage for a few days. I get the feeling
that you've been really real with me, and I haven't
had that since Melissa, my ex, the one you tried
to cheat on. Yeah, I own that fuck up. I
didn't expect to say that out loud, but it came

(02:48:40):
so naturally. If I'm going to be present and here
in the moment, then I had better be on my
best behavior. You're not a bad guy, Josh. I can
smell it on you. Okay, that's a weird thing to say,
but sure, that's just the body spray. I nervously laughed.

(02:49:02):
She sat up and sat on my lap and looked
deep into my eyes. She was a lot heavier than
I expected to be. Honestly, she was built like a tank.
She didn't look this strong, but looks are deceiving. I'm
pretty sure she could bench press me and not even
break a sweat. No, Josh, it's perfectly fine. We all

(02:49:25):
have needs, and so do I. It's nothing to be
ashamed of. She touched the side of my face and
traced a line from my hairline to my cheek and
cupped my chin in her hand. Normally, this is where
I'd get down to business and go to town. But
here I was absolutely in her hands. I was her

(02:49:45):
plaything and she knew it. She had this animalistic power
over me. And on one hand, it was kind of
scary how much I knew she could overpower me, but
I kinda wanted it that way. I looked back into
her eyes, and there was something in there I didn't
expect to see. I could see this primal hunger and

(02:50:08):
this ferocity you see in a wild predator like a
wolf for a lynx. This is a weird line between
sexy as fuck and scary. I think I'm turned on
but also kinda terrified. What would you say to a
little game? You win, you can have your way with me,

(02:50:30):
and if I win, then I can do whatever I
want to you. Okay, what do I have to do?
Answer me honestly, and I'll know if you're lying, she
said in a flirty but also serious tone. She pulled
her hair back into a ponytail and didn't take her

(02:50:52):
deep brown eyes off me. She was sizing me up
in a way that I can't say I've ever seen
outside of a Nature dot Com documentary. Suddenly I felt
like a kitten. Trapped in a cage with a lioness.
This is either gonna get kinky or weird, probably both.
Relax your body and let me guide you. I need

(02:51:16):
you to trust me, Josh. She took my hands and
placed them on her sides, and she kept eye contact
with me. I relaxed as much as I could. I
was a little hard, because well, I'm a guy. She
smiled at me and winked, and then got serious again.
Do you trust me, Josh? She took my hands and

(02:51:39):
put them on her breasts and kept her body taut
against mine. Okay, this is going places. I do, I
stammered out. Do you want me, Josh? I do? This
is happening. Would you still want me if I told
you a secret? Sure? I mean it's not like you

(02:52:05):
killed anybody, right. I could feel her body tense up
as soon as I said that, And what if I did? Okay,
not sure. I like where this is going. I don't
think you're a murderer. Kid. Tough as shit, but you're
not a killer. Tracy took my hands and guided them

(02:52:25):
to her face and held them against the side of
her head, and we just held hands like that for
a moment. There was a tenderness and a longing. In
this moment, I could feel my cheeks flush and my
heart beating out of my chest like a jackhammer. What
if you're wrong about me? Would you still want me?

(02:52:47):
She relaxed our hands and leaned in to kiss me.
I could feel her breath just as our lips were
about to touch, and for a moment, it was like
the first time I was with someone and I totally
forgot the peril I was likely in. Yes, good, she

(02:53:08):
whispered as she kissed me, long and deep, passionately. This
wasn't an I want to fuck you kiss. This was
an I want you forever kind of kiss. Now you
only have to do one more thing, and it's simple.
I want you too, But you have to prove how

(02:53:31):
strong and clever you are. Can you do that? At
this moment, I'm pretty sure I would have sold meth
to nuns. I can do that. I want you to
play hide and seek with me for ten minutes, and
I'll give you a head start. Seriously, all I gotta
do to sleep with this amazing, enchanting sexual goddess is

(02:53:55):
play hide and seek for ten minutes. This is gonna
be so awesome. Okay, that's it, I laughed. That's it.
I might suggest you start running now, though, what run? Why?
This seems a little hardcore for for play, don't you think,

(02:54:19):
I thought to myself. Tracy leaned in and kissed me again,
and this time it almost felt sad, like a goodbye
in a sense. She took herself off my body, off
the couch and stood up to her full height. If
you're going to mate with me, then I need to
know how strong and clever my pupps will be. As

(02:54:44):
soon as she said that, I thought I was going
to shit my pants. This little five foot eight, dark
skinned girl started to grow in front of me, like
something out of a nightmare. Her skin started to ripple,
and a rough, dark brown furry merged like a wave.
Her features twisted and snapped, like muscles and bone snapping

(02:55:04):
into new shapes. The face of Tracy Kidd was replaced
by a long, wolf like snout filled with sharp, unforgiving teeth.
Those once kind hands shaped into impossibly long claws that
scraped the hardwood floor beneath her. She towered over me
at easily nine feet tall. A rough, almost unrecognizable voice

(02:55:29):
growled out of her horrifying visage. I'm going to count
to thirty and then, if you can survive for ten minutes,
I'm all yours. I screamed and screamed till my voice
was hoarse, and I started to run in any direction.
But where I was, Tracy Kidd was a fucking werewolf. Fuck,

(02:55:53):
I gotta run, gotta run, gotta run. I threw open
the front door and tripped down the stairs as I
went and landed hard on the grass out front and
felt the wind to get knocked out of me. I
felt my car keys jab into my leg, and Jesus
Christ did that hurt. I started stumbling towards my car
and thought about how the hell I was going to

(02:56:15):
get out of here when I didn't even know where
here was in this dark it was so pitch black,
and her porch lights were off. I struggled to get
my car keys in the lock. They wouldn't turn. I
kept turning the keys, but the door wouldn't open. Shit,
I must have bent the key when I fell. Fuck,

(02:56:35):
I'm gonna die here, aren't I? I felt beads of
sweat run down my face and start to sting my eyes.
Panic had gripped my entire body. This was it, wasn't it.
This is where it all ends for me. I started
running down the dirt laneway towards what I assumed was
the main road that I had came in on. I

(02:56:56):
didn't even look back, as I kept focusing on putting
one foot in front of the other and doing my
best to keep my forward momentum going. I just wanted
to get with a girl this week. I just wanted
to get laid right now. I just want to live
to see tomorrow. Fuck. I'll take surviving the next hour

(02:57:17):
if it means I can keep breathing. I kept running
further and further into the darkness, and eventually the lights
from Tracy's cottage could barely be seen because of the
thick mess of pine trees. Looking around for anywhere to hide,
or at least a place to gather myself for a
second and to catch my breath. I'm not exactly in

(02:57:37):
the worst of shape, but I could feel my legs
start to turn to jelly and each breath start to
burn as I gasped for air. Peeking off the lane way,
I started dashing into the woods, and when I finally
got into an area too dense to run, I started
to slow down and carefully walk so as not to
make too much noise. I couldn't hear anything except the

(02:57:59):
faint sounds of a distant owl and the lapping of
some nearby body of water. It's too quiet out here,
and all I can truly hear is the blood pumping
in my ears. I have a lot to be sorry
for if this is where it all ends tonight. I'm sorry,
Mom and Dad. I know you wanted me to go
off to school like my sister and become a doctor,

(02:58:22):
but I wasn't smart enough. I'm mostly sorry to my
ex girlfriend Melissa Hugh didn't deserve what I tried to
do to you. I thought I was something special because
someone else besides you took a liking to me, and
I let it go to my head. I fucked up,

(02:58:42):
and I made a lot of people unhappy in my life.
Maybe I deserve to be torn apart by this creature
or turned into a weird breeding thing for her. I
probably deserve this. I leaned back against a tree and
let out a and just looked up at the sky
for a second. I don't know how long it's been

(02:59:05):
since I ran from the house, maybe five minutes and
that's probably being generous. I could smell that rotting flesh again. Shit. Suddenly,
something wet and heavy slammed into my chest and knocked
me hard against the tree. Felt like it cracked a
rib or ten. I crumbled into a heap at the

(02:59:28):
base of the tree and was instantly dazed. I tried
to keep from passing out from the pan and keep
focused enough to get my wits about me. I opened
my eyes, and I instantly regretted that decision. Once again,
I found myself face to face with something that shouldn't
exist yet here it was, right here in front of me.

(02:59:51):
There was enough pale light cast from the overhead moon
that I could see the face of the creature looking
right into my soul trace or whatever. She was kept
inching closer to me with her gigantic mouth drooling. Her
spit glistened in the moonlight like dew. Okay, this was

(03:00:14):
really it, Tracy. If you're gonna kill me, make it quick,
and please don't make my mom and dad have to
worry that I disappeared. Give them something to bury, I
croaked out in a weak voice. The werewolf stood up
to its full height and cocked its head and looked

(03:00:35):
at me. I looked up into the eyes of the creature,
and suddenly they weren't the eyes of a monster. They
were Tracy Kid's eyes. Tracy's lupine form leaned down and
moved closer to my body and nuzzled it like a
dog would to an injured friend or owner. Her big

(03:00:58):
wolf like head against mine and touched the side of
my face gently. This is not what I expected. Her
form began to shift back into the nineteen year old
native girl I had a crush on once she was naked,
but at that moment it didn't matter. Josh are you

(03:01:20):
afraid to die? Yeah? I am. I don't want my
parents to worry or my sister. I'm sorry for a
lot of things in my life. I'm sorry that I
came up here looking to take advantage of you. I'm
sorry for everything. I whispered quietly. I know you are

(03:01:45):
I can smell it on you. You're a lot of things,
Joshua Fox, but you're not a bad guy. She reached
out again with her hands and cupped mine in hers
and touched my face. I'm sorry, Tracy. What would you
say if I said I was still interested in you? Okay,

(03:02:10):
I went from preparing to meet the almighty to whatever
this is. I'm confused, what do you mean? I didn't
know how to process what exactly was happening at that moment.
I'm lonely, Josh. I want to be with someone who
can be honest like you are right now? What if

(03:02:32):
I offered you a chance to be like me, strong, powerful,
and to be a part of something different? What exactly
was Tracy asking me? She took back her left hand
and extended one of her fingernails to an unnatural length
and pointed it at me. Be with me, Josh. When

(03:02:56):
we meet with another we take on strong spiritual and
personality traits from the partner. I want my pupps to
have that honesty and that vulnerability you showed tonight. You
could have tried to fuck me and then left in
the morning, but instead you chose to talk and open up.
You went with plan B, even though you didn't immediately

(03:03:18):
mean to. Will I be just like you like a monster?
Yes and no. I'll have to show you how to
control your new life, and you'll be different from everyone else,
but you'll meet others like me. It's not as scary
as it sounds trust me, I found out from my

(03:03:40):
grandmother in high school. How did you think I got
so strong? Will it hurt? Just for a minute. Tracy
leaned in and pressed her naked body against mine, and
I felt her fingernail cut deep across my back and
fire seared across the wound, and I wanted to throw

(03:04:04):
up but couldn't. I immediately passed out. The next day,
I woke up next to Tracy in an unfamiliar bed,
and all my wounds had healed. I felt weird, like

(03:04:26):
everything was moving in slow motion, but I was hyper
aware of everything. I could hear birds and things that
seemed miles away. I felt like I was stronger than
I'd ever been in my life. I got up out
of bed and noticed I was also naked. Oh that's unexpected. Well,

(03:04:51):
if I had any fun last night, it seems like
I wasn't totally present for that little escapade. I passed
by a mirror and noticed something different about myself. I
had the same animalistic look in my own brown eyes

(03:05:11):
that Tracy did when we were on the couch last night.
Well this is going to take some getting used to,
isn't it? Special? Halloween Hours by Rob fields. When I

(03:05:36):
started my freshman year at Strickfield University, I wanted to
get an evening job to both occupy my free time
and make some cash. One of my professors said a
great place to get a job was in downtown village itself.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I first came into
downtown Strickfield. This part of the village truly is an

(03:05:58):
area that time seems to have mostly forgotten. Sure, there's
internet service HDTVs, video game consoles, and smartphones. Far from that,
most everything else that seemed long forgotten is still here.
Downtown village has things like a twenty four hour video

(03:06:19):
game arcade that's part of a donut shop called Roth's Rings.
There's a daily newspaper printed called The Strickfield Journal, and
paper carriers on bicycles deliver them. People here still use
landline phones. There are even payphones, including operator service. There's
also this soda parlor called Big Edds. There's even a

(03:06:43):
vintage movie theater called the Strickfield Centennial. Just outside the
main village is a diner called Denoyer's Grill that'll take
you back in time with their menu, the floor, the booths,
and even the jukebox. Even the drive in theater plays
by vintage rules where only the driver pays admission, not

(03:07:04):
to mention all the vintage movies they play on film. Now,
you'd take one look at me and you'd think right
away I don't belong here. I know, I stand out
with all my tattoos, my long hair, my piercings. Yet
who'd have thought fortune was with me? As soon as
I stepped into Strickfield Video. Yeah you heard me, There

(03:07:28):
really is a video rental place here in downtown Strickfield.
When I walked in, my jaw practically hit the floor.
This place is huge and rents VHS tapes to DVDs
to Blu rays. Strickfield Video carries movies from every genre.
The horror section is easily the biggest one here. They

(03:07:50):
even sell movie theater style snacks and other novelties. It
wasn't long before this middle aged man who looks like
a gangster a hear right behind the counter. You like
what you see? Yeah, he even sounded like a gangster
when he saw me with all my tattoos, piercings and
leather clothes. I thought he was gonna kick me out,

(03:08:14):
but he didn't. You hear about the job. Kid help
wanted sign out there, you're really hiring, was all I
could say, and that was it. No formal interview, no
filling out an application or handing over a resume, not
even a background check. The gangster guy whose name is Lenny,

(03:08:35):
hired me right on the spot. He sneered again and
told me to relax as he showed me around Strickfield Video.
Like I said, this place is huge, he said, new
movies come in all the time, and I would have
my busy moments. Even though I didn't look normal, it
didn't bother him. Here's my bodily dimensions. I got long

(03:08:59):
jet black hair going down to my rear end. I'm
really skinny, but don't look like I don't eat. The
one thing people quickly notice are my sparkling blue eyes.
Like I said, I got tattoos all over my body.
I also got piercings, multiple earrings, lip hoops, eye hoops,
tongue stud, nose hoop, and a belly button stud. Even

(03:09:21):
my leather clothing speaks volumes, a top showing my tummy,
a mini skirt and boots going up past my knees
with fishnets. I also got rings on my fingers. Hey,
when you come from a biker family. In fact, my
Harley Davidson's parked right outside. What's your name, kid, Lenny asked, Charlie.

(03:09:46):
I replied, Charlie Brewster. My name's supposed to be pronounced Charlie,
but when people see it in print, they call me
the guy's name. I finally gave up correcting people and
go by what I told Lenny. Long story short. Lenny
explained everything to me on that first day. He also
said I'd get some weirdo characters that come in from

(03:10:08):
time to time, but not to worry about them. Everybody
comes in here because they want to watch movies. Nobody's
gonna hurt you here, kid. Just find them what they want,
ring them out, and you're done. That's simple. Honestly, I
wasn't sure Strickfield Video was gonna be open that much longer.
I mean, come on, it's all about streaming these days.

(03:10:30):
Nobody cares about renting physical videos right not here in Strickfield.
It was only my first day with Lenny breaking me in,
but Strickfield Video was busy. Believe me, I got lots
of hands on experience. When Lenny felt I could do
things myself. He started backing off. This place opens at

(03:10:51):
ten am each day and closes late, with even later
hours Friday and Saturday nights. Before long, I settled into
what might be a job. I got comfortable enough to
be able to work on my homework during the times
I wasn't busy. I could even order out for food.
It was just Lenny and me working Strickfield Video. Usually

(03:11:12):
he'd open up and I was the night shifter. When
one of us needed a day off, the other one
would cover the entire day. When it was closer to
October thirty, first, Lenny said there'd be special Halloween hours
for that night. When he gave me my schedule for
that week, I saw my hours for Halloween night were
six pm till We're open all night on Halloween. Lenny,

(03:11:36):
Strickfield Video has been open all night on Halloween since
my father first opened it back in nineteen seventy eight.
He said, then there's the gangster sneer again. What's the matter, kid?
You scared? I raised my hands in front of me. No, No,
I can work Halloween night still sneering all night? Sure,

(03:12:00):
I quickly said. He patted my shoulder. I believe in you,
but I'll come and check on you to see if
you're all right. Now it's Halloween knight. I'm riding my
girl into downtown village. Sometimes I ain't sure if I
want to live here or gun my motor and get away. Still,

(03:12:20):
I pull my girl into its usual parking place and
cut the motor. I dismount and walk into Strickfield Video
with my backpack. On time as always, kid, Lenny says.
When I walk in, seeing Lenny's got lots of customers,
I get behind the counter and help him out. When
we're caught up, he turns and points to a new

(03:12:41):
coffee maker. Make all the coffee you need. Then he
hands me some money, and get yourself some dinner. You've
been doing great work here, he sighs. Hope you're here
for the long haul. Good help is so hard to
find today, Thanks, I say, Lenny sneers and pats my shoulder.

(03:13:03):
Lots of stock that's gotta be put out. You're gonna
be busy tonight for sure. And remember, kid, you're gonna
get plenty of weirdos coming in tonight. Just rent the
videos out like you've been doing, and you're gonna be fine.
He assures me again I'll be okay and leaves. Now
it's just me here at Strickfield Video Seeing I'm okay

(03:13:25):
at the moment. I make some coffee and pour myself
a cup yum. He did not buy the cheap stuff.
Lenny's right about this place being busy on Halloween. As
part of my job, I play a movie that feeds
to every TV in here, including the one in the
main window. Since it's Halloween, I've been playing nothing but
horror movies. To be honest, I love working here. Even

(03:13:49):
though Lenny looks and talks like a gangster, I look
forward to seeing him every day. Also, he pays me
good as for benefits. He leaves me money for dinner.
He also lets me take videos back to my dorm.
With all the foot traffic coming in here, this place
ain't closing for good anytime soon. Who knows. Maybe I

(03:14:11):
can keep working here all through my years of college.
Now it's half past eleven, new inventories cataloged and out
in the sections. Lenny ordered many more copies of Veronda
Queen of the Night. We already have tons of them,
but they're hard to keep in during October. Even after
putting out all the new copies they still flew right

(03:14:32):
off the shelves. The people renting them also buy lots
of candy and microwave popcorn. At first, I wondered if
I'd be okay being the only girl working here at
night with all the foot traffic coming in, You'd think
there'd be more than just Lenny and me. But Lenny
taught me how to get my rhythm going. I can
ring out customers, restock inventory, except new inventory, study, make coffee, eat,

(03:14:57):
go smoke. I can really do it all. When I
get another break, I go outside and smoke a cigarette.
Lenny was here a couple times to check up on me.
There's still lots of people out trick or treating at
eleven thirty pm. Come to think of it, trick or
treating has been going on all week here in Strickfield.
Lenny explained. It's a full week here and there's absolutely

(03:15:21):
no age discrimination. Anybody can do it. Oh yeah, I
even hand it out the candy Lenny brought over. I
finish my smoke and go back inside. After midnight. Tricker
treating is done for Halloween night and the week after.
I pop in the classic Carnival of Souls a fresh
wave of people come pouring in. I get a few

(03:15:43):
copies of Veranda Queen of the Night, back in, only
to rent them back out just as quickly. This next
wave of rentals lasts about an hour. When I get
another break, I make more coffee. Then I pour a
cup and savor it. Just then this group of four
water walks in. Lots of weirdos come in tonight. Like
Lenny said, this group definitely fits that profile. There are

(03:16:08):
two guys and two chicks. Then again, they could have
been trigger treating or at a Halloween party. Anyway, they've
all got on dark clothes, got pale skin and gleaming
red eyes. Unlike me, they're dark clothes, ain't leather. I
finish my cup of coffee as they look over the selections.

(03:16:29):
Suddenly a blonde chick breaks away and comes right to me.
She checks me out and smiles, nice costume, sweetie. Um,
I ain't wearing no costume. I tell her I really
am a biker. She looks outside and sees my Harley
still parked. Cool. She leans on the counter with her

(03:16:51):
elbows and smiles. We can't find Veranda, Queen of the Night,
your boss said. More copies were coming in. I smile
a little. They sure did, but they all rented out
faster than I put them out. Suddenly she stands up straight.
Now she looks upset. Her red eyes glow hot. Now.

(03:17:14):
Then she calls out to the others she ain't got
Veronda in. Now they're all looking right at me as
they approach the counter. Their red eyes are glowing hot too.
Then the other girl, the purple haired one, points right
at me. You better be joking by her, chick. See,

(03:17:34):
my baby's sister here really wants to see that movie,
and she wants to see it tonight. I shrug. I'm sorry,
but we're sold out. I did get a few copies
returned a little bit ago, but they went back out
just as fast. The blonde girl slams her palms on
the counter and shows me her teeth. I gasp when

(03:17:57):
I see they look like that cover from Right Night,
which I had showed earlier. Also, those teeth are one
hundred percent real. I mean, when these people came in,
they had normal looking mouths. But now the blonde hisses
and points to the drop box. Why don't you go check?

(03:18:21):
I nod and do what she says. Got a few returns,
I stammer, pulling them out and looking them over. No Vernda.
The purple haired girl now has the same teeth as
the blonde I said. She wants to see Veranda. She's
been waiting a long time to see it. She slams

(03:18:43):
her fists on the counter. I can't even find it
for in stores. I shrug. I'm sorry, we had it in.
We really did get those extra copies in today, but
they all rented out quickly. Maybe if you'd come in earlier. Suddenly,
the blonde vampire hops over the counter. She comes up

(03:19:04):
to me and blinks her eyes quickly. Clearly, you don't
understand how things work, she hisses a little. We can't
exactly be out during daylight hours, so it's a bit
hard for us to get here earlier. Now I look
past her and see the others in their scary teeth.

(03:19:25):
Look at me when I'm talking to you, doll. The
blonde snaps, then she growls with those rows of sharp
teeth again. I want Vernda, one way or another. I
am going to see that movie on Halloween night tonight.
I gulp. I don't I don't know what to tell you.

(03:19:47):
We rented out all our copies. The chick still won't
back off. Oh, she's as mad as all get out.
Then she sniffs at my bare neck. You smell good,
you know, cutie. I think maybe I'll take you home instead.
When I see those rows of sharp teeth again, I

(03:20:10):
know exactly what she's wanting. I really love my job
here at Strickfield Video, but I ain't willing to die
for it. I reach behind me and grab the coffee pot.
When she hisses loudly again, I shriek and splash her
with the remaining hot liquid, making her scream. What the

(03:20:30):
One of the male vampires yells, are you serious? Serious enough?
I yell back, leaping over the counter and running out
the front door. As the vampires are coming out, I'm
already on my Harley and firing it up. You gotta
love old American made machinery. I'm quickly gunning down Main Street.

(03:20:50):
I check my mirrors and see I'm free and clear.
Then I remember fright night, vampires don't reflect in mirrors.
I look over my shoulders and see four wolves making
tracks following my tracks. Lenny said there'd be weirdos coming
into the store, but I don't think he meant real
life vampires. The wolves keep running to where they can

(03:21:13):
stay with my bike. Then I show them I ain't
just some chick that can simply ride. Nah, my parents
taught me how to handle my girl. In fact, they
weren't gonna let me have her until they knew I could.
My parents spent lots of time teaching me everything they knew.
I make a quick, sharp turn down another road. Those

(03:21:36):
wolves weren't expecting it, slowing them down a little. It
ain't long before they're after me again. Those red eyes
are really glowing hot now. I'm almost wondering if I
could light a smoke off them. No way, I'm letting
those vampires get me. They'll ravage me and drink me dry. Yeah,
they'd get an interesting mix out of me. Caffeine from

(03:21:59):
the coffee in it, energy drinks, nicotine from my smokes,
and the kick from the spicy sauce out of the
pizza I ordered from Alfredo's for dinner. Those vampire wolves
keep chasing me through downtown village. I get back to
the video store so I ain't leaving it unattended and
letting people come in and steal stuff. I park the
bike and get to the front door. I run inside

(03:22:21):
and slam it, locking it from the inside. Now those
wolves are standing right outside and growling. They turn to
look at the people trying to come in and growl
at them, making them run away. I get time to
move to the back door and slip out that way.
I'm figuring I can make my way back around and
get back on my bike, and that's hoping those vamps

(03:22:43):
don't trash it. After pulling the back door shut, I
move and make my way to an alley. Thankfully, my
knee high boots don't clack when I'm walking. I reach
the other side of the alley and come out. Then
I see Roth's Rings across the streets, all also a
light on at boble Topia. I figure I can head
across the street and get into one of those places.

(03:23:06):
When I reach boble Topia, it ain't actually open. I
think someone's inside doing inventory or something. I hurry along
and reach the entrance of Roth's Rings. I open the
door and am almost inside when I'm suddenly grabbed and
pulled back. Now I'm being pulled into another alley where
I got those vampires looking right at me again. They're

(03:23:28):
not sporting their fright night, looking teeth like before, but
their eyes are still glowing hot. Then the spunky blonde
girl stands in front of me again. I ain't asking
for much. All I want is to see Veronda, Queen
of the Night. Now. I tighten my fists and snap.

(03:23:48):
I told you we're out of it. Then I get
bold and rush past them to escape yet her, I
hear the purple haired chick hiss. I reach my Harley
and make tracks. I'm surprised those vamps didn't trash it
or turn the motor off. Geez, how is this even happening?

(03:24:08):
Vampires ain't supposed to be real, right, I'm thinking now,
I gotta get out of Strickfield. Are those vampires gonna
follow me that far out? The problem is, I ain't
gonna get out a strickfield. I'm about to cut through
Gunter Square, a park, when one of those wolves suddenly
appears right in front of me. I scream as the
wolf leaps up and is on me. I squeeze the

(03:24:31):
brakes to stop, but I'm wiping out. The bike's on
its side. Now as I'm on my back with that
wolf on top of me, it ain't making no attempt
to bite me, but it's showing teeth and growling loud.
Now the other wolves are right there. Leave me alone.
I yell at them. The wolves change back into people.

(03:24:51):
It's the crazy blonde chick again. Now she's sitting on
me again. Her teeth look like the Fright night cover.
Now she's show clawed fingers and brings it to my
shoulder to tap me with each word she says, I
want to see Veronda. I scream and shover off me.

(03:25:13):
I can't get my bike back since those other vamps
are right there. I turn and just run for it.
Next thing I know, I'm being tackled. Now I hear
the other girl talking in my ear. You don't understand, honey,
she purrs. Today is China's birthday and she really wants
to see Veranda, Queen of the Night. Suddenly she's off

(03:25:36):
me and pulls me to my feet. She's holding onto
one of my arms. Then one of the male vamps
is there to hold the other one. The vampire called
China is back in front of me. That's right, cutie,
We hawthorns always get our birthday wishes. Now I know
you can do something to make my wish come true.

(03:25:57):
I groan, why can't you under stand we are out
of Veronda, Queen of the Night. We did get more
copies in today, lots more, but they all rent it
out faster than I put them out. Don't you understand
we are out? We ain't got no more. You could
always stream it, couldn't you. China groans back. Not acceptable, babe.

(03:26:20):
I want one of your store's copies of Veranda tonight,
and I intend to have one. I groan more. Now, God,
I give up already. I fight my way out and
make it back to my bike. I get it back
on its wheels and get back on it. As soon
as I'm escaping, I feel arms wrapping around my waist.

(03:26:42):
Where are we going, Cutie back to the video place? Right? Ah? No,
China's on my bike with me and holding onto me.
I scream and lose my concentration. As I wipe out again,
I moan softly and feel myself moving. I'm coming back
to life. As I open my eyes. It's dark in

(03:27:02):
this place where I'm at now. There are fire eurns
in different areas. I don't know where I'm at, but
it looks like some room. Am I in a warehouse?
Maybe a studio. Then I go pard, it's a crypt.
I'm in a cemetery somewhere. Oh good, you're awake. A

(03:27:24):
familiar voice calls out. Now I see that crazy vampire chick,
China standing in front of me. Then she kneels down
and takes my hands. Sorry, honey, it wasn't my intention
to make you spill like that. I groan and yank
my hands back. Why are you torturing me like this?

(03:27:45):
Suddenly she's right on top of me. Give me what
I want and I'll leave you alone. I look her
in the face. Now, what's it gonna take for you
to understand? Strickfield video is out of Veronda. Ye, we
are out stream it if you want to watch it
so bad, She hisses at me. Then she growls wrong answer. Also,

(03:28:12):
does it look like we can stream movies here? Also,
Veranda's not available on streaming. You're my one shot here.
I scream, like some nuthouse escapee. Not because I'm in
a crypt full of vampires, but because I just can't
make China listen to reason. She's got it dead set

(03:28:32):
in her mind. She's gonna see Veronda Queen of the
Night tonight. I already explained this to her over and over.
Lenny's told me the customer is always right. But ah,
I shove China right off me and spring off the
stone slab I was on. Then I quickly see it's
a burial vault. I'm ready to run out the door

(03:28:54):
when the other female vampire is suddenly there. I look
to either side and see those two male vs Empires.
Then I feel China's arms wrap around me from behind again. Listen, Toots,
if I can't have my movie, then I'm going to
have you for my birthday gift. I'll sire you. You

(03:29:14):
can be my new best friend. We can watch and
talk about movies forever. I point to the others, But
you have friends here. You don't know the situation, Charlie,
is it? China peurs in my ear. Epiphany here is
my older sister. The problem is she loves playing with

(03:29:36):
her two boy toys here a great deal. She found
them and sired them both years ago. She still ain't
tired of them after one hundred and twenty plus years.
The vampire called Epiphany raises her finger. I promised my
darling little sister here that she could have whatever she
wanted for her birthday, I promised her. You understand, China

(03:29:59):
loves her horror movies. She's been dying to see the
original Veranda Queen of the Night movie ever since she
started watching Up All Night with Veranda Friday nights on
Channel sixty one over the air. We can never find
a copy of the movie anywhere, So it's you who
doesn't understand mortal China's going to watch that movie. I'd

(03:30:21):
say it's up to you to locate a copy for
my sister, or she's going to haunt you until she
gets it. Like she said, she may even sire you.
I put my hands to my forehead and groan as
I shake my head. I keep telling you people, again
and again, we don't have it. I shake China off

(03:30:43):
and run past Epiphany, knocking her to the side. I
escape the crypt and come outside. You gotta be kidding me.
This graveyard looks like it stretches for miles and miles.
How am I ever gonna get out of here? As
if God just answered my prayer, my heart is right there.
I quickly mount up and starter. When those vampires are outside,

(03:31:05):
I turn the bike and go full throttle again. I
look over my shoulder and see wolves and giant bats
chasing me down. I swear as soon as I see Lenny,
I'm quitting Strickfield Video and finding another job. I did
not sign on for this. I know he said there'd
be weirdo customers, but vampires are too weird. Leave me alone,

(03:31:29):
I scream. I show these vampires I can ride when
I'm taking these sharp curves and fast turns. Eventually, I
make it to the main road and pull out. Now
I remember where I am and make my way back
to downtown village. I look over my shoulder and see
those vampires are still following me. I ride past a

(03:31:50):
bank with a clock showing it's almost three am. There
were no classes today, and I'm glad there aren't any
classes tomorrow. Lenny told me it's village law that they
there's no school or college on either Halloween or the
day after unless you go to Strickfield Academy. Anyway, I'm
really irritated. Now I ride my girl right back to

(03:32:11):
Strickfield Video and Parker in my usual spot again. The
lights are still on. Inside, I turn off the motor
and dismount. I unlock the door to go back in
and get back behind the counter. It ain't long before
those vampires come right back in. I'm about ready to
lose my mind again with knowing I'm gonna have to
repeat to China what I've been trying to tell her

(03:32:33):
about Veranda Queen of the Night. But then I remember
the dropbox and go to it. Looks like quite a
few videos came back while I was out being chased
by these vampires. I put the returned rentals right down
on the counter, and then I see it. I pick

(03:32:53):
it up and look right at China. Here a copy
of Vernda Queen of the Night finally came back. I'll
gladly wring you out so you can go back to
your crypt and watch it. China gasps with this news.
Then Epiphany places the money on the counter. She'll take it.
Happy birthday, Sis. China turns and hugs her sister. Thank you.

(03:33:15):
Epiphany gives me her account number. Seriously, these vampires got
memberships here. I punch the number into the computer and
pull the account up. Her account's in good standing. I
take her money and give her her receipt and the movie,
which she hands to China. You only have a day
to watch it, she tells her sister. You don't bring

(03:33:38):
this back. I'll bring it back, sis, I promise. China squeals.
The vampires are finally leaving, or so I thought. China
stops at the door and turns to me. Now she
looks sad. I'm really sorry about tonight, Charlie. I give
her an uneasy smile. We're good, China, go home and

(03:34:01):
enjoy your movie. She still looks sad. Will you watch
this with me? I really want another movie girl to
watch this with. Epiphany's going to be hanging with her
boy toys. She ain't interested in watching movies with me. Please.
Then Epiphany looks at me as if I'd be doing

(03:34:22):
China a huge favor. I sigh and hold out my hand.
China comes and hands me the video. Then Epiphany and
her two guys leave. I put Veranda, Queen of the
Night in and play it. I work on putting the
returns back out and waiting on other customers as I'm
watching the movie with China, who doesn't give me any

(03:34:45):
more trouble. I try offering China some of my leftover pizza,
but vampires can't eat food. She does accept some coffee
when I brew a fresh pot. In fact, China ends
up staying here with me for a while. I watched
Veranda Queen of the Night twice. Between China and me,
we had some quality girl time together. The two of

(03:35:07):
us actually became friends. She apologized again for all the
trouble earlier, but she was really dying to see that movie.
It's around six thirty AM when China and I say
goodbye to each other after we exchange phone numbers. It
sounds like we'll be watching more movies together in the future. Wow,
I'm really friends with a vampire.

Speaker 2 (03:35:30):
Now.

Speaker 1 (03:35:31):
At around seven fifteen am, Lenny comes in and sees
I survived the night. It's still dark, but I'm still
wide awake. He's got a box with him and opens
it up to offer me donuts from Roth's Rings. Like
I said, my gangster looking boss here takes pretty good
care of me. I'm ready to bite into one of

(03:35:52):
my donuts. Then I glare at him. You never told
me vampires actually rented movies here. Now I tell Lenny
everything that happened during the night. He just chuckles. Now
we live in Strickfield, kid. Also, it ain't just vampires
who got accounts here. I got all kinds of different

(03:36:13):
monsters coming in here to rent movies. In this business,
you can't be selective on who you rent to. Everybody
loves watching movies, no matter if you're alive or dead.
He pats my shoulder. So were you gonna tell me
you quit? I calm down now, No, I mean I was.

(03:36:34):
But when you put it that way, it makes a
lot of sense. He seems satisfied. Good. That means I'll
see you back here tonight. I nod. You got me
scheduled for six pm again. Go home and get some sleep, kid,
he tells me. I got it now. I grab my stuff.

(03:36:54):
When I'm leaving to go back to my dorm, I
turn to Lenny. Thanks for everything, Thanks for giving me
a job here. Lenny nods, you do good work here, kid,
See you tonight. I yawn as I mount my Harley
and head back to Strickfield University to go to bed.
One thing's for sure, it was definitely a Halloween night.

(03:37:17):
I'll never forget. I'm already feeling in my tummy. There's
gonna be more weirdo stuff happening at Strickfield Video. Never
buy a Halloween mask from a yard sale. You could
be getting more than you bargained for by Michael Kelso.

(03:37:42):
I always loved taking my eight year old daughter Chrissy
trick or treating, ever since she was old enough to walk.
I'd dress her up as a ballerina or a princess,
or whatever cute character would draw the most smiles and
oh aren't you adorable? Comments. If I'd known how things
were going to end, I never would have taken her

(03:38:05):
trick or treating in her entire life. It started in
late September when I hadn't picked out an outfit for
Chrissy yet. We were hitting the end of season yard
sales and my neighbor had told me that the one
we were going to had lots and lots of Halloween costumes.
When we got there, I discovered she was not kidding.

(03:38:28):
The one side of her garage was nothing but costumes
hanging on racks. I wondered why there were so many.
When I checked out the prices, mystery solved. Her prices
were only a few dollars less than in a department store.
Why do people do that, assume that there's stuff that's

(03:38:48):
been sitting around in their attic or garage is worth
so much money. I still made a polite show of
looking through the outfits and hopes that I would stumble
across something cute and cheap, although with the rest of
the prices being so high, anything cheap would be immediately suspect.

(03:39:09):
As I was searching in vain Chrissy came to me
holding a mask. Look, Mommy, she said, I can go
as a witch this year. I looked at the mask
of an old woman's grotesque face. Is that really what
you want to go as? I said? Why not a princess? Oh? Mom,

(03:39:30):
I go as a princess every year. How about a unicorn?
I just really want to go as a witch this year,
I sighed, holding the unicorn outfit in my hand and
looking into her pleading eyes. Please all right, I said,
putting the unicorn back and digging out the rest of

(03:39:54):
the witch outfit. In the end, it saved me ten dollars.
I guess the witch was selling well. I wish with
everything in me that I could return that ten dollars
and undo everything that happened. We walked up to the
old woman, missus Henderson, who was selling the clothes, and

(03:40:15):
paid for the outfit. It struck me as we were
walking out how much her face reminded me of the mask.
We were barely in the door at home until Chrissy
ran off with the outfit to try it on. I
carried in the rest of my yard sale fines and
set them down to find places for them. Later, I

(03:40:37):
turned around and my heart skipped a beat as a
tiny witch stood staring at me. Oh, Chrissy, I said,
you nearly scared the life out of me. I'm sorry, mommy,
she said, But it wasn't Chrissy's voice that came out.

(03:40:58):
It sounded high pitched and garb. I see that mask
has a little bonus to it, I said, that's not all,
she said in her modified, high pitched garble. Looking through
it is really cool too. It was a little disturbing
hearing that voice, but knowing it was my daughter's saying

(03:41:20):
the words if she were older, I was sure she
would use this to scare me several times before Halloween
came around. Let me see, I said. She had a
little difficulty taking the mask off, but once she did,
I put it on and looked through the red lenses
that were sewn in. It made the world look a

(03:41:42):
lot different, not just the color, but there seemed to
be an aura around objects. I shrugged it off and
lunged at Chrissy, saying boo. She jumped and squealed as
I chased her around the table. I'll get you, Oh
my pretty, I said. As I chased her into the

(03:42:03):
living room. She dove onto the couch and tried to
hide behind some pillows. I slowly circled the couch, closing
in for the kill, when I saw something dart away
out of the corner of my eye. I didn't think
she could move that fast, but I pursued the new
target down the hallway toward the bedrooms. Mommy, where are

(03:42:27):
you going? I heard Chrissy say behind me. I pulled
off the mask and she was standing in the living
room by the couch watching me. I glanced back at
the hallway and shrugged it off. It must have been
my imagination. I went back into the living room and
gave her the mask. Are you sure you'll be able

(03:42:50):
to see in that thing on a dark Halloween night,
I asked. I'll be okay, Mommy, there's plenty of street lights,
and besides, you'll be there with me. Oh yes, I
almost forgot. She smiled and hugged me, then grabbed the
mask and skipped away happily. Over the next week, she

(03:43:13):
took the time to scare me with it on a
daily basis. It got to the point where I had
to threaten to take it away from her. I still
caught her wearing it quite often. With Halloween quickly approaching,
I could barely keep the thing off her head. Finally,
the big night came, Chrissy was bouncing off the walls

(03:43:35):
with excitement. She was dressed in her costume and ready
to go an hour before trick or treating even started.
All through the day, I'd been keeping an eye on
the storm clouds that were brewing, threatening to put a
damper on our fun, But before the evening rolled around,
they had blown off and left a nice evening that

(03:43:57):
wasn't too warm or too cold. We left the house,
making sure to leave our porch light off so as
not to tease any tricker treaters with the false pretense
of candy at our house. We started down the dark street,
lit by the occasional street light. At first, Chrissy was
pulling on me like a dog straining against a leash

(03:44:19):
to get to the first house, but as we walked,
she drew closer to me. The first house was everything
you'd expect. The nice woman who answered the door asked,
and what are you supposed to be? I'm a witch,
was Chrissie's enthusiastic response, but being said through whatever filter

(03:44:43):
was in the mask made the woman jump, Oh my,
that's quite a costume. She politely held out the bowl
for Chrissy to choose two candies from, then disappeared back
into her house. We hadn't seem but a few other
trigger treaters until we turned onto the main street, and

(03:45:05):
they seemed to be everywhere, dodging back and forth across
the street. They wore every kind of costume you could
think of, from the classic ghost to cartoon characters, to
zombies to princesses. I looked wistfully at the princesses when
the little witch holding my hand suddenly pulled against me.

(03:45:27):
What's wrong, Sweetee, I said, as she huddled close to me.
I'm scared, mommy, she said in that high pitched screechy voice.
The mask somehow produced of what baby? The monsters? I
looked and there was a zombie Frankenstein and a werewolf

(03:45:50):
walking together towards us up the street. Baby, they're just costumes,
I said, just like every other year. Are you sure,
she said, her death grip on my hand loosening just
a bit, of course, honey, I said, everyone is just

(03:46:10):
dressed up to have fun, just like you. Don't you
think some other little girl will look at you and
be scared of the witch? Her grip loosened to normal,
I guess. So we started down the street, following along
with a crowd of superheroes and other colorful characters. The

(03:46:32):
more houses we went to, the more she seemed to
relax and enjoy herself. There were still a few times
when she would walk so close to me that she
almost tripped me, mostly when there were large groups coming
toward us. Frankly, I was surprised she could see much
of anything out of that mask. There were a few

(03:46:54):
spots where the street lights were further apart, and I
struggled to see the sidewalk on the whole. Though the
evening had been going well, her bag was filling with candy,
and everyone seemed to like her outfit. We even came
to missus Henderson's house, the woman who had sold it
to us. When we stood at the end of her walkway,

(03:47:17):
Chrissie hesitated, Are you sure? The monsters are just pretend,
she said, looking up at me with that disturbing mask.
Of course, Sweetie, go on up to the door. A
group was leaving as Chrissy walked up. Ah, I see
one of my costumes as come home, missus, Henderson said,

(03:47:40):
dressed as a witch herself and sounding much like the
voice the mask made trick or treat Chrissy said. She
stared at her for a moment. As Chrissy seemed to
stare at nothing on the porch beside the woman, she
glanced over at the empty porch and leaned down to

(03:48:01):
whisper something in Chrissy's ear while she held out the
bowl of candy. Chrissy nodded her head as she grabbed
two pieces of candy and darted away from the woman.
I smiled, and we turned toward the next house. As
soon as we were out of sight, I pulled her aside.

(03:48:21):
What did that woman say to you, Chrissy? I asked.
For a moment, the tiny witch eyes stared at me silently.
She she asked me if I liked the mask, she said.
I looked into those red plastic lenses, completely unable to
tell if what she said was the truth. I paused

(03:48:44):
and took a deep breath. I think maybe we've had
enough tricker treating for tonight. I said, I think so too,
she said, much to my surprise. Can we go home now?
I look at her half full bag of candy that
didn't have nearly as much in it as other Halloween's

(03:49:06):
but she'd been acting odd the whole time. Sure, sweetie,
I said, smiling, let's go home. We crossed to the
other side of the street at Chrissy's urging, so we
wouldn't have to go near the woman's house again. Either
it was my imagination or we made it home more
quickly than I expected. I was nearly out of breath

(03:49:29):
when we opened the door and Chrissy dove inside, ripping
off the mask and costume. She ran into her room
and changed into her pajamas, then came back out and
gave the costume and mask a wide berth as she
went to the couch. It's not quite bedtime yet. Do

(03:49:49):
you want to watch something on TV? I said, no,
I'm pretty tired. She replied, I think I'll just go
to bed. Good night, mommy, She started toward her bedroom.
Don't you want any of your candy? She looked from
me to the bag of candy sitting on the end table.

(03:50:10):
I'll have some tomorrow, she said. What about your costume?
She stared at it laying on the floor. I don't
want it any more, she said, then went to her
room and shut the door. I stared at her as
she went. I couldn't imagine when she wouldn't dive into

(03:50:31):
her candy. Usually I had to limit her so she
wouldn't go to bed with a sugar high. I stepped
over and picked up the costume, sighing at the wasted money,
but happy she enjoyed it, if only for a little while.
I walked over to the trash can and threw the
costume in. As I held the mask, I felt like

(03:50:54):
I had to look through it one more time. I
put it over my head and the world was instantly
bathed in red. I looked around, and for whatever reason,
the aura's surrounding objects seemed to be brighter. I was
about to take it off when I saw something dart

(03:51:15):
off to the side. I ripped off the mask and
looked where I had seen the movement, but nothing was there.
I tossed the mask in the garbage and did a
slow lap around the room, searching for anyone who may
have been trying to play a prank on me, like
a certain little former witch. I smiled as I looked

(03:51:40):
from hiding place to hiding place, knowing she was trying
to sneak up on me and scare me. It was
the only thing that made sense. She had passed up
candy and her precious costume to throw me off guard
so she could sneak up on me and give me
a Halloween scare. I finished my circle through the room

(03:52:03):
without finding her, then ended up locking the front door.
I made my way back to the hall, expecting to
be surprised at any moment. My biggest surprise was that
it never came. I stood in front of Chrissie's door
and slowly opened it. Peeking inside, I saw her fast asleep,

(03:52:28):
or doing an excellent job of faking being asleep. I
shrugged it off and went to my bedroom. My head
hit the pillow and I was soon fast asleep. I
woke in the middle of the night, knowing something was wrong.

(03:52:52):
I sat bolt upright and scanned the room. Beside my
bed stood a shadowy figure. My heart froze as I
went into full panic mode. Someone was in the house
and they were standing beside my bed. I threw myself
to the other side of the bed and fumbled for

(03:53:13):
the light. When I turned it on, I saw Chrissie
standing there wearing the witch mask. It took a minute
to let my heart return to normal before I said anything. Chrissy, honey,
you scared me, I said. She didn't reply, She just

(03:53:35):
stood there still as a statue. I had to watch
her chest rise and fall just to be sure she
was still breathing. Chrissy, why did you get that mask
out of the garbage. She didn't move. Chrissy, honey, why

(03:53:56):
don't you take off that mask and go back to bed?
She remained still. I slowly crawled across the bed and
stood beside her. My hand hesitantly reached toward her and
pulled off the mask. To my surprise, her eyes were closed.

(03:54:18):
It was as if she were still asleep. Chrissy, I said, gently,
rubbing her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked
at me. Why did you wake me, mommy? She said,
you were sleepwalking, baby, I was. You took the mask

(03:54:40):
out of the garbage and put it on, then walked
to my room. I don't remember that. That's how sleepwalking works, baby,
you usually don't remember. I'm tired. I'm going to go
back to bed now, I kissed her forehead. You sleep

(03:55:00):
good now, I said. She walked out of my room,
leaving me holding the mask. It stared at me with
its empty red eyes, making me feel more than a
little uncomfortable. I leaned over and put it in the
bottom nightstand drawer, then turned off the light and tried
to go back to sleep. But sleep did not come easy.

(03:55:26):
I tossed and turned for hours. Every time I would
drift off, a vision of that mask would invade my dreams,
and I would be startled awake, absolutely certain that someone
had just been in my room. But each time the
room was empty. No sleep walking, Chrissy, No villainous stranger

(03:55:52):
hovering over me. When morning came around, I stumbled for
the coffee maker to try to get myself moving. Good morning, mommy,
Chrissy said, cheerfully, sitting at the kitchen table watching TV
while eating a bowl of cereal. I mumbled something like
mourning as I stumbled through making a fresh pot of coffee,

(03:56:16):
mixing it extra strong. Didn't you sleep good, mommy, she said?
In her cheerful little voice. No, I didn't thanks to
a certain little visitor in the middle of the night,
I said, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.
Who I looked at her incredulous. Was she serious? Was

(03:56:41):
she playing a game? You? I said, you came into
my room in the middle of the night wearing your
Halloween costume and scared me half to death. Her little
brow furrowed. I didn't get out of bed at all
last night, Mommy, Yes you did, Chrissy, I said, you

(03:57:04):
dug that witch mask out of the garbage and wore
it into my room. You threw my mask in the garbage.
Yes I did, I said slowly. I thought it scared
you so bad you didn't want it any more. Her
eyes became unfocused as she seemed deep in thought. Maybe

(03:57:27):
I was just tired last night. I didn't want you
to get rid of my mask. Then, how did you?
I said, As a newsflash came over the TV. In
local news, sixty three year old Martha Henderson was found
dead this morning. Police are investigating, but it appears someone
broke into the woman's home late last night and assaulted her.

(03:57:50):
She was pronounced dead this morning by the coroner. The
cause of death multiple stab wounds. A picture of the
woman flashed up on the screen. Look, mommy, the lady
we bought the mask from. Chrissie said it hadn't dawned
on me until she pointed it out. But she was right.

(03:58:11):
The lady from the yard sale, who lived only a
short walk away, was brutally stabbed to death last night.
I thought back to Chrissie standing in my bedroom and
shuddered at the fact that some crazed killer could have
been hovering over me, or even worse, hovering over Chrissy

(03:58:32):
last night. I shook the thoughts away as I glanced
at the clock. Hurry, honey, I said, you'll be late
for the bus. I went to the door as she
gathered her book bag. When I got there, a shock
awaited me. Chrissy, did you unlock the door this morning?

(03:58:52):
I said, no, Mommy, Why no reason, I said, smiling
and pushing open the door that had not only been unlocked,
but slightly ajar. We stepped out into the cool November
morning air, street lights still glowing as the sun fought
to rise over the horizon. I pulled her jacket tight

(03:59:15):
around her and zipped it up you have a great
day at school, I said, as the bus pulled up.
I will, mommy, she said with that infectious smile. The
bus slowed to a stop and Chrissy waited in line
with the other kids to get on and be carried
away to school. I waved as it drove away, glancing

(03:59:37):
at the other mothers. Usually there would be idle chit
chat between some, but today everyone quickly dispersed back to
their houses. I told myself it was because of the cold,
but I knew they were all thinking the same thing
as me. There's a murderer running loose around our neighborhood.

(03:59:58):
Everyone was getting back inside their houses as quickly as
possible and double locking the doors. I stepped through my
own door and examined the lock as if it had
somehow betrayed us. I locked and unlocked it several times
to make sure it worked. Then, once I was satisfied,

(04:00:18):
I closed it and locked it. I changed into my
work clothes of a dress shirt and jogging pants, then
sat down at my laptop. Telecommuting had been both a
blessing and a curse. Staying home was great for a while,
but soon I began to crave actual face to face
social interaction. Video meetings on the computer just weren't the same.

(04:00:43):
And after the shocking news this morning, I wasn't feeling
very secure at home. I would have felt better around
other people. The day seemed to drag on, as I
found myself often distracted by shooting furtive looks toward the windows,
as if I expected someone to crash through one and
murder me at any moment. I found myself coasting through

(04:01:07):
the day, fighting to keep my focus on my job.
When the knock came at the door, I nearly jumped
out of my skin. I approached it slowly, as if
it were about to attack me. When I looked out
through the people, there was no one there. A chill
ran down my spine. When there was another knock just

(04:01:30):
as I turned away. I stared at the door, knowing
that no one was on the other side, and wondered
what kind of supernatural dream state I had fallen into.
Was I asleep at my keyboard and having a nightmare.
The knock sounded again, but this time there came a

(04:01:51):
voice with it. Mommy, why is the door locked? Chrissy said.
I stepped back to the peep hole and looked doubt.
There stood Chrissy. I unlocked and ripped the door open
so fast she jumped back. Why weren't you outside waiting
for me, she said, with betrayal reflecting in her eyes.

(04:02:14):
I glanced over at the wall clock, and sure enough,
it was time for her to be home. I'm so sorry, sweetie.
Mommy must have gotten busy and time got away. But
why did you lock the door? I just felt like
locking it. She looked at me with this odd, knowing look.

(04:02:35):
Was it about the lady who got killed? Maybe? I said,
trying to be noncommittal. Do you think whoever did it
is still around? She said, as if she just asked
if it was going to rain tomorrow? Are you hungry?
I asked, let's get a snack. I spent the rest

(04:02:56):
of the evening helping her with her spelling words and
playing games. It was a wonderful time. After supper, we
watched her favorite shows and then went to bed. Good night, mommy,
she said, as I tucked her in. Don't be afraid.
Everything will be all right. I considered asking her what

(04:03:17):
she meant, but in the end all I did was
smile and say I know while I stroked her hair.
If only i'd known. I woke in the middle of
the night, startled again by Chrissie standing at my bedside. Oh, Chrissy,

(04:03:41):
you need to stop scaring Mommy like that, I said,
looking into the eyes of the mask she was wearing.
Wait a minute, Chrissy, I said, slowly, how did you
get that mask back? She didn't answer for a long moment.

(04:04:02):
My friends gave it to me. What friends, honey, the
same ones I saw in the street on Halloween, the
ones you said were just pretending to be monsters. A
chill ran down my spine. When did you talk to
these friends last tonight when they gave me the mask back?

(04:04:26):
They're not very happy that you keep throwing it away.
I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.
I threw it away because Halloween is over. Not for them.
They dress in their costumes all the time, their monster costumes.

(04:04:48):
She nodded. And can you see them in their monster costumes?
I said, slowly, Only when I wear the mask. My
hand darted out out and tried to grab it and
take it off her, but she dodged and backed away.
I heard that high pitched cackle come from the mask,

(04:05:10):
remembering how it changed her voice. They said, you might
try that. They told me about a fun game we
can play. She skipped away as I jumped out of
bed and followed her. She ran down the hall to
her room and darted inside. I peeked around the corner,

(04:05:32):
not sure what I'd find. Chrissy was standing on the
other side of her bed, looking at me through that
horrid mask. They gave me some fun new toys to
play this game with, she said, reaching under her pillow
and pulling out two butcher knives that looked like many

(04:05:52):
swords in her little hands that barely wrapped around the handles.
My eyes grew wide. If I don't want to play
this game, I said. She looked off to the side,
as if seeing something I couldn't. They said they wouldn't
like that at all, she said, lowering her voice. It

(04:06:14):
would make them angry. I glanced in the direction she
was looking, but didn't see anything. Just then, Chrissy jumped
up on her bed and dove at me, swinging the knives.
I was caught completely off guard.

Speaker 2 (04:06:31):
One of the.

Speaker 1 (04:06:32):
Knives caught my forearm and slashed a long gash in it. Chrissy,
I yelled, but she was still coming at me, swinging
the knives. Come on, Mommy, play, she said in that
maniacally high pitched mask voice. I dove to the side,
feeling the knife sliced my forearm, then ran out of

(04:06:52):
her room and into the kitchen. You hurt, mommy, I
said as I ran. Don't worry, mommy, It's just like
in video games. After you die, you respond. I couldn't
believe what I was hearing. There was something that mask
was doing to her. I had to get it off
her any way I could. Once in the kitchen, I

(04:07:14):
glanced around for anything I could use. My eyes fell
briefly on the knife block that still held several steak knives.
The thought was fleeting, and I quickly dismissed it. I
was fighting the mask, not my daughter. I had to
make sure I didn't hurt her. Quickly searching, I found
a dish towel and grabbed it just in the nick

(04:07:36):
of time. As Chrissy came charging into the kitchen. She
swung at me with one of the knives, and I
was able to block it with the towel, but it
had cut part way through. I quickly wrapped the remaining
towel around the knife and pulled it out of her grip.
She stumbled and fell to the floor. I was on
top of her in an instant. She kicked and flailed,

(04:07:58):
swinging the remaining knife at me, just missing my face
by inches. I blocked the knife with my already bleeding
arm and used the other to rip it out of
her grasp. It wasn't as easy as it should have been.
She had some supernatural strength. Eventually I was able to
pull it free. I reached for the mask when suddenly

(04:08:19):
something grabbed my hair and yanked me backward. I rolled
over and got up, but nothing was there, at least
nothing I could see. Chrissy jumped up, grabbed two of
the steak knives from the block, and started chasing me
around the kitchen table. It would have been comical, just
like we had done many other times, chasing each other

(04:08:40):
and laughing. But no one was laughing now, and my
life was on the line. A kitchen chair moved itself
in my way, making me trip and fall. I jumped
back up before she got to me, but I felt
something brush against the back of my leg. I glanced
back and she had sliced a gash deep in my appendage.

(04:09:02):
We continued around the table, but I knew I had
to go somewhere where I could use open space to
run away, to get some distance between us. You're not
as fun as missus Henderson was. I heard the mask say,
she screamed and begged like a little girl. She didn't
run like you. The shock hit me like a sledgehammer.

(04:09:26):
The mask had used my daughter to kill the neighbor.
I knew now more than ever, I had to get
that thing off her and destroy it. I ran out
the front door, not even thinking that I was only
wearing a night shirt and underwear. I knew I needed help.
I ran to the next door neighbor's house and beat
on their door, yelling for help. Chrissy burst out of

(04:09:48):
the house and saw me, then ran after me. I
went to the next neighbor and beat on their door,
then the next, all while a little girl wearing a
homicidal mask was chasing me. After three houses, people started
coming out to see what was going on. I doubled
back to where a few of my neighbors had gathered

(04:10:10):
help me. I said, I need to get that mask
off of her. They looked for me to a charging
Chrissie holding two knives. I ran away, and the neighbors
parted like the Red Sea. There was a tree in
our yard that had branches low enough to climb, but
Chrissie hadn't been able to reach them just yet. I
climbed up, my bare feet, slipping on the bark as

(04:10:32):
I tried to make it out of reach. She came
at me so fast I knew I wouldn't make it
and I would be a sitting duck for her to
slice and dice. At the last moment, my feet gained
enough traction to get me up the first branch. She
jumped and slashed at me, but all the blades cut
was thin air. She stood under the branch, jumping and

(04:10:53):
slashing at me in vain. She was still doing it
when the police arrived and took her away. I jumped down,
nearly tangling myself in the branch, and ran after the police. Wait, please,
that's my daughter, I begged. They had restrained and disarmed her,
but not taken off the mask. I pulled it off

(04:11:14):
with much more effort than it should have taken and
threw it as far away from her as I could.
When it was finally off, Chrissy's eyes searched around as
if waking from a dream. Her eyes landed on me, Mommy,
She said, yes, sweetie. I wrapped my arms around her
in a big hug. U ma'am. One of the officers said,

(04:11:39):
are you sure that's wise? This girl was just trying
to kill you. It wasn't her. It was that thing,
I said, pointing at the mask. But it was gone.
I visit her every day in the mental hospit little.

(04:12:01):
The staff there are quite fond of her and say
she's the most delightful patient they've ever had. None of
them believe why she's there. They all say it must
be some mistake. I know it was too. It was
a mistake to ever buy that mask. Retro Halloween Revelations

(04:12:33):
by Rob Fields. I look to my best friend and companion.
Are you ready, si Anna? Michael smiles and nods quickly.
I smile back and unlock the French doors to the
newly erected Strickfield Funeral Home located at thirteen thirteen West

(04:12:55):
Harlowe Road. Does this location sound familiar to you? It should.
It used to be the former location for the Strickfield
Drive in Theater before it closed and moved to the
other side of the village. In a former life, I
was a mortal known as Destiny Miren. My life was

(04:13:16):
one of negativity that my parents had poisoned my soul
with as I grew up. Hatred, selfishness, and utter contempt
were all that I had ever felt. It's beautiful, Sienna says,
our new home is truly a work of art. She
looks to me, the boss spared no expense, certainly not

(04:13:40):
I agree. In my mortal life, I cared nothing for
Sienna when we first met, but she would become my
one and only friend. Though I verbally abused and mistreated her,
she refused to abandon me. Halloween Night of twenty twenty one,
I sought to commit crimes in order to gain revenge

(04:14:02):
on my older sister, Rebecca, whom many of you know
as Charity. Sienna refused to abandon me even then. Truly
she was and still is a most loyal friend. In fact,
it was this very location where we came to enter
the afterlife. Sienna and I would come before death himself.

(04:14:26):
I learned many things during my reckoning, including how much
Sienna truly loved me. Death could have made us take
our final trip across the River Styx. However, this all
powerful deity saw the damage to my soul that had
been done in life and offered me a chance at redemption.

(04:14:48):
Death appointed me to become his replacement, and Sienna would
assist me. I knew then that I never wanted to
be parted from her. For countless years, in traveling through
space and time, I have claimed many souls. Sienna would
help to redeem those who she felt were like me.
In my mortal existence. While I was known as Death,

(04:15:12):
my mentor checked upon us every so often. After a
great many eons, my mentor had decided that I was
to begin a new undertaking. In fact, that would become
my new job title. Death knew that Sienna and I
both desired to exist in the mortal realm again. Finally

(04:15:33):
he decided that it should be so. There was only
one simple catch, however, I myself could never return as
Destiny Miron, since I still remain as Death and play
a most important role in the afterlife. To exist in
the mortal realm, I would require a new body and

(04:15:54):
a new name. Just as my mentor had transformed me
into Death on that Halloween night, so he would transform
me again. I appear nothing like my mortal self. I
have a thin body, pale skin, ruby lips, long black hair,
and dark eyes. As for my clothing, picture a man's

(04:16:15):
suit tailored for a female of my stature. I wear
a pressed white shirt, a gray vest, a black coat
and trousers and dark shoes. My mentor has also adorned
me with a new name, Saffron Morningside. Sienna retains her
mortal identity since she has had many dealings in the

(04:16:37):
mortal realm itself. My bond with Sienna has strengthened throughout
our time in the after life together, and I would
never wish for her to not be by my side.
As for our new home, money is no object for
immortals such as ourselves. Sienna and I bought the old
Strickfield drive In Theater upon coming available for purchase. We

(04:17:01):
paid for everything, the demolition of the old theater, the
construction of our new home, everything furnished within, and the
installation of the utilities. The Strickfield Funeral Home would be
both our dwelling and our new professions. As for our
duties here, I have become the undertaker. You would think

(04:17:22):
that Strickfield would have one here already, but it didn't.
After the previous undertaker had retired, all of the funeral
services for Feltner County were handled by the undertaker in
the neighboring village of Pendleton. Sienna and I now fill
the Strickfield vacancy. Our main purpose is to continue seeking

(04:17:43):
tortured souls and to perhaps guide them back to their
true paths. Though I am still technically known as Death,
our boss, the original Death has resumed his duties once
more so that I may focus upon my own. It's
now October of twenty twenty four. Sienna and I have

(04:18:05):
been serving the village of Strickfield by being available for
those who would entrust their dead to us. In the beginning,
there were those who were skeptical about entrusting their loved
ones to a female undertaker. Nonetheless, they chose to place
their trust in me. Since I am now the only
undertaker in Strickfield, it would only be a matter of

(04:18:28):
time before we would reach Halloween itself. At the moment,
Sienna and I have no duties, we again take a
tour of our new home. It is then that I
am aware of my assistant. Is something bothering you? I ask?
Sienna turns to face me. I guess I still haven't

(04:18:49):
forgotten about how we died three years ago today. She
holds up her hands in front of her. I know,
I know we've been gone from the mortal realm a
lot longer than that. I smile a little. I knew
what you meant, my assistant, continue, please, Now that we're

(04:19:09):
back in Strickfield and running our funeral home, I guess
I just can't help remember what brought us to the afterlife,
maybe because we're on the very spot where it happened.
I fold my arms in front of me to be clear.
We were both departed before we entered what used to
be the Strickfield Drive in theater. We were run down

(04:19:30):
by two automobiles and didn't realize it until we were
watching movies and came before our boss cnsis you're right
as always? She raises her finger. I don't know. I'm
just getting this feeling that something's going to happen here today.

(04:19:51):
I've known my companion long enough to understand that when
she gains her feelings, it's best to listen to her.
Is it just a feeling or something concrete? I unfold
my arms. Sienna shakes her head. I just feel it.
I can't explain what it is. I nod once. It's

(04:20:14):
still early, so we may yet see what it is
that you feel. She smiles. You want me to clean
around here again? I raise my eyebrow. Are you that
eager to work? You've already cleaned both the funeral parlor
and the embalming room. Naturally, your work is satisfactory. I guess.

(04:20:35):
I just pride myself on being your assistant. She tells me.
If you feel that you must work, then do what
you will, as if Sienna's wish becomes granted. We hear
the signal at the loading area and go there. Two
men have arrived to deliver the inventory of the caskets
I ordered to replace the ones previously purchased for other

(04:20:56):
services upon signing the manifest and during their payment, they
bring the inventory inside and unpack it. Once the new
caskets are in place, the men clean up and depart.
In time, we hear the bell in the front parlor.
Sienna and I walk there and see a most familiar
man and woman before us. They are Brentley and Josephine Miren.

(04:21:20):
In my former life they were my parents. Now they
gaze upon Sienna with both wonder and bewilderment. Sienna is
always smiling and as happy as can be. I wonder
if they possibly recognize her, since she was always by
my side when I was Destiny Mirren. May I be

(04:21:40):
of assistance to you? I ask them. Brentley does not speak,
Josephine does for him. Yes, we need to arrange a funeral.
I know we should have done it years ago, but
I listen as Josephine explains to me about Destiny Miron.
She admits that she Brentley had not always treated Destiny

(04:22:02):
as well as they should have. After they finish, I respond,
are you looking to do just a stone or are
you wanting a formal funeral for your daughter? Josephine sighs.
I kept wondering for so long if there was any
point Destiny disappeared on Halloween night three years ago. Her

(04:22:24):
body was never found. There was a police search, we
put posters up everywhere offering a reward for information leading
to Destiny's location. We never heard anything regarding her. Her
sigh is dismal. We can only assume now that Destiny
is gone. If she would have run away from home,

(04:22:45):
I'm sure someone would have seen her. We even had
posters in both Shore City and Eerie City. I offer
the woman a sympathetic smile. If you truly wish to
have a funeral for your daughter, then we shall desci
discuss it. If not, no, she says quickly. We need
to do right by our youngest daughter and give her

(04:23:08):
something for the way we treated her in life, and
your eldest I ask. Now, they both look at me hard.
How would you know about Rebecca? Josephine demands. Being omnipotent,
knowledge is always at my disposal. However, I have never
forgotten that Rebecca was my elder sister. Now she is

(04:23:30):
known as Charity. Even to day, she remains a kind
and compassionate soul. Perhaps I should call upon her in
the future and make things right. Instead, I simply respond,
the Mirons are quite known in the village of Strickfield.
I am certain it is common knowledge that Rebecca and

(04:23:51):
Destiny were both your daughters. Their expression softened once more.
I suppose you're right, Brentley says, but yes, we would
like to arrange a funeral service for Destiny. I nod once,
very well, this way, please, I bring them to my
office and offer them chairs. Once they are seated, Sienna

(04:24:15):
offers them hospitality. Upon asking for the canned soft drinks
in the mini fridge, Sienna obliges them. After the Mirons
take their drinks, they are prepared to discuss funeral arrangements
with me. Looking upon them, Sienna and I can see
that Josephine is most regretful. Brentley, on the other hand,
only seems to be here at his wife's request. When

(04:24:38):
Sienna looks to me with concern, I return her look
to say that we will address it. This is part
of our duties here in the mortal realm, in addition
to owning and operating the funeral home. Sienna and I
listen as Josephine wishes to purchase both a tombstone and
a casket for destiny. It's quite clear to Sienna and

(04:24:59):
I that does not wish to oblige her. In fact,
we can easily see the blackness of his soul even today,
he cares nothing for either of his daughters. After we
discuss figures, I take the couple and show them the
tombstones and caskets that we offer. Josephine immediately chooses the

(04:25:19):
most expensive options for both. Upon seeing the seething contempt
within Brentley. I look to Siena and know that we
must address this. I raise my hand in front of
me before we continue. I feel I must speak to you,
mister Mirn. Now, mister Mirn appears annoyed. My wife is

(04:25:42):
telling you everything. Yes, your wife has done all of
the talking thus far. I agree, but I offer you
the floor if you wish to speak. It seems as
though something troubles you. You might say that I am
excellent at reading people. He points right at me. Last
I checked. You're a funeral worker, not a shrink. A

(04:26:04):
shrink requires payments for services rendered. I stress I will
listen for free. Now he's angered. Did you drop out
of Strickfield High to come work here as an undertaker?
You don't even look old enough to be an undertaker.
Why should we trust our dead to you? You are
within your rights to call upon some one else to
handle your funeral arrangements. Mister Miron, I raise my finger.

(04:26:29):
Do note that the next closest funeral home is roughly
thirty eight miles on the west end of Pendleton. I
lower my hand. Shall I telephone there and tell the
undertaker to expect you no Josephine utters quickly, no, we'll
conduct our business with you. You seem very knowledgeable, though

(04:26:50):
I do agree with my husband and you looking like
you're still in high school. Then Brentley starts on me again.
We only came here because our other relative said you
did a great job on their recent funeral. I think
they lied, like I said, You're just a kid. Brentley,
his wife scolds, stop it. We're here for destiny now.

(04:27:13):
When Brentley scoffs her, I acknowledged the disdain on Sienna's
face and know that enough is enough. Have a seat,
mister Miron. I offer perhaps your wife and I can
finalize your daughter's final arrangements while you relax. He points
hard at me. Don't treat me like a child, little girl.

(04:27:35):
I am not angry, but I must control this situation.
Brentley cries out when I shove him with enough force
to seat him in a chair. Josephine regards me with surprise.
To the average person, I do not appear to be
one hundred pounds soaking wet, but I am not a mortal.
I am Saffron Morningside. I am death. Now that I

(04:28:00):
have Brentley's attention. I look down upon him. He does
not seem so controlling and dominant. Now you carry a
dark secret within you, mister Miron. Again, I offer you
the opportunity to speak freely. What do you think you're doing,

(04:28:22):
Josephine demands. It's not what we're doing, missus Miron. Sienna says,
it's what your husband is hiding, and it has a
great deal to do with your daughter's funeral. If you
do not feel comfortable speaking to me, mister Miron, then
perhaps you may feel better confessing to the police. Suddenly,

(04:28:44):
Brentley springs from his chair and tackles me to the floor.
Then he grabs my necktie. What the hell do you
think you know? Huh, Brentley? His wife shrieks. I stand
to my feet and lay hold of him again, placing
him back in his chair again. I stand before him.
When he seems ready to attack again, I point at

(04:29:06):
him enough. He is the first mortal that I have
used my disembodied voice with since returning here. Brentley cowers
before me. What are you? He stammers? Perhaps your salvation,
I answer, or your reckoning. I regard his wife. At

(04:29:29):
least you have shown regret and may yet leave here
this very day. As for your husband, whether or not
he leaves is entirely his choice. I regard him again.
All you need to do is confess your greatest sin.
What sin? Josephine Miren chokes out. I retain my gaze

(04:29:53):
upon Brentley. But I answer, Josephine, it was three years ago,
on this very day, that your husband did something that
has tainted his soul. Sienna and I both know what
you have done, Brentley, but it falls to you to confess. Now.
He appears both apprehensive and fearful. Still he refuses to

(04:30:17):
confess that which tortures his soul. My patience is at
its end. Very well, Brentley Miren, Then you leave me
no alternative but to reveal the dark secret that has
plagued your soul for three years to day, I regard
his wife. You will not like what you hear, for

(04:30:39):
I know that you yourself do not know. Then, Josephine reveals,
I know of his extramarital affairs, if that's what you're
referring to. Nope, Sienna chirps. What your husband did was
much worse. Josephine approaches her husband, What did you do Brentley.

(04:31:02):
Brentley roars and rises to his feet. He tackles me
to the floor a second time and starts pummeling me
with his fists. When he sees that I am neither
harmed nor intimidated, he quickly removes himself from my body.
I rise to my feet once more. It has taken
you three full years to finally come before me to

(04:31:24):
purchase funeral services for your youngest daughter, missus Mirin. You
have spoken of an empty casket, yet your husband knows
what became of destiny this entire time. Brentley shows great
fear and flees to the front door. Upon opening one,
he sees a setting straight out of his very nightmares.

(04:31:46):
The sky is a mixture of red and black and
looks like sediments of brimstone. The heat seethes into the
parlor as we all witness the erupting fissures and geysers
of hell itself. No, Brentley gasps. Then he slams the door. No. Now,

(04:32:07):
he turns and faces me. I fold my arms. Are
you ready to confess your greatest sin? Now? When he
still refuses, I glance over my shoulder. You may have
the honors, my assistant you wish to do something, so
you may speak of that night. Sienna squeals with delight.

(04:32:29):
You're always so good to me. I turned to face
Josephine Miron. As Sienna comes and stands with me, my
assistant speaks, Now it's not quite that time yet today,
but it will come to mark the three year anniversary
that both myself and your daughter died. Josephine gasps, Destiny

(04:32:54):
really did die. Our physical bodies were damaged that night
to where we were considered dead. Sienna answered, our souls
didn't actually die, though, you see, souls live on forever.
So yes, you do have something to look forward to
after death. Now what that is, I can't tell you,

(04:33:17):
not as long as you're still mortal. Anyway, Destiny and
I were on our way to this location in life.
Our motives of coming here were less than desired. Destiny
and I were very much alive when we left Denoyer's
grill that Halloween night to come to the drive in here. However,

(04:33:38):
before we could arrive to do the bad thing we
had planned, a couple of cars came speeding right out
of nowhere, weaving in and out of both lanes. Destiny
and I never saw them coming until they were right
on top of us. It was two cars, each carrying
four people. Sienna points right to Brentley. I remember very

(04:34:03):
well you were driving the car that killed me. Josephine
gasps again and points to her. You're Sienna Michaels, young lady.
Your parents have been worried, sick, and looking for you
for these last three years. They remember Destiny coming into
their house after she got in a fight with your parents.

(04:34:24):
You left the house with her. Correction, I left the
house and followed Destiny, Sienna states, After my parents kicked
Destiny out of our house, I couldn't just leave her alone.
You don't do that to your one and only best friend.
But the fact was you never returned home. Josephine utters,

(04:34:49):
how could you do that to your parents? Where did
you and Destiny go? Hey, it wasn't like we both
ran away from home, Sienna, sure, believe me. I had
every intention of coming back that night. I'm sure my
parents would have cooled off by then and we could
have talked about things. But again, Destiny and I were

(04:35:12):
both killed that night. After she and I came to
the drive in which used to be here before we
built this funeral home. Things seemed innocent enough. Destiny and
I found out quickly that we were both dead and
in the afterlife when one of the theater ushers, who

(04:35:32):
was a ghost, told us that drinking and driving kills
and that Destiny and I should both know. We didn't
pick up on it right away. That ghost was trying
to tell us that that was how Destiny and I
had died. Josephine looks to her husband. Sienna said, you
were driving the car that killed her. She gets panicky, Now,

(04:35:57):
what did you do, Brentley. Finally, the man releases his demon.
I left the house that night and went to the club.
You can't imagine how it feels having to put up
with you every single day. I suppose you know how
it feels to have a second daughter you never wanted.
Neither of us wanted Destiny, but we raised her just

(04:36:17):
the same. After Destiny stormed out of the house, I
left and went to the club. A few of the
boys were there and we had some drinks. More and
more the rest of the boys came in. We celebrated
Halloween the way we used to before you vulturous women
came along and stole us from our lives personally. I

(04:36:38):
had known in life that my parents cared nothing for
one another. At least, my mother was willing to own
up to having a daughter she had never wanted, even
though she could be abusive to her at times. As
for Brentley, he loathed both his wife and me. He
considered Rebecca his one true daughter until he learned that

(04:36:59):
she was not the mirror he was. From there, he
and his wife banished her from their home. Keep going, Brentley,
I urge, finish your horrifying tale. Yeah, I want to
hear how this ends from your side of things, Sienna agrees.
Brentley seems ready to run for the door again, but

(04:37:22):
stops upon remembering what awaited him earlier and even now.
He points right at me. Who the hell are you?
Are you the devil? Are we in hell? I shake
my head a little. I am not the devil, nor
would I ever make such a preposterous claim. But I

(04:37:42):
promised my assistant that she could have this moment. Sienna, Nah,
Saffron's not the devil, Sienna confirms she's someone much worse.
She points to Brentley, you and your drunk friends came
speeding at us and ran us. Both over three years
ago tonight. But you were driving the car that killed me.

(04:38:05):
I saw your face before I died. What's more, after
we crossed into the afterlife, you people just kept right
on going. You never even stopped, You never even cared.
She raises her finger. But when the alcohol wore off,
you remembered what you did, didn't you? All of you did,

(04:38:26):
one by one. I would claim all of you, I
tell Brentley, at least the ones who would not confess
to their sin from that Halloween night. Do note that
only two of you confessed. Because of that, I spared
them their fates and am allowing them to die of

(04:38:46):
natural causes. Do you understand who I am yet? Dad?

Speaker 2 (04:38:53):
Mom?

Speaker 1 (04:38:55):
Josephine gasps when she brings her hands to her mouth.
But you you can't possibly be her. You look so different,
your Saffron mourning side. That's how you introduced yourself. I
am Saffron morning side now, Josephine Miron. In a former life,

(04:39:19):
I was Destiny Miron, your daughter. Three years ago, on
this day, I lost my mortal life to drunken driving.
My former father here was driving one of the cars
that killed us. You heard Sienna when she said that
Dad was the one who killed her. Sienna and I
have since moved on from that night. We've actually been

(04:39:42):
around for a great many years and have seen so
many things together. Sienna continues, Destiny became the new death
so that she could have an opportunity at redemption and
rediscover the humanity she never knew because of the way
you two abused her in life. Life. Believe me, I've

(04:40:03):
learned much during the many eons that I have served
as the Grim Reaper. I assure them I would never
have come back to you to claim vengeance for killing
us both. Brentley, I am about claiming the souls of
those whose time has come to depart the mortal realm
and making sure they arrive safely where they need to

(04:40:24):
be on their journeys. But there are souls that are
so tainted, so corrupt, that there is almost never any
redemption for them. Sienna points to my former mother. At
least you've shown regret, Missus Miron, and in that you
are free to go, I assure her, at least for now.

(04:40:48):
Now I regard my former father. You had your opportunity
to confess your greatest sin, Dad, you refused, and now
it is too late. You would live another three years,
and you continued to live as if nothing had happened
on that Halloween night. You showed that you never would care,

(04:41:10):
nor would you repent your greatest sin. On this day,
your soul belongs to me. Not only am I the
local undertaker here in Strickfield, I am death. My former
father is so scared now that he screams as he

(04:41:31):
turns and runs. Where will you go? I call out
behind him. Brentley Mirran runs throughout the funeral home looking
for any means to escape. However, you can never escape me. Yes,
I did mention that my mentor has retaken the mantle

(04:41:51):
of death. His role is the traditional one, which I
did for eons. My role is death now is to
see whether there are not souls who have come before
me can be redeemed. As I have stated, my mother
showed regret when it came to not being a good
mother to me, so I have allowed her to live.

(04:42:14):
As for Brentley Miron, he has shown no regret over
his greatest sin. Now my former father flees into the
basement where the crematorium is located. To date, I have
yet to fire this up for the purpose to which
it was intended. Those who have come to me for
my services have always opted for a traditional funeral. I

(04:42:38):
am certain there will eventually be a customer who will
wish for me to use this basement dweller as a
final option. Brentley screams when the crematorium door suddenly opens
and fire erupts. Do you really think that you shall
find any road to freedom within this establishment? I call

(04:42:59):
out to him. Your corrupted soul belongs to me. Now
you might as well just come and accept your final judgment, mortal. No,
he screams and runs straight up the stairway that's used
for deliveries. Upon reaching the back doors, Sienna is right

(04:43:20):
there to open one of them up for him. Oh,
we won't keep you inside against your wishes, Sir Brentley
screams again. When he sees initially the same scenery as
he did at the front set of doors, He turns
around and runs again. Soon he's finally trapped within the
room where the caskets are on display for the customers.

(04:43:42):
I stand at one entrance and Sienna stands at the other.
Brentley looks at me, Now get away from me. You
can't have me. Oh but I already have you, Brentley Miren,
I say, as Sienna and I both approach him. Brentley
can no longer flee as I lift him off his feet.

(04:44:04):
Sienna opens a nearby casket for me to place him within.
Enjoy your final journey across the River Styx, Brentley Ashford Miron,
I tell him, as he screams when Sienna closes the casket.
Now we turn to my former mother. She is seen

(04:44:24):
that we have claimed her husband. You killed him, She
chokes out, his soul was dead long ago, I assure her.
Then I point to the front set of doors. One
of them opens for her, revealing her way back into Strickfield.

(04:44:45):
As per my word, Josephine, you may depart, but only
for now. If you do not settle the greatest regret
still haunting your life, it shall only be a matter
of time before I come for you myself. Please do
so while you still can. Josephine nods quickly, then runs

(04:45:07):
to her freedom. Now Sienna comes and stands with me.
You know, I really thought she would have apologized to
you for the way she treated you in life, she says.
I turn to my soulmate. I'm not worried. As I
have stated to her, she still has time. I only

(04:45:29):
wish for her to settle her greatest regret first. If
she does, then I shall grant her more time. I
look at the closed casket as for him, Sienna and
I turn to see that the Boss has finally come
for him. The original death tells us that we have
been doing great work in our new roles, and that

(04:45:51):
we may continue to serve in these capacities. We thank
the Boss as he takes the casket with the corrupted
soul of Brentley Miron. Sienna and I have done our work.
When she and I came to be in our new
occupations here in Strickfield, we started to once again enjoy
this village and its charms. The entire week of Halloween,

(04:46:15):
we close the funeral home at dusk and have partaken
in the week long tradition of trick or treating. Halloween
Night itself will be our final night. After we have finished,
then we shall return to Denoyer's Grill to enjoy those
fabulous milkshakes, perhaps a full meal. To those of you

(04:46:37):
who have heard this tale today, the time may come
when you encounter Sienna and I. If you come to
us with regrets, we may grant you time to settle them. However,
if you come to us with a corrupted soul and
refuse to regret, then you may find yourselves crossing the

(04:46:59):
River Styx much sooner than you realize. In the meantime,
Happy Halloween, The Graveyard Shift by Shane miglia Voka Halloween Knight.

(04:47:27):
For the first five years, Nate had been the broadcast
assistant for the night shift at w HNT, the heart
of upstate New York that basically meant you do the
shit nobody above you wants to do, mostly being the
in between for producer Monica Moe Foster on the whnt's

(04:47:47):
late night call in program, The Madman Marks Show. It
was a chilly night when he got to the station.
A jack O lantern sat grinning on the desk in
the lobby, and a bowl full of candy kept it company.
Nate took a look through the station's large front window
at the lights from town in the distance. It was

(04:48:09):
a ten minute walk from the station to town. There
were never any trick or treaters who ventured out here. Sam,
the technical assistant, and Moe were grabbing a quick smoke
by the door. Moe looked at her watch, pushing the envelope.
Moe said again, Yeah, well I know, shit happens. Sam

(04:48:32):
smiled and Moe gave her a dirty look. Moe dropped
her cigarette and crushed it under her sneaker. The big
Halloween show starting soon, Moe said, pulling open the door,
So keep it in your pants, lover boy. She went in,
letting the heavy glass door slam shut. No doubt for
Nate's benefit, Hey, Sam said, Hi. Sam Kimbro was fresh

(04:49:00):
from college last year when she got a job at
the station, a local girl. Though Nate never recalled seeing
her in town till she got the job, the fact
that they'd been sleeping together for the last five months
was probably the worst kept secret at the station. Sam
took one last drag on her cigarette. Thought you were vaping.

(04:49:23):
I am forgot to charge the fucker. She put the
cigarette out, had to bum one off. MO want to
come over later? Are we actually gonna do more than
fall asleep on the couch watching old cartoons? Sure, I
promise we won't fall asleep. We'll watch old horror movies.

(04:49:45):
Well that's better. I guess we should probably get in there. No,
doubt she already wants to hit me good Evening. Boils
and Ghouls our topic tonight for this Halloween Evening. The

(04:50:07):
disappearance of Molly Garvin. Tommy Marks, the late night host,
grinned like the jack o' lantern in reception. Molly Garvin
was from Castle, just a few towns away from here.
She went missing a few days before the fourth of July,
her car found running with its doors open, her cell

(04:50:29):
phone in the passenger seat and the radio playing. She'd
been heading to her friend's cabin for the long weekend.
Search parties have come up with nothing. There's even a
three thousand dollars reward offered to anyone with information leading
to her being found. What happened to her? Can a

(04:50:49):
person just vanish? Steve, Tommy's on air sidekick, pressed a
button on his console. We've got our first caller, he said,
The fun begins. Tommy nodded, So what are you thinking
about this disappearance? A man's voice came through the speakers.

Speaker 2 (04:51:11):
I think it might be a stunt, Tommy.

Speaker 1 (04:51:13):
A stunt? What kind of stunt?

Speaker 2 (04:51:17):
A publicity stunt? Man? They're talking on the news about
how Leanne Rhymes is her favorite singer, and they're trying
to get her to come up here for a charity event.

Speaker 1 (04:51:27):
I've heard about this, Tommy. Stevie ads, Molly's parents have
been talking to her over the phone. Okay, that's good
in all, guys, But to what end, say Molly shows
up all of a sudden with some crazy story. What
does she get?

Speaker 2 (04:51:45):
Tommy asked, a reality show. The caller answered, everything is
about having your own show.

Speaker 1 (04:51:51):
Now, maybe she gets a book deal, goes on the view.
Stevie added, good point, guys, Well, definitely something to think about.
We got another caller, Tommy, Thanks for your call, sir.
Who we got next? What's your take on this missing girl?
A woman's voice answers him she.

Speaker 2 (04:52:12):
Is a sinner, mister Marx, excuse me, a sinner? This
Garvin girl. I've seen the way they flaunt their little
bodies on the street, barely wearing anything, sleeping with whomever
they want. They have children out of wedlock, mister Marx.
No souls, sin, sin, sin, all of the sinners.

Speaker 1 (04:52:33):
The devil Steve quickly cuts the woman off, dropping her call.
Spooky sound effects began to play. A wolf howled and
a witch cackled. Well that was interesting. Tommy chuckled, I'm
sure it's all downhill from here. Kids, Happy Halloween. After

(04:52:58):
the show went to commercial break, Nate made his way
to the breakroom. He needed something cold. Sam was already there,
eating some chips. Without saying a word. She offered him some.
He took a big, greasy handful. This is what I
love about our relationship, he said. The junk food. Well, yeah,

(04:53:19):
not the great sex. Well that's kind of one sided,
ain't it. I get great sex and you get to
ride an old guy. I never thought about it like that.
You gonna drop dead on me, old man? If I'm lucky,
that's one hell of a way to go. Why are
we seeing each other again? Sam asked. Moe looked a

(04:53:47):
little pissed. When they got back, Nate was starting to
wonder if she had the breakroom bugged. Enjoy your break,
she asked, more than a little sarcastically. Before Nate could answer,
Steve put on a new caller, So what's on your mind? Caller?
Tommy asked dead silence on the line. He looked at Stevie,

(04:54:10):
who just shrugged, hang on, we got another caller On
the next line. Stevie puts it on, Hello caller, nothing dead,
silence again, Hello caller. It's gonna be one of those nights.
Stevie sighed, well, we got one online. Three? Third time's

(04:54:31):
the charm? Who do we got online? Three? A loud,
metallic hum, answered Tommy. The hum got louder and louder
till Stevie cut it off. I guess three's not the one.
Steve tried line four. Silence. Hey, Sam, everything's working like

(04:54:52):
it should, right, Nate asked. She looked up at him
a little frustrated and nodded, Well, five just lit up.
Steve said, shall we Maybe five is the charm? Tommy answered, hello,
please be a caller. Nothing. Suddenly, a monotone male voice answered, there.

Speaker 2 (04:55:18):
Are those among you who know the truth of this.
There are parallel realities, the walls of which touch ours.
These realities are overseen by the AGARTI.

Speaker 1 (04:55:36):
As Nate listened, it felt like someone was running nails
over a chalkboard. His body shuddered. The voice continued.

Speaker 2 (04:55:46):
There are areas that are weaker than others, where one
may cross over, some get stuck in between. In the
timeless void, they become shadows. They are all around us.
If you become aware of them, they become aware of you.

(04:56:10):
This is what happened to the girl. She is one
of them.

Speaker 1 (04:56:16):
Now the line went dead. There was dead air for
almost a minute as they were all frozen in their spots.
Go to commercial, Mo said, Finally breaking the eerie silence
left in the call's wake. Tommy announced the commercial break,
his voice shaky. What the hell was that? Sam? Bring

(04:56:41):
up that skit from last Halloween. We'll play that so
we can take a breather after whatever that was, Mo said,
I need a smoke. Nate stopped ya the bathroom first.
Tommy was splashed some water on his face. He didn't

(04:57:02):
look high, not that Nate had much experience there, but
it looked to Nate like he'd just been crying. Come
to collect me. Yeah, Moe wants you back. He splashed
his face once more before turning off the water. That voice,
Tommy said, cut my damn heart out. You gonna be okay.

(04:57:27):
I guess can't go home no show without the Madman, right,
she'd kill me if I bailed. I can't deny she would.
Then she'd come after the rest of us. They both laughed.
Duty calls bro. He walked past Nate patting him on
the shoulder. The bathroom door creaked shut, leaving Nate alone. Suddenly,

(04:57:52):
the bathroom took an eerie presence. The empty stalls seemed threatening,
The shadows were deeper, darker. Nate felt his pulse quicken.
The dripping of the faucet sounded like thunder. He rushed
out of the bathroom without looking back. By the time

(04:58:14):
Nate found Sam standing outside by the front door, he
felt foolish he was letting that weirdo caller get to him.
He walked outside. The night was cool, the smell of
cigarettes hung heavy in the air. Sam sat on the
corner of the brick flower arrangement by the entrance. Hey, Hey,

(04:58:37):
back to work, she asked, sadly, can we get drunk
after or failing that, just hide under some blankets. Don't
see why we can't do both. Nate looked off in
the distance at town. Between the station and the edge
of town was a small, fenced building, almost like a

(04:59:00):
concrete shack, lit by two large lights mounted on its sides.
He was struck by how lonely it looked there in
the sea of night, as if the rest of the
world had been wiped away by some great cataclysmic event.
How are you feeling, Sam asked, everyone else is going mental.

(04:59:23):
I'm okay, what's your status? That got a smirk out
of her. When they first met, Sam compared Nate to
a robot because he never showed any emotion during any
kind of crisis. She said he moved like a machine
when he was working. One day, he started talking like
a robot to her, asking about her status. She laughed,

(04:59:47):
thinking about it all day. Not long after that they
started seeing each other. Fine, I guess. She flicked her
cigarette into the night. It hit the sidewalk in front
of the station, sending out bright little embers that quickly
faded away into the darkness. During the break, the phone

(05:00:12):
lines started lighting up. Almost every call reported the same thing,
a weird reaction to that last call. Some complained of nausea.
Others said their hearts started racing. People said their pets
started acting weird. The rest of the show turned into
a discussion about that weird caller and what it could

(05:00:33):
have been.

Speaker 2 (05:00:35):
And then all the cars on the street turned on.

Speaker 1 (05:00:38):
One caller reported.

Speaker 2 (05:00:40):
The car alarms were blaring.

Speaker 1 (05:00:42):
Another call reported in a frazzled cashier at the stopping shop.

Speaker 2 (05:00:47):
All the Kansas soda started popping. As soon as that
weird dude.

Speaker 1 (05:00:52):
Was talking, A woman called in.

Speaker 2 (05:00:55):
I was listening in bed reading. My husband was sleeping
next to me. As soon as that man began talking,
my husband started talking in his sleep in Latin. He
doesn't speak Latin.

Speaker 1 (05:01:11):
A few of the callers, brave souls, Nate guessed, asked
them to play the call again. After a few more
callers asked to hear it, Moe gave in and decided
to play it. As the playback started, Nate could feel
the hairs on his arms and neck stand up. When
the caller.

Speaker 2 (05:01:31):
Said, they're all around us.

Speaker 1 (05:01:35):
All hell broke loose. The power clicked off, creating total darkness.
Nate heard Moe swear. Tommy laughed. Somewhere in the darkness,
Nate heard Stevie bang into something and yelp and pain.
Sam grabbed Nate's arm. After what seemed like hours, the

(05:01:56):
emergency lights finally kicked on. Shit. Mo said, shit, well
that worked well, huh? Tommy cracked? Is it just us?
Sam asked, good question. I'll go look, Nate said, trying
to look like a hero to Sam. The emergency lights

(05:02:18):
didn't help dispel the feeling of dread crawling up Nate's spine.
The shadows seemed alive as he made his way towards
the front door. Nate walked outside. Everything was a lot
darker now. The lights at the entrance and the station
sign were both out. Nate looked towards the town. Everything

(05:02:40):
was out, including the lights on that little fenced in building.
He could hear dogs barking in the distance and what
sounded like every car alarm in town going off. Nate
went back inside. As he walked down the hallway, he

(05:03:00):
became aware of movement to his left. Nate turned, thinking
it was one of his coworkers, but there were only shadows.
His heart started beating faster. He felt sweat beating up
on his forehead. He knew he couldn't lose it, not now,
not with this crazy shit happening tonight. He heard Sam

(05:03:25):
screaming somewhere in the dark and started running, only to
be knocked down as Tommy came running out of the studio.
Sam right behind him. Run. Tommy said, his face pale.
The fuck? What's wrong? It It got Mo and Stevie.
Sam stammers, who uh a man? He came out of

(05:03:50):
the shadows. Tommy answered he was a shadow. Sam cut
him off. Just go God, damn it, Tommy barked, starting
down on the hall. Sam and Nate followed close behind.
They got outside just as the street lights started to

(05:04:11):
flicker on. Tommy pulled out his car keys, fumbling with
them as he tried to turn his alarm off. They're dead,
Nate asked. Sam nodded frantically. Tommy jumped into his car.
Come on, he shouted as he started the engine. Sam
pulled Nate towards the car. He still couldn't wrap his

(05:04:33):
head around what they told him. Nate's legs felt like
they were weighed down by concrete. We can't help them,
Sam pleaded, Let's go please. Nate followed her towards Tommy's car.
He could see Tommy look in the rear view mirror
just as a large shadow took form in the back

(05:04:53):
seat Tommy. They both screamed, but he never had a
chance as reached out with its long, wispy fingers, fingers
that burrowed into Tommy. Tommy started to the Only thing
Nate could think of is dry up. The sound of

(05:05:14):
straw makes when you get that last bit of milkshake
rang out as he wasted further and further, becoming skeletal.
What remained was folded into the shadow Man's form. Nate
didn't realize that they were running down the street. They
made it to the first light pole. Nate looked back

(05:05:35):
to see the shadow Man standing there in front of
the station's sign. Nate turned and looked at that small
shack so brightly lit. Could that stop one of those things?
Nate turned back and looked at the shadow Man. He
was so much closer now, halfway between them and the station.

(05:06:00):
He couldn't have cleared that much distance in only a
couple of seconds. That little shack, We've got to get
to that. Stick to the lights and don't look back.
Nate started running, pulling Sam along with him. They ran
hand in hand, like lovers running on the beach in
some cheesy movie. Behind them, the darkness gained. The light

(05:06:25):
from the street lights behind them went out one at
a time. The shack. They were almost there, and then
they tripped and fell hard. Sam screamed in terror as
Nate felt her grip on his hand go slack. Nate

(05:06:47):
heard that horrible sucking noise. He wanted to see her
one last time, but he knew the horror that would
greet him instead. He pictured her smiling that first time
he met her as he got to his feet and

(05:07:09):
ran with all his strength. Nate ran towards those bright lights,
but the darkness that claimed this Halloween was fast, and
that My Spookies wraps up our final Halloween compilation of

(05:07:31):
the season, Eight terrifying tales to haunt your night and
maybe stick with you just a little longer. Whether it
was the corn Maze, the Haunted Mask, or the graveyard
shift that got under your skin, we hope it's helping
your spooky season stay just the right amount of scary

(05:07:51):
and a little more fun too. But just because Halloween
will be ending soon, it doesn't mean the scares will.
There is always a brand new terrifying tale every Wednesday
here at Weekly Spooky all year long, so make sure
you're subscribed on your favorite podcasting app because we're going

(05:08:12):
nowhere and believe it or not, Oh, at Christmas time,
things get really diabolical. I'll see you guys tomorrow with
another brand new terror tale. Until next time, My Spooky's
Halloween never dies.

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