October 3, 2025 • 64 mins
Halloween is here—and so are the scary horror stories you crave.
Tonight’s nightmare follows four boys on BMX bikes through spooky season mayhem: a house party gone wrong, a sinister scavenger hunt, and the legend of a pumpkin-headed scarecrow who carves his way across town. As whispers spread from the playground to the dumpster behind the corner store and into a cemetery mausoleum, the truth hits like a blade: Sickle Jack isn’t just a story—he’s the harvest.
Expect mature themes, relentless tension, and a midnight showdown in the cornfields where an ancient bargain is kept and the missing return as something… else. This is Halloween horror storytelling built for listeners who love spooky stories with teeth.
This is night three of 31 shows in 31 days on Weekly Spooky—a new scare every single day this October. Subscribe, rate, and bring a friend to the fire. We go again tomorrow.
Sickle Jack, the Harvester of Souls — by Joe Solmo
🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!
🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join
📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!
🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
Tonight’s nightmare follows four boys on BMX bikes through spooky season mayhem: a house party gone wrong, a sinister scavenger hunt, and the legend of a pumpkin-headed scarecrow who carves his way across town. As whispers spread from the playground to the dumpster behind the corner store and into a cemetery mausoleum, the truth hits like a blade: Sickle Jack isn’t just a story—he’s the harvest.
Expect mature themes, relentless tension, and a midnight showdown in the cornfields where an ancient bargain is kept and the missing return as something… else. This is Halloween horror storytelling built for listeners who love spooky stories with teeth.
This is night three of 31 shows in 31 days on Weekly Spooky—a new scare every single day this October. Subscribe, rate, and bring a friend to the fire. We go again tomorrow.
Sickle Jack, the Harvester of Souls — by Joe Solmo
🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!
🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join
📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!
- Twitter: @WeeklySpooky
- Facebook: facebook.com/WeeklySpooky
- Email: WeeklySpooky@gmail.com
🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A crescent grin burning in a pumpkin face steal sliding
through the dark. Boys on bikes racing past a cemetery
as the scarecrow steps off his post. Follow the clues
and win a prize unless sickle Jack finds you first.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
There's a shill in the air. Must befall Join me
for a tale of Halloween. You will experience tales over
over ghosts, San damp. It is not recommended for the
(00:50):
Week at Heart. Join me for a Tale of Hollow.
This is Weekly Spooky.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Hello, my Spookyes, it's Friday, the third day of Halloween,
and I'm your host and narrator, Enrique Cuto. Happy to
have you back, getting in the spirit of the season.
Tonight's story involves a group of boys riding around on
(01:35):
their bicycles on Halloween and encountering some deadly circumstances along
the way. But before we get to that, I want
to thank you for joining us and adding Weekly Spooky
to your routine of terror for October, and I want
to remind you we're here all year long, bringing you
(01:59):
a brand new terror tale every Wednesday. Halloween never ends
when it's a frame of mind, so make sure you're
subscribed on your favorite podcasting app, and while you're at it,
leave us a five star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
All of October, we'll be releasing a show every single day,
(02:21):
and tomorrow is no exception, as we'll debut a brand
new story from Rob Fields. And if you want to
support us in a very direct way, just head to
Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. For as little as one
dollar a month. You get two bonus episodes every single month,
plus five years of exclusive audiobooks and creepypasta readings, all
(02:44):
at Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. But as for tonight,
what if the Halloween Dare You Couldn't Resist wasn't a
game at all? A scavenger hunt through plays, alleys and graves,
each clue pulling you closer to a scarecrow with a
(03:07):
pumpkin for a head and a sickle that never misses.
Some legends wait all year for the one night when
they can walk and collect, so get cozy. The story
starts right after this sickle Jack, The Harvester of Souls
(03:37):
by Joe Solmo. Hey, Tony, go kiss your mom goodbye
so we can hit the road, Ryan complained loudly, through
the cold, crisp autumn air. Tony had a real clingy
mom that always made him late for things with his friends. Ryan,
(04:00):
the oldest of the boys, didn't have any patience for family.
Living with his drunk father, who was either at the
bar or passed out on the couch, he was alone
most of the time unless he was hanging out with
the boys. Leave him alone, Ryan, Johnny said he was
(04:22):
the one holding all the eggs and bars of soap
in his backpack. If Tony's mom got too close, she
might see the look of mischief in their eyes, or
even worse, smell the eggs Johnny forgot to refrigerate in
his panicked hiding of them from his own mother. How
(04:43):
bad can they really get in three weeks in a
New England autumn anyway, Ryan leaned over the handlebars of
his BMX and rested his arms on the padding. There.
It was starting to get dark out and they still
had to go get Bow, who lived on the other
side of town, near the school they were going to
(05:06):
destroy this Halloween. He had been looking forward to it
all year since their plans were foiled by Josh, the
tenth grader, who knocked them down and hit them with
their own eggs. Last year, it took a week to
get the dried eggs out of his mullet. Boys, be careful,
(05:28):
don't go missing like Sam Braid. A dreadful, dreadful thing,
Tony's mom said. Then she continued after a pause, Tony,
I love you, she called out with a wave from
the front door. As he threw one corduroy laden leg
over the bar of his own BMX, he almost fell
(05:50):
over with the effort to get out while the going
was good. For fuck's sake, you Spaz, get on that
bike the right way and let's get the fuck out here,
Ryan said, straightening up on his own ride. Ryan Dempsey,
do you want me to tell your father what words
I just heard come out of your mouth? Tony's mom said,
(06:12):
moving with a wave to planting her hands on her
wide hips. He taught me them, Ryan said, with a smile.
Come on. He began to pedal down Orchid Street. After
thirty feet, he turned and saw his friends still waiting
for Tony. He sighed loudly, Tony, I love you, His
(06:36):
mom said again. It was standard protocol at his house.
Before he did anything, he had to tell his mom.
He loved her. Are you coming, shithead, Ryan called out.
Tony looked back at his mother, then at Ryan, like
he was caught in the title pool between two authority figures.
(06:59):
He managed to pedal to the end of the driveway
where Johnny was with the backpack of doom. Tony his
mother called out angrily. If he didn't say it back,
his mom was likely to ground him. Shitthead, Ryan mocked him.
(07:20):
Johnny saw the look in Tony's eyes and knew he
was about to short circuit. He was a good friend,
but not too bright. He can't walk and chew gum
at the same time, so he didn't know what to do.
I love shit, he yelled out with a confidence only
(07:41):
a confused kid could muster, and pedaled off with the
sudden adrenaline rush from swearing in front of his mother. Tony,
I'm telling your father. His mother called after him, but
the wind carried her words away with it through the
nineteen eighties Berbia. Johnny shook his head, smiled, and pedaled
(08:05):
after his friends as the sun ducked behind the tree
lined street. They got to Bow's house right around six
point thirty. The buzz of the street lights and distant
children trick or treating, reaching their ears as they sat
(08:25):
on their bikes. Tony, go get Bow, Ryan commanded, I
don't want to. His mom is weird? Tony responded and
pushed up his glasses. They had fogged over on the
ride across town. How is she weird? Johnny asked. He
(08:46):
had never been to Bow's house before. Ever since his
dad fucked off, she's been all lonely and shit, Ryan said,
and then punched Tony in the arm. Almost as bad
as this shit had been. Mom worse, Tony said, with
a distant stare that reminded Johnny of his uncle, the
(09:08):
Vietnam Vet. What could be worse than your mom? Ryan sneered.
Just then Bow's front door swung open and he came
storming out. His mom filled the doorway behind him in
a robe, holding a bottle of whiskey. Where are you going,
(09:28):
Bow out? What about handing out candy with me? His
mom called after him. I don't want to sit here
all night, Bo said, Picking his bike up off the lawn,
he jumped on it and pedaled to his friends. Bo Bo.
His mom called out after him. See she's worse, Tony said,
(09:55):
I don't know about that, Johnny replied and looked up
at Bo's mom. Even with her disheveled hair falling around
her face, she was an attractive woman, Bo, She called
out again, Shit, guys, hold on a second, he said,
and turned around. What mom, don't forget where you came from?
(10:20):
She called out and flashed the boys. She wasn't wearing
anything beneath the robe. What the fuck?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Mom?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Bo called out. Johnny's mouth dropped, Ryan laughed, and Tony
looked down at his feet, embarrassed. You came out of
me and I can stuff you back in. You mind
your mother, she called out in a drunken slur. Bo's
face grew red. Go inside, you're embarrassing me, Bo called out.
(10:54):
Bo's mom dropped the bottle trying to close her robe
in a rare moment of clarity, and ducked inside. What
the fuck was that, Johnny asked him. The booze is
fine until she takes the pills. Then she gets weird
like that, Bo explained. Ryan burst out, laughing, It's not
(11:19):
cool to make fun of my mom. Bo said. He
was younger than Ryan but was tougher and everyone knew it.
He'd pop him one if he felt like it. I'm
not laughing at your mom. I'm laughing because Johnny has
a boner, Ryan said, and pointed Johnny covered his crotch
(11:40):
with his hands. You should go give it to her,
make her forget all about Bo's dad, Ryan laughed. Bo
rode the six or so feet over to Ryan and
connected with a right that knocked the older boy off balance,
and he fell to the concrete driveway. Not cool, Ryan said,
(12:02):
touching his nose. Gingerly, say something about my mom again,
Bo said, standing defiantly.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Don't go away, weekly, spooky. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
We're good, Ryan said, defeated. He righted himself and they
rode off in silence the last few blocks to the school.
Just before they reached their destination for destruction, they ran
into some familiar faces, partially hidden by costumes. Jenny, a
(12:41):
popular girl from school, led her usual group of friends
down the street towards them. Ryan locked on his bike's
coaster brakes and skidded to within inches of the girls.
Hey ladies, he said, with a smirk, Ugh Ryan Dempsey,
Jenny said, rolling her eyes skyward to her teased, AquaNet
(13:06):
encrusted bleached blonde bangs Hi Jenny, Johnny said shyly, Oh,
hi Johnny, how's your parents? Jenny used to babysit for
Johnny a few years back. He had had a crush
on her since then, they're good, he replied, Are you
(13:28):
gonna study? What do you have in that backpack? She
asked him. The girls giggled at her joke. Naw, we're
going to go egg the school. Johnny didn't finish. Ryan
elbowed him in the gut. Sh the oldest boy said.
Johnny looked back at Jenny. Where are you girls off to?
(13:50):
He asked, masking the lost breath he suffered from over
to Tucker's house. His parents are in the Bahamas for
the week. All the cool kids are gonna to be there,
Jenny said, and flicked her hair over the bare shoulder
of her black spandex leotard. She had black lines painted
on her cheeks like a cat. Tucker Ryan said under
(14:14):
his breath. He was an older kid that had everything.
He was super popular and played all the sports. Even
the parents loved him, Ryan hated him. He was everything
that Ryan wasn't You guys should totally come. Jenny's best friend,
Becky said she was dressed as wonder Woman and was
(14:38):
the only girl in her grade that could fill a
costume made popular by Linda Carter. Maybe we will, Johnny said, later,
and keep an eye out for sickle Jack, Jenny said,
and walked past them. The girls all giggled. Johnny turned
(14:59):
around to watch Jenny as she walked away. God bless spandex.
He thought, we'd better get going before Johnny pops his
tire with his boner. Ryan sneered. The boys finished the
last of the ride and ditched their bikes in the
hedges near the gym. They made their way hidden by
(15:21):
the shrubs until they got to the larger windows of
the classrooms. Egg me, Ryan said, holding out his hand
while keeping his eyes out for a target. You guys
want to hit that party after Johnny asked his friends.
Tucker is an asshole, and they're all older kids, Bo said,
(15:45):
handing an egg to Ryan. They don't really want us there.
What was all that about, sickle Jack? Tony asked, some
bullshit meant to scare us, Ryan said, and went to
chuck an egg. It broke in his hand, and the
rancid smell of weeks old egg reached the boy's nostrils.
(16:10):
They began to gag and cough and had to leave
the cover of the hedges. We can run around town
with old rotten eggs and getting it on ourselves and
possibly get in trouble. Or we can go to a
party with girls, Johnny reasoned. Bo nodded his approval. Real
(16:31):
drunk girls, he added. All drunk girls do is puke
and cry. Ryan said, wiping his hands on some dried leaves,
then finishing on Johnny's backpack. Yeah, but you can feel
them up while they do it. Bo reasoned, that's so wrong,
(16:52):
Johnny said, taking off his backpack. He dropped it to
the ground and heard the crack of more eggs. He
kicked the pack into the hedges. He wasn't about to
take that mess home with him. Fine, but let me
wash my hands first, Ryan said, and headed back to
(17:13):
the bikes. The boys pulled up to the party. All
the rich kids had their cars lined up and down
the street on both sides. Ryan spat, thinking about all
the eggs they had abandoned and could have used just now.
(17:33):
They leaned their bikes against a tree two houses down
and went to the open front door. Inside were kids
from school, all with those red plastic cups clumped in
twos and threes as they drank Tucker's parents liquor. Johnny
looked around for Jenny and found her in the corner
(17:56):
talking to Josh Hamilton, the bully that thore them last year.
Not this time, Johnny muttered to himself and headed for Jenny.
But a girl wearing the sexiest cat costume he had
ever seen bumped into him. Soft breast tissue pressed up
(18:17):
against his bare arm, and he instantly covered his crotch
with his hand to hide the growing embarrassment there. Who
are you, he asked the unfamiliar girl, Brenda. She replied,
I've never seen you at school before, Johnny said. As
(18:37):
Bo and Tony caught up to him, they looked at
the girl in awe of her blue eyes, black hair,
and pale skin. I don't go to this school, she answered,
You Tucker's cousin or something, Tony asked. The girl nodded
with a smile. She grabbed a few red cups and
(18:59):
poured them drinks from the keg. The boys all took
an uncertain look in the cups before drinking. What brings
you to this lame party? Isn't there something more fun
to do, she asked, and gestured the boy's back towards
the door, where the music wasn't blaring in their ears.
(19:20):
We were just checking it out on our way to
the real party, Tony said, pushing up his glasses. Brenda laughed.
You know what I like to do, She asked them.
I hope it's kiss boys, Johnny said under his breath.
At least he thought it was quiet enough. I gotta
(19:42):
get to know them first, Brenda said, and pulled a
pack of cigarettes out of her cleavage. Johnny hadn't even
noticed it was there. I know a great way to
get to know someone. A Halloween themed scavenger hunt. What's
a scavenger hunt? Tony asked. It's like hide and seek,
(20:04):
only better, Brenda said, and licked her lips. Give me
one second, she said, and disappeared into the throng of people.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your doors, weekly, spooky.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Come on, Johnny, we should go, Tony said, Yeah, she's
just fucking with us. Bo agreed. Ryan approached them. He
had two bottles of vodka up his sleeves. We got
what we came for. Let's get out of here. Before
they find out, Ryan said, and headed towards his bike.
(20:47):
The boys followed. Ryan placed a bottle in each of
the inner pockets on his jean jacket and turned to
ride off, but Brenda stepped out from behind the tree. Here, boys,
she said, and handed a paper to Johnny. You follow
this and at the end, if you find me, I'll
(21:11):
give you that kiss. She said, and winked a kiss
for each of us. Tony asked, sure, follow the clues
to find me. Brenda answered and ran off down the street.
Ryan took a drink from a bottle before shoving it
(21:32):
back in his pocket. Hey, there's the kid I saw
stealing liquor, Josh said from the door of the party.
Tucker and Josh headed towards the boys, and they did
not look happy. Let's get the fuck out of here,
Ryan said, and pedaled off into the darkness. The rest
(21:54):
of the boys hurried to catch their friend. The boys
gathered their breath a few blocks away. Johnny remembered the
paper Brenda had given him and unfolded it. Sickle Jack
loves to play climb the jungle swing away, smiling as
(22:19):
he slices his prey. You'll be dead by the light
of day. Is that supposed to be a clue? Bo asked,
grabbing the paper from Johnny. Sickle Jack again, wonder what's
with all these bitches obsessed with him? He must have
a pretty big sickle, Ryan said, and laughed. Climb the jungle,
(22:45):
Tony said, in thought the jungle gym at the playground.
Johnny said, come on, let's go. The boys followed Johnny
as he weaved around the late tricker treaters. They made
it to the playground. Out of breath and excited, they
quickly looked around for any clue as to what to
(23:06):
do next. They found the playground, but what were they
supposed to do there? They made it to the jungle
gym and looked at the top. There was something up there,
another clue. Johnny was excited and dropped his bike on
the hard ground and began to climb the metal dome.
(23:30):
There they are. Came angry voices from behind. From Johnny's
vantage point, he could see Josh and Tucker approaching them.
Look out, Johnny called down to his friends. He was
only a few feet from the note at the top
of the jungle gym. Just a second more and he
(23:53):
could get the clue. That gets him one step closer
to his first kiss. Oh you fuck, came shouting from below.
Josh had doubled over Ryan with a single punch and
was now dragging him towards some pine trees. He threw
Ryan into them with a thud. Who's gonna save you now?
(24:16):
Josh sneered and took back the half drunk bottle of
vodka from the battered Ryan. His arm was bleeding where
the sharp needles of the tree had penetrated his skin.
Tony bo help, Ryan called out, but both boys were
frozen in fear. Johnny looked down at his friends. If
(24:40):
he went down there, he would get the shit kicked
out of him too. What was he supposed to do?
He unfolded the note in his hand and read it
out loud. Sickle Jack loves to eat feasting Where the
hoboes meet hide from the smile under the sheet survived
(25:02):
thus far, Get a treat. Johnny recited the poem and
looked down at his friends below. Just then, a gust
of cold wind blew through the playground, followed by a
quick rolling fog. Just barely perceptible from within were two
(25:25):
triangle orange eyes, a glow with flame a crescent of
a mouth sneered at the boy above Ryan. Oh shit,
sickle Jack, Johnny cried out and raced down the jungle
gym to get to his bike. He tapped Bow and
(25:49):
Tony on the shoulders, breaking the spell of fear that
kept them in place. They turned their attention to Ryan.
How were they going to get him away from Josh?
Just then, Josh made the most peculiar face as a loud,
squelching sound erupted from him. A metal protrusion had escaped
(26:13):
his chest, and steaming blood dripped off the smooth, sharp
metal blade. Josh rose in the air, mouth agape and pain,
but only for a moment before it went Lifelessly. Slack
Tucker began to run. Sickle Jack let the other boy's
(26:37):
body slide off his blade with a zing and chased
after his prey. Johnny could hear the stuffed hay footfalls
of the killer Scarecrow as it disappeared into the fog.
What the fuck was that? Ryan asked? As he dusted
(26:58):
himself off. He pulled the other bottle of vodka out
and unscrewed the top, taking a long sip. Fucking sickle Jack,
it had to be Johnny said, getting on his bike.
Let's go. The other boys all got on their bikes
and started riding away from the fog.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
More scares to come weekly Spooky, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
It can't be. He doesn't exist, Tony said, as he
pedaled as fast as he could. Do you know anyone
else with the first name sickle? He was carrying a
fucking sickle. Bo shouted, he killed Josh with it. Johnny said,
(27:53):
wide eyed, he was still in shock from what he saw.
Good riddance, Ryan's said, looking at his scraped up arm
and almost crashing his BMX into Johnny. What are we
supposed to do now? Go to the police? Tony asked, No,
no cops. We're drunk and they'll try to pin Josh
(28:16):
on us. They know we didn't get along. Ryan answered,
you're the drunk one. We haven't had any. Bo reminded
him Ryan was always stingy with sharing, even when he
didn't pay for it. Then where are we going, Ryan asked,
skidding to a halt on the dark street. We got
(28:39):
another clue, Johnny said, and read it to the boys. Hoboes.
Bo asked, the dumpster behind Willie's Convenience. Tony answered. The
boys raced off. Now that they had a destination in mind.
Maybe someone can buy us beer, Ryan said excitedly. The
(29:07):
boys dumped the bikes along the fence that led down
the alley next to Willie's Convenience store. An older kid
popped out the glass doors with a six pack of
beer and headed to his friends waiting in the car.
Jimmy'll buy for us, Ryan said, excitedly. We don't have
(29:27):
any money. Who's gonna pay for it, bo asked. Tony
nodded his head in agreement. Johnny wasn't part of the
conversation because he was heading back towards the dumpster behind
the concrete block building. The drunk guy holding a glass
bottle in a brown bag came meandering up the alley
(29:49):
and bumped into Johnny. He took a few unstable steps
back and shook his head to see straight. Sorry, kid,
didn't see you there. It's okay, mister, Johnny said, and
looked past the drunk into the alley. It was dark,
really fucking dark back there, and he was feeling a
(30:13):
bit apprehensive. He turned towards his friends, who were arguing
about money at the end of the alley. Those kids
giving you trouble, the drunk man said, and reached into
his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a knife.
(30:34):
Johnny went wide eyed, thinking he was about to die.
He stood in fear as the drunk swayed back and
forth on unsteady feet. I I gotta go, Johnny managed
to say. After a moment. Nonsense, the man said, then
(30:57):
flipped the knife in his hand, catching the black late end.
He offered the handle to Johnny. If those kids give
you trouble, you just jam that right in their ear
and stir like you're making coco. You got me, They
won't fuck with you again, the drunk finished. Johnny took
(31:18):
the knife in his hand and looked it over, the
blade glinting in the faint light from the mouth of
the alley. He looked up at the drunk standing there.
Thank you, no problem, kid. The drunk continued his journey
towards the front of the alley, where the boys were
(31:39):
now looking at Johnny. They gave the drunk man a
wide berth as they leaned their bikes on the side
of the building. Make some cocoa, kid, the drunk said,
and almost fell over with laughter. What was that all about?
Ryan asked, just some drunk nut, Johnny replied, sliding the
(32:05):
knife into his back pocket to hide it. The last
thing he needed was Ryan trying to take it. They
headed to the dumpster in the near complete darkness. Johnny
got an uneasy feeling as they heard a rustling coming
from behind the giant metal garbage. Can you think the
(32:28):
note is in the dumpster? Tony asked, with disgust in
his voice. No idea, hope not, Johnny replied as he
ran his fingers along the cold metal, feeling his way
around again. The rustling was the wind blowing something plastic around.
(32:52):
A flicking sound came from behind him. He turned to
see Ryan lighting a lighter in his right hand. Where
did you get that, Johnny asked, Bo's mom left it
at my house last night, Ryan quipped. An audible smack
came from behind the light and everything went dark. Ow
(33:15):
you fuck you made me drop the lighter. Ryan complained,
what did I tell you about my mom? Beau asked
that she gives good head, Ryan said and ran back
towards the bikes with a cackle. Beou and Tony chased
after him. Johnny reached around on the pavement until he
(33:37):
found the lighter and gave it a flick. In the
dim light, he could just make out close objects. He
walked around the side of the dumpster, looking for a note.
Then he found what was making that rustling noise on
a blue tarp was a woman and an man. They
(34:02):
were partially dressed but were in the middle of it.
Johnny saw the woman's boob hanging out of her unbuttoned shirt.
He recognized her. She had a reputation in the town
for both being a whore and being homeless. This must
be her office, he thought. A flicker of the light
(34:24):
revealed a folded note taped to the back of the dumpster.
He had to step on the tarp to reach it. Pervert,
he heard the woman say. As he snatched the note,
she threw something at him that broke when it hit
the pavement behind him. It's not like that, Johnny said,
(34:47):
taking a step back. The man pulled his pants up
and came at Johnny. The boy reached into his back pocket,
wondering if the drunk guy had known this was happening
behind the dumpster. I'll teach you to ruin a man's
paid for good time, the man said, and lunged at Johnny,
(35:08):
who took a step back, crushing the glass pipe further
into the pavement. Johnny saw the familiar glow from the
group of trees next to the tarp tent, and his
blood froze. The pumpkin head of sickle Jack appeared behind
(35:29):
the man.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
U sh it was only the wind. You are safe,
weekly spooky. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
What are you looking at, he asked, and then called
over his shoulder, Cover up, darlin, I'll be right back.
Johnny heard a heavy thud and a wet sound coming
from the darkness behind the alley. He tried to flee.
He wanted to flee, but his British night sneakers were
(36:02):
glued to the cold pavement. Darling, the man called out
to the darkness. It was the last words he ever spoke,
as his mouth cavity became the temporary home of a
long curved blade. The man's eyes widened as he watched
(36:23):
the metal protrude farther and farther out of his mouth.
He made a few gagging sounds before slumping on the blade.
That sight freed Johnny's paralysis, and he raced down the alley,
grabbing his bike along the way. He pedaled as fast
(36:43):
as he could and exited the alley at full speed,
almost getting creamed by a red Chevy passing by. He
looked up and down the street quickly and saw his
friends about a block away. Go go, go, oh, he
said as he passed them, still clutching the dumpster note
(37:05):
in his hand. They pedaled for a few minutes before
the adrenaline wore off enough for Johnny to stop two
close calls in one night. He wondered if he should
just go home. Did you find the note, Tony asked him, Yeah,
(37:25):
it was taped to the back of the dumpster. He replied,
you see a rat or something? Ryan asked, sickle Jack
killed a prostitute and her john Johnny said, no shit.
Bo asked, no shit. What do we do now? Tony asked,
(37:46):
We read the next note. It'll lead us to the girl.
Maybe she can answer our questions, Johnny said. Unfolding the paper,
he noticed a drop of dark red blood bud from
the man's face on the white note, sickle Jack among
the dead, lighted by his pumpkin head. Watch out now
(38:11):
where you tread or end up in the pile of dead. Fuck.
We gotta go to the cemetery, Bo asked, looks like it,
Johnny replied. The boys reached the wrought iron gates of
(38:36):
Cornwall Cemetery and threw their bikes over the fence. The
gates were chained loosely, and the boys squeezed through. The
silent sentinels of stone stood in front of them, with
the breeze whipping up splashes of orange and red leaves.
See anything, Tony asked. It was obvious that he was scared.
(39:02):
The rest of the boys were too, but Tony had
a shit poker face. Nothing yet, Johnny said, reading the
note again for inspiration. Let's check it out, Ryan said,
and pedaled up the dirt path leading farther into the cemetery.
(39:23):
Here it says the pile of Dead. Is there some
place where bodies are piled Johnny asked his friends as
they followed the path. I think they just dig a
six foot hole and drop one in and cover it up,
Ryan explained, while finishing off the rest of the vodka.
(39:44):
What about those stone buildings over there, Bo asked, the mausoleums.
Tony replied, Yeah, some of those are stacked up. I
guess it's kind of like a pile worth a shot,
Ryan said, and chucked the empty bottle. It smashed on
(40:05):
a stone in the distance. You have a contract to
be an asshole? Or does it come naturally? Bo asked,
the oldest boy here, mom pays. Ryan started to say,
then thought better of it. What was that, Bo asked,
cocking his arm back. I said the moon's rays. Ryan lied,
(40:30):
the moon's rays. Bo asked for clarification, knowing it was bullshit. Yeah,
they're they're not very bright tonight. Ryan doubled down. Bo
lowered his fist with a sneer. They walked up to
the doors of the mausoleum. They too were loosely chained
(40:54):
like the gate. Who's going in first? Tony asked, you're
the smallest, Ryan volunteered him. Tony shook his head in fear.
There was a rustling from within the ajar doors. Oh
that that's probably a raccoon or skunk or something. Ryan said,
(41:17):
Now get in there. He pushed Tony until he was
up against the door. Come on, he's scared, Johnny protested,
what's that you volunteering? Ryan asked, yeah, I'll go. This
whole scavenger hunt thing was my idea to find Brenda
(41:37):
and get a kiss. Now, at least three people are dead,
Johnny explained. Hugh didn't kill them, though sickle Jack did.
Tony reasoned, he seemed to be where we were, Johnny said.
The boys took a second to look around at their surroundings. Okay,
(42:00):
here I go, the love struck boy said, and slid
under the old, loose chains on the doors. He heard
the rustling inside and told himself it was just a rodent.
He pulled the lighter from his pocket and flicked it.
He saw nothing dangerous and called to the other boys.
(42:24):
One by one, they entered the mausoleum and spread out
in the faint, flickering light. Is that my lighter, Ryan accused,
and tried to grab it from Johnny, but he was
too fast for the drunken boy. I need it, Johnny explained,
and started walking down the inner wall, reading the names
(42:49):
carved into the stone. What are we looking for? Bo asked?
A note telling us where to go next? Or Brenda?
Johnny added, after a second of thought, he had no
idea how long this scavenger hunt would last. Was it
(43:09):
even a scavenger hunt? Anyway? He heard the boys going
the other direction, looking at the stones. Bow had matches,
and they were looking around in short bursts from the
match light. A glimmer of the faint moonlight shone through
a broken stained glass window, illuminating a white square ahead
(43:33):
the moon's rays. As Ryan said, Johnny's heart raised at
the sight of the note. He walked faster and snatched
it from the stone wall. I got it, guys. He
turned around in his excitement to see the boys illuminated
(43:53):
by a flashlight and two other people in the mausoleum
with them.
Speaker 3 (44:00):
Are you afraid? Good weekly spooky, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
He thought they were busted at first, but realized it
was a pregnant lady and her small child holding a
bag of Halloween candy. Thank you for letting us in,
the woman said. It was following us down the road,
some creep in a scarecrow costume, carrying a sickle in
(44:31):
his hand, the woman said, and Johnny's blood ran cold.
We need to get out of here, he said. This
is how it's been going all night. Who's coming, the
woman said. Her daughter tugged on her sleeve. The pumpkin man,
(44:51):
the girl said. As the doors busted open, the little
girl got hit by the doors and slid across the floor.
Johnny caught her before she hit the wall. Sickle Jack
entered the museum and turned his great pumpkin head around,
(45:11):
looking at them all one by one. Do you know
who my husband is? The woman demanded and put her
hands on her hips. Sickle Jack took a swing with
his sickle at her face, and she jumped back, surprisingly
agile for a pregnant woman. She ducked behind Ryan and
(45:36):
grabbed his shoulders. Ryan tried to shake her off, but
she gripped him tight. Get off, He commanded the woman,
I have children to live for, she called out. As
the head turned towards them. Sickle Jack took a step
closer to Ryan and the woman, bo and Tony slid
(45:59):
out the door. Johnny grabbed the girl and led her
to the exit and the relative safety of outdoors. Sickle
Jack took another swing with his sickle, lower than the first.
Ryan managed to dive to the side. He grabbed the
flashlight and shined it in the face of sickle Jack
(46:21):
in an effort to blind him. Johnny heard the gurgling
noises and knew what happened even before he looked. He
stood in the doorway looking at the pregnant woman clutching
her stomach bleeding. Sickle Jack had pulled the blade back
(46:42):
out and wiped the fetus off on his straw filled pants.
It plopped to the floor with a final twitch, then
went still. The woman's knees buckled and she dropped to
the stone floor on them. Sickle Jack swung again, burying
(47:02):
the curved blade into her neck. It was stuck in
her spine, and he planted a foot on her chest
and gave a heave. The blade didn't budge. Johnny went outside,
afraid he was going to puke at what he saw.
Tears streamed down his face. Ryan came out after him
(47:27):
and grabbed his bike. We need to go, he said,
Go where Johnny asked, Everywhere I go, that thing follows. Oh,
don't be a defeatist, Ryan said, and then looked back
at the tiny body on the floor of the mausoleum.
(47:48):
Sickle Jack had just freed his blade and was dispatching
of the mother's limbs. Ha get it, defeatist. Defeatist, Ryan said,
you're a sick fuck. Johnny replied and tucked the note
into his pocket with the knife. Just then, sickle Jack
(48:09):
stepped out of the building and swung, catching Ryan in
the ribs. The blade bit deep, and soon blood dripped
down the boy's side. Come on, Johnny said, grabbing the
little girl and putting her on his handlebars. Hold on,
Tony bow and Johnny pedaled back to the gates as
(48:32):
fast as they could. Can we go to the cops now,
Tony asked, yes, Johnny said, as they threw their bikes
back over the fence. They quickly pedaled down the street. Wait, wait,
the little girl cried out, that's my aunt Donna's house.
(48:54):
The boys stopped dead and let the girl off the bike.
She ran onto the porch of the house, knocking on
the door. I don't like being this close to the cemetery,
Tony said, anxiously, me either, Johnny said, and pulled out
the note. You found it. What does it say? Bo asked?
(49:19):
Sickle Jack loves his home, his needed comfort after a gloam,
though sickle Jack ain't alone. His children rise from the
kattak combs. That doesn't sound good either. Where the fuck
would sickle Jack live Pumpkinville? Johnny asked, Stuffing the note
(49:43):
back in his pocket, He observed the street they were
heading down. Nothing out that way? But farms and corn
the cornfields. He is a scarecrow, right, Bo asked, after
a second to think. Yeah, but maybe we should go
to the authorities. He said, we should finish it for Ryan.
(50:09):
Tony said with determination. Fuck that guy. He's been an
asshole his whole life. We don't owe him shit. Bo
chimed in, Well, if I go out to the cornfield,
there shouldn't be any innocent bystanders around to get hurt
by sickle Jack. Johnny said, feeling the knife in his pocket.
(50:35):
I'm going to head out there. You guys should go
home and be safe. What's a gloam Bo asked.
Speaker 3 (50:46):
If you thought that was scary, just you wait weekly spooky.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (50:55):
Johnny really tried to get his friends to leave, but
they wouldn't abandon him this close to the prize. He wondered,
with a hint of jealousy, if they were doing it
for the kiss. He wasn't sure how he felt about
sharing Brenda even with his best friends. They rode their
(51:17):
bikes until there were no more street lights illuminating the way.
The faint starlight between the trees lining each side of
the road was their only navigational beacon. Still, they rode on,
knowing the fields would open up on either side soon.
(51:38):
An occasional cloud made the night even darker. Johnny looked
at his Cassio wristwatch and saw that it was almost
eleven thirty. His mom would kill him for being out
this late, that is, if sickle Jack didn't get to
him first. Once they saw the rolling hill on either
(52:00):
side of the road, they slowed down, looking for a
scarecrow or any sign of where to go next. The
cold air dried the sweat the boys had conjured during
their speedy ride, there Bo said, pointing into the field.
(52:22):
On the left. At the top of the hill stood
two figures. It was impossible to tell who they were
from this distance, but one had a large round head,
and even from the road they could see the illumination.
Sickle Jack waited for them. The other had to be Brenda.
(52:49):
Johnny abandoned his bike in the ditch and carefully navigated
his way through the barbed wire fence. He didn't wait
for his companions as they headed towards his reward at
the top of the hill. Wait for us, Tony called
from behind him as he got tangled in the fence.
(53:10):
Shit can't take you anywhere, Bou said, and with an
apprehensive glance at Johnny, stopped to help his friend. Brenda.
I made it. I followed the poem you left for me,
Johnny called out, showing her the scraps of paper he
had collected. There was something different about her. She turned
(53:35):
to sickle Jack, who just stood at her side as
he neared them. Go get them, bring them here, she said,
gesturing to Bo and Tony, who were working their way
up the hill towards them. Do I get that kiss now,
Johnny asked. Brenda considered him for a second. Not quite yet,
(54:00):
but soon, cutie, she said, and turned towards the pole
in the ground that normally would hold a scarecrow. You
live out here, Johnny asked. He was infatuated with her.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her beauty. Did
she always have pointy ears? He was wondering if her
(54:25):
hair had been covering it earlier when he met her.
She was still wearing the same costume. Why would she
change her hair? He must have missed it before, he
told himself. Tony landed on the ground in front of them,
followed by Bow. Both were bleeding. Not there on the pole,
(54:48):
Brenda yelled with an exasperated sigh. Sickle Jack dragged Johnny's
friends and began to tie them up back to back
around the wooden hole sticking out of the ground. What's
going on, Brenda, Johnny asked, when his love struck brain
finally processed the scene in front of him. Both of
(55:12):
his friends looked unconscious. Where they hurt? Just getting everything ready?
Did you know that tomorrow starts a new year? Sowyn
is upon us, she said, raising her hands to the sky.
Were there that many clouds before? Johnny found it hard
(55:33):
to concentrate. Do the little one, Brenda said to sickle Jack.
He swung his namesake blade and slit Tony's throat, first
one way, then again on the backstroke. Two arcs of
blood spattered down on the dry, corn stalked covered ground.
(55:56):
A rumbling began, and Johnny's neck had stood Tony, he asked,
dumbfounded at the senseless violence he had witnessed. Suddenly, the
rumbling stopped, and from the drops of blood, mushrooms began
to grow in a perfect circle around them on the hill.
(56:22):
New year knew me, Brenda said. As the mushrooms grew
into familiar shapes in the dark. In front of Johnny
was Josh Tucker, Ryan, the whore, and the businessman from
the dumpster, as well as the woman and even the
fetus from the mausoleum, all standing in a circle around them.
(56:46):
How Johnny asked, Brenda ignored him. Finish the task, then
get back to your post. Brenda said to sickle Jack,
the pumpkinheaded scarecrow round on bow and lifted his chin. No,
Johnny screamed and jumped on sickle Jack's back. He pulled
(57:08):
the knife out of his pocket and buried it into
the side of his large pumpkin head and twisted it around.
It seemed to have no effect on him. Like you're
making cocoa, came the drunk's voice from behind him. He
was among the mushroom people in the circle. Sickle Jack
(57:31):
must have gotten him too. He slid off of Jack's
back in despair. When he heard the wet squelching of
the monster's blade sliding through Bow's flesh, Johnny dropped onto
the ground, tears temporarily blinding him. No fight, please, It's
(57:52):
more delicious that way, Brenda said, with a laugh that
sounded inhuman. Were her eyes is always black. Tears are bitter,
but adrenaline fueled fear is like an energy drink for
you mortals. Sickle Jack finished with bow and climbed up
(58:13):
onto the pole. He slid the sickle into his rope
belt and placed his arms out like a hay stuffed Jesus.
The lights dimmed in the pumpkin head and then finally
went out. The pumpkin cracked and fell off the body,
(58:33):
leaving a boy's face behind sam brait. Johnny asked, but
he he disappeared last Halloween? Did he? Brenda asked, I
knew where he was all along, she said, and drew
(58:54):
closer to Johnny. Were her fingers always that long and pointy?
The mushroom people closed in on Johnny and reached out
with arms that were both fungi and flesh. They gripped
him tight and held him as Brenda closed the gap.
It's time for your kiss, she said, and smiled. Were
(59:20):
her teeth always so pointy? Johnny tried to wrestle free
from the grasp of the mushroom victims of sickle Jack,
but they held him tight. There was no escape. Brenda
planted her lips on his. He had to admit that
part wasn't the worst. But then something entered his mouth
(59:45):
and it wasn't her tongue. It was hard and woody flavored.
It grew into his head, exploring all the cavities it
could find, up into his sinuses, down his throat. He
found it hard to breathe. Brenda backed off, and Johnny
(01:00:06):
saw that it was a pumpkin stem reaching from her
mouth into him. He passed out from the horror. Johnny's
eyes opened and he tried to focus his vision. He
(01:00:28):
was standing on something. He was taller than the vague
shapes of people he could barely see. He blinked a
few times to try and clear his vision. He couldn't
move his arms weren't currently cooperating with him. A few
seconds passed and his vision did clear. He saw Brenda
(01:00:51):
standing in the field a few feet below him. The
mushroom people were feeding on the body of Sam Braid.
His vision darkened again and he passed out. When he awoke,
he was in the same spot, only Brenda was there
(01:01:12):
this time. He tried to speak, but found he couldn't arise.
Sickle Jack, I come to you on all Hallow's Eve
to reap for me, Brenda said. Johnny found himself climbing
down from something until he stood on the ground in
(01:01:33):
front of her. He turned to see what he was
standing on and was horrified to see that it was
the scarecrow's pole in the field. Face me, sickle Jack,
Brenda commanded, and he turned to face her. She gave
(01:01:54):
him a wicked smile. Come, it's time to reap this
year's harvest, she said, and led Johnny off towards the road.
He passed a puddle and looked down, horrified at the
pumpkin head looking back up at him. And that was
(01:02:25):
the legend of sickle Jack, the pumpkin headed harvester who
never lets a soul escape his sickles swing. But don't
blow out your jack o' lanterns just yet, my spookies,
because tomorrow the terror takes a very different shape. We'll
need a girl who thought she'd beaten death herself until
(01:02:48):
a nightmare experiment left her carrying something far worse in strickfield.
She's whispered about, as aids Mary, a walking curse who
leaves lipstick, warnings and bodies behind wherever she goes. So
join us tomorrow for night four of thirty one shows
in thirty one days as the season grows darker, deadlier,
(01:03:12):
and more unforgettable. If you want to help support Weekly
Spooky as we reach our six year anniversary on October
thirty first, simply head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash join.
For as little as one dollar a month, you get
two bonus episodes every month and five years of exclusive
audiobooks and creepypasta readings. And I want to say an
(01:03:35):
extra special thank you to our Patreon podcast boosters, folks
who pay just a little bit more to hear their
name at the end of the show, and they are
Johnny Nix, Kate and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike Eskeuey, Jenny Green,
Amber Hansford, Karen we Met, Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen.
Thank you all so much. And if you want to
hear your name at the end of every episode of
(01:03:55):
Weekly Spooky, head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash join and
so elect a tier at fifteen dollars a month or higher.
It really makes a big difference. It helps me keep
the show going and going and growing. But now it's
time for me to get back to work, so I'll
see you here tomorrow when we unveil AIDS Mary Patient
zero by Rob Fields, for myself, for my executive producers
(01:04:19):
Rob Fields and Bobotopia dot Com, my producer Dan Wilder,
and my composer Ray Mattis. I will talk at you
well after the harvest.
Speaker 2 (01:04:30):
Thank you for listenings. Make sure to find your way
back next weekly week. But for now you are safe.
Trust me,
A crescent grin burning in a pumpkin face steal sliding
through the dark. Boys on bikes racing past a cemetery
as the scarecrow steps off his post. Follow the clues
and win a prize unless sickle Jack finds you first.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
There's a shill in the air. Must befall Join me
for a tale of Halloween. You will experience tales over
over ghosts, San damp. It is not recommended for the
(00:50):
Week at Heart. Join me for a Tale of Hollow.
This is Weekly Spooky.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Hello, my Spookyes, it's Friday, the third day of Halloween,
and I'm your host and narrator, Enrique Cuto. Happy to
have you back, getting in the spirit of the season.
Tonight's story involves a group of boys riding around on
(01:35):
their bicycles on Halloween and encountering some deadly circumstances along
the way. But before we get to that, I want
to thank you for joining us and adding Weekly Spooky
to your routine of terror for October, and I want
to remind you we're here all year long, bringing you
(01:59):
a brand new terror tale every Wednesday. Halloween never ends
when it's a frame of mind, so make sure you're
subscribed on your favorite podcasting app, and while you're at it,
leave us a five star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
All of October, we'll be releasing a show every single day,
(02:21):
and tomorrow is no exception, as we'll debut a brand
new story from Rob Fields. And if you want to
support us in a very direct way, just head to
Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. For as little as one
dollar a month. You get two bonus episodes every single month,
plus five years of exclusive audiobooks and creepypasta readings, all
(02:44):
at Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join. But as for tonight,
what if the Halloween Dare You Couldn't Resist wasn't a
game at all? A scavenger hunt through plays, alleys and graves,
each clue pulling you closer to a scarecrow with a
(03:07):
pumpkin for a head and a sickle that never misses.
Some legends wait all year for the one night when
they can walk and collect, so get cozy. The story
starts right after this sickle Jack, The Harvester of Souls
(03:37):
by Joe Solmo. Hey, Tony, go kiss your mom goodbye
so we can hit the road, Ryan complained loudly, through
the cold, crisp autumn air. Tony had a real clingy
mom that always made him late for things with his friends. Ryan,
(04:00):
the oldest of the boys, didn't have any patience for family.
Living with his drunk father, who was either at the
bar or passed out on the couch, he was alone
most of the time unless he was hanging out with
the boys. Leave him alone, Ryan, Johnny said he was
(04:22):
the one holding all the eggs and bars of soap
in his backpack. If Tony's mom got too close, she
might see the look of mischief in their eyes, or
even worse, smell the eggs Johnny forgot to refrigerate in
his panicked hiding of them from his own mother. How
(04:43):
bad can they really get in three weeks in a
New England autumn anyway, Ryan leaned over the handlebars of
his BMX and rested his arms on the padding. There.
It was starting to get dark out and they still
had to go get Bow, who lived on the other
side of town, near the school they were going to
(05:06):
destroy this Halloween. He had been looking forward to it
all year since their plans were foiled by Josh, the
tenth grader, who knocked them down and hit them with
their own eggs. Last year, it took a week to
get the dried eggs out of his mullet. Boys, be careful,
(05:28):
don't go missing like Sam Braid. A dreadful, dreadful thing,
Tony's mom said. Then she continued after a pause, Tony,
I love you, she called out with a wave from
the front door. As he threw one corduroy laden leg
over the bar of his own BMX, he almost fell
(05:50):
over with the effort to get out while the going
was good. For fuck's sake, you Spaz, get on that
bike the right way and let's get the fuck out here,
Ryan said, straightening up on his own ride. Ryan Dempsey,
do you want me to tell your father what words
I just heard come out of your mouth? Tony's mom said,
(06:12):
moving with a wave to planting her hands on her
wide hips. He taught me them, Ryan said, with a smile.
Come on. He began to pedal down Orchid Street. After
thirty feet, he turned and saw his friends still waiting
for Tony. He sighed loudly, Tony, I love you, His
(06:36):
mom said again. It was standard protocol at his house.
Before he did anything, he had to tell his mom.
He loved her. Are you coming, shithead, Ryan called out.
Tony looked back at his mother, then at Ryan, like
he was caught in the title pool between two authority figures.
(06:59):
He managed to pedal to the end of the driveway
where Johnny was with the backpack of doom. Tony his
mother called out angrily. If he didn't say it back,
his mom was likely to ground him. Shitthead, Ryan mocked him.
(07:20):
Johnny saw the look in Tony's eyes and knew he
was about to short circuit. He was a good friend,
but not too bright. He can't walk and chew gum
at the same time, so he didn't know what to do.
I love shit, he yelled out with a confidence only
(07:41):
a confused kid could muster, and pedaled off with the
sudden adrenaline rush from swearing in front of his mother. Tony,
I'm telling your father. His mother called after him, but
the wind carried her words away with it through the
nineteen eighties Berbia. Johnny shook his head, smiled, and pedaled
(08:05):
after his friends as the sun ducked behind the tree
lined street. They got to Bow's house right around six
point thirty. The buzz of the street lights and distant
children trick or treating, reaching their ears as they sat
(08:25):
on their bikes. Tony, go get Bow, Ryan commanded, I
don't want to. His mom is weird? Tony responded and
pushed up his glasses. They had fogged over on the
ride across town. How is she weird? Johnny asked. He
(08:46):
had never been to Bow's house before. Ever since his
dad fucked off, she's been all lonely and shit, Ryan said,
and then punched Tony in the arm. Almost as bad
as this shit had been. Mom worse, Tony said, with
a distant stare that reminded Johnny of his uncle, the
(09:08):
Vietnam Vet. What could be worse than your mom? Ryan sneered.
Just then Bow's front door swung open and he came
storming out. His mom filled the doorway behind him in
a robe, holding a bottle of whiskey. Where are you going,
(09:28):
Bow out? What about handing out candy with me? His
mom called after him. I don't want to sit here
all night, Bo said, Picking his bike up off the lawn,
he jumped on it and pedaled to his friends. Bo Bo.
His mom called out after him. See she's worse, Tony said,
(09:55):
I don't know about that, Johnny replied and looked up
at Bo's mom. Even with her disheveled hair falling around
her face, she was an attractive woman, Bo, She called
out again, Shit, guys, hold on a second, he said,
and turned around. What mom, don't forget where you came from?
(10:20):
She called out and flashed the boys. She wasn't wearing
anything beneath the robe. What the fuck?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Mom?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Bo called out. Johnny's mouth dropped, Ryan laughed, and Tony
looked down at his feet, embarrassed. You came out of
me and I can stuff you back in. You mind
your mother, she called out in a drunken slur. Bo's
face grew red. Go inside, you're embarrassing me, Bo called out.
(10:54):
Bo's mom dropped the bottle trying to close her robe
in a rare moment of clarity, and ducked inside. What
the fuck was that, Johnny asked him. The booze is
fine until she takes the pills. Then she gets weird
like that, Bo explained. Ryan burst out, laughing, It's not
(11:19):
cool to make fun of my mom. Bo said. He
was younger than Ryan but was tougher and everyone knew it.
He'd pop him one if he felt like it. I'm
not laughing at your mom. I'm laughing because Johnny has
a boner, Ryan said, and pointed Johnny covered his crotch
(11:40):
with his hands. You should go give it to her,
make her forget all about Bo's dad, Ryan laughed. Bo
rode the six or so feet over to Ryan and
connected with a right that knocked the older boy off balance,
and he fell to the concrete driveway. Not cool, Ryan said,
(12:02):
touching his nose. Gingerly, say something about my mom again,
Bo said, standing defiantly.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Don't go away, weekly, spooky. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
We're good, Ryan said, defeated. He righted himself and they
rode off in silence the last few blocks to the school.
Just before they reached their destination for destruction, they ran
into some familiar faces, partially hidden by costumes. Jenny, a
(12:41):
popular girl from school, led her usual group of friends
down the street towards them. Ryan locked on his bike's
coaster brakes and skidded to within inches of the girls.
Hey ladies, he said, with a smirk, Ugh Ryan Dempsey,
Jenny said, rolling her eyes skyward to her teased, AquaNet
(13:06):
encrusted bleached blonde bangs Hi Jenny, Johnny said shyly, Oh,
hi Johnny, how's your parents? Jenny used to babysit for
Johnny a few years back. He had had a crush
on her since then, they're good, he replied, Are you
(13:28):
gonna study? What do you have in that backpack? She
asked him. The girls giggled at her joke. Naw, we're
going to go egg the school. Johnny didn't finish. Ryan
elbowed him in the gut. Sh the oldest boy said.
Johnny looked back at Jenny. Where are you girls off to?
(13:50):
He asked, masking the lost breath he suffered from over
to Tucker's house. His parents are in the Bahamas for
the week. All the cool kids are gonna to be there,
Jenny said, and flicked her hair over the bare shoulder
of her black spandex leotard. She had black lines painted
on her cheeks like a cat. Tucker Ryan said under
(14:14):
his breath. He was an older kid that had everything.
He was super popular and played all the sports. Even
the parents loved him, Ryan hated him. He was everything
that Ryan wasn't You guys should totally come. Jenny's best friend,
Becky said she was dressed as wonder Woman and was
(14:38):
the only girl in her grade that could fill a
costume made popular by Linda Carter. Maybe we will, Johnny said, later,
and keep an eye out for sickle Jack, Jenny said,
and walked past them. The girls all giggled. Johnny turned
(14:59):
around to watch Jenny as she walked away. God bless spandex.
He thought, we'd better get going before Johnny pops his
tire with his boner. Ryan sneered. The boys finished the
last of the ride and ditched their bikes in the
hedges near the gym. They made their way hidden by
(15:21):
the shrubs until they got to the larger windows of
the classrooms. Egg me, Ryan said, holding out his hand
while keeping his eyes out for a target. You guys
want to hit that party after Johnny asked his friends.
Tucker is an asshole, and they're all older kids, Bo said,
(15:45):
handing an egg to Ryan. They don't really want us there.
What was all that about, sickle Jack? Tony asked, some
bullshit meant to scare us, Ryan said, and went to
chuck an egg. It broke in his hand, and the
rancid smell of weeks old egg reached the boy's nostrils.
(16:10):
They began to gag and cough and had to leave
the cover of the hedges. We can run around town
with old rotten eggs and getting it on ourselves and
possibly get in trouble. Or we can go to a
party with girls, Johnny reasoned. Bo nodded his approval. Real
(16:31):
drunk girls, he added. All drunk girls do is puke
and cry. Ryan said, wiping his hands on some dried leaves,
then finishing on Johnny's backpack. Yeah, but you can feel
them up while they do it. Bo reasoned, that's so wrong,
(16:52):
Johnny said, taking off his backpack. He dropped it to
the ground and heard the crack of more eggs. He
kicked the pack into the hedges. He wasn't about to
take that mess home with him. Fine, but let me
wash my hands first, Ryan said, and headed back to
(17:13):
the bikes. The boys pulled up to the party. All
the rich kids had their cars lined up and down
the street on both sides. Ryan spat, thinking about all
the eggs they had abandoned and could have used just now.
(17:33):
They leaned their bikes against a tree two houses down
and went to the open front door. Inside were kids
from school, all with those red plastic cups clumped in
twos and threes as they drank Tucker's parents liquor. Johnny
looked around for Jenny and found her in the corner
(17:56):
talking to Josh Hamilton, the bully that thore them last year.
Not this time, Johnny muttered to himself and headed for Jenny.
But a girl wearing the sexiest cat costume he had
ever seen bumped into him. Soft breast tissue pressed up
(18:17):
against his bare arm, and he instantly covered his crotch
with his hand to hide the growing embarrassment there. Who
are you, he asked the unfamiliar girl, Brenda. She replied,
I've never seen you at school before, Johnny said. As
(18:37):
Bo and Tony caught up to him, they looked at
the girl in awe of her blue eyes, black hair,
and pale skin. I don't go to this school, she answered,
You Tucker's cousin or something, Tony asked. The girl nodded
with a smile. She grabbed a few red cups and
(18:59):
poured them drinks from the keg. The boys all took
an uncertain look in the cups before drinking. What brings
you to this lame party? Isn't there something more fun
to do, she asked, and gestured the boy's back towards
the door, where the music wasn't blaring in their ears.
(19:20):
We were just checking it out on our way to
the real party, Tony said, pushing up his glasses. Brenda laughed.
You know what I like to do, She asked them.
I hope it's kiss boys, Johnny said under his breath.
At least he thought it was quiet enough. I gotta
(19:42):
get to know them first, Brenda said, and pulled a
pack of cigarettes out of her cleavage. Johnny hadn't even
noticed it was there. I know a great way to
get to know someone. A Halloween themed scavenger hunt. What's
a scavenger hunt? Tony asked. It's like hide and seek,
(20:04):
only better, Brenda said, and licked her lips. Give me
one second, she said, and disappeared into the throng of people.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your doors, weekly, spooky.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Come on, Johnny, we should go, Tony said, Yeah, she's
just fucking with us. Bo agreed. Ryan approached them. He
had two bottles of vodka up his sleeves. We got
what we came for. Let's get out of here. Before
they find out, Ryan said, and headed towards his bike.
(20:47):
The boys followed. Ryan placed a bottle in each of
the inner pockets on his jean jacket and turned to
ride off, but Brenda stepped out from behind the tree. Here, boys,
she said, and handed a paper to Johnny. You follow
this and at the end, if you find me, I'll
(21:11):
give you that kiss. She said, and winked a kiss
for each of us. Tony asked, sure, follow the clues
to find me. Brenda answered and ran off down the street.
Ryan took a drink from a bottle before shoving it
(21:32):
back in his pocket. Hey, there's the kid I saw
stealing liquor, Josh said from the door of the party.
Tucker and Josh headed towards the boys, and they did
not look happy. Let's get the fuck out of here,
Ryan said, and pedaled off into the darkness. The rest
(21:54):
of the boys hurried to catch their friend. The boys
gathered their breath a few blocks away. Johnny remembered the
paper Brenda had given him and unfolded it. Sickle Jack
loves to play climb the jungle swing away, smiling as
(22:19):
he slices his prey. You'll be dead by the light
of day. Is that supposed to be a clue? Bo asked,
grabbing the paper from Johnny. Sickle Jack again, wonder what's
with all these bitches obsessed with him? He must have
a pretty big sickle, Ryan said, and laughed. Climb the jungle,
(22:45):
Tony said, in thought the jungle gym at the playground.
Johnny said, come on, let's go. The boys followed Johnny
as he weaved around the late tricker treaters. They made
it to the playground. Out of breath and excited, they
quickly looked around for any clue as to what to
(23:06):
do next. They found the playground, but what were they
supposed to do there? They made it to the jungle
gym and looked at the top. There was something up there,
another clue. Johnny was excited and dropped his bike on
the hard ground and began to climb the metal dome.
(23:30):
There they are. Came angry voices from behind. From Johnny's
vantage point, he could see Josh and Tucker approaching them.
Look out, Johnny called down to his friends. He was
only a few feet from the note at the top
of the jungle gym. Just a second more and he
(23:53):
could get the clue. That gets him one step closer
to his first kiss. Oh you fuck, came shouting from below.
Josh had doubled over Ryan with a single punch and
was now dragging him towards some pine trees. He threw
Ryan into them with a thud. Who's gonna save you now?
(24:16):
Josh sneered and took back the half drunk bottle of
vodka from the battered Ryan. His arm was bleeding where
the sharp needles of the tree had penetrated his skin.
Tony bo help, Ryan called out, but both boys were
frozen in fear. Johnny looked down at his friends. If
(24:40):
he went down there, he would get the shit kicked
out of him too. What was he supposed to do?
He unfolded the note in his hand and read it
out loud. Sickle Jack loves to eat feasting Where the
hoboes meet hide from the smile under the sheet survived
(25:02):
thus far, Get a treat. Johnny recited the poem and
looked down at his friends below. Just then, a gust
of cold wind blew through the playground, followed by a
quick rolling fog. Just barely perceptible from within were two
(25:25):
triangle orange eyes, a glow with flame a crescent of
a mouth sneered at the boy above Ryan. Oh shit,
sickle Jack, Johnny cried out and raced down the jungle
gym to get to his bike. He tapped Bow and
(25:49):
Tony on the shoulders, breaking the spell of fear that
kept them in place. They turned their attention to Ryan.
How were they going to get him away from Josh?
Just then, Josh made the most peculiar face as a loud,
squelching sound erupted from him. A metal protrusion had escaped
(26:13):
his chest, and steaming blood dripped off the smooth, sharp
metal blade. Josh rose in the air, mouth agape and pain,
but only for a moment before it went Lifelessly. Slack
Tucker began to run. Sickle Jack let the other boy's
(26:37):
body slide off his blade with a zing and chased
after his prey. Johnny could hear the stuffed hay footfalls
of the killer Scarecrow as it disappeared into the fog.
What the fuck was that? Ryan asked? As he dusted
(26:58):
himself off. He pulled the other bottle of vodka out
and unscrewed the top, taking a long sip. Fucking sickle Jack,
it had to be Johnny said, getting on his bike.
Let's go. The other boys all got on their bikes
and started riding away from the fog.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
More scares to come weekly Spooky, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
It can't be. He doesn't exist, Tony said, as he
pedaled as fast as he could. Do you know anyone
else with the first name sickle? He was carrying a
fucking sickle. Bo shouted, he killed Josh with it. Johnny said,
(27:53):
wide eyed, he was still in shock from what he saw.
Good riddance, Ryan's said, looking at his scraped up arm
and almost crashing his BMX into Johnny. What are we
supposed to do now? Go to the police? Tony asked, No,
no cops. We're drunk and they'll try to pin Josh
(28:16):
on us. They know we didn't get along. Ryan answered,
you're the drunk one. We haven't had any. Bo reminded
him Ryan was always stingy with sharing, even when he
didn't pay for it. Then where are we going, Ryan asked,
skidding to a halt on the dark street. We got
(28:39):
another clue, Johnny said, and read it to the boys. Hoboes.
Bo asked, the dumpster behind Willie's Convenience. Tony answered. The
boys raced off. Now that they had a destination in mind.
Maybe someone can buy us beer, Ryan said excitedly. The
(29:07):
boys dumped the bikes along the fence that led down
the alley next to Willie's Convenience store. An older kid
popped out the glass doors with a six pack of
beer and headed to his friends waiting in the car.
Jimmy'll buy for us, Ryan said, excitedly. We don't have
(29:27):
any money. Who's gonna pay for it, bo asked. Tony
nodded his head in agreement. Johnny wasn't part of the
conversation because he was heading back towards the dumpster behind
the concrete block building. The drunk guy holding a glass
bottle in a brown bag came meandering up the alley
(29:49):
and bumped into Johnny. He took a few unstable steps
back and shook his head to see straight. Sorry, kid,
didn't see you there. It's okay, mister, Johnny said, and
looked past the drunk into the alley. It was dark,
really fucking dark back there, and he was feeling a
(30:13):
bit apprehensive. He turned towards his friends, who were arguing
about money at the end of the alley. Those kids
giving you trouble, the drunk man said, and reached into
his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a knife.
(30:34):
Johnny went wide eyed, thinking he was about to die.
He stood in fear as the drunk swayed back and
forth on unsteady feet. I I gotta go, Johnny managed
to say. After a moment. Nonsense, the man said, then
(30:57):
flipped the knife in his hand, catching the black late end.
He offered the handle to Johnny. If those kids give
you trouble, you just jam that right in their ear
and stir like you're making coco. You got me, They
won't fuck with you again, the drunk finished. Johnny took
(31:18):
the knife in his hand and looked it over, the
blade glinting in the faint light from the mouth of
the alley. He looked up at the drunk standing there.
Thank you, no problem, kid. The drunk continued his journey
towards the front of the alley, where the boys were
(31:39):
now looking at Johnny. They gave the drunk man a
wide berth as they leaned their bikes on the side
of the building. Make some cocoa, kid, the drunk said,
and almost fell over with laughter. What was that all about?
Ryan asked, just some drunk nut, Johnny replied, sliding the
(32:05):
knife into his back pocket to hide it. The last
thing he needed was Ryan trying to take it. They
headed to the dumpster in the near complete darkness. Johnny
got an uneasy feeling as they heard a rustling coming
from behind the giant metal garbage. Can you think the
(32:28):
note is in the dumpster? Tony asked, with disgust in
his voice. No idea, hope not, Johnny replied as he
ran his fingers along the cold metal, feeling his way
around again. The rustling was the wind blowing something plastic around.
(32:52):
A flicking sound came from behind him. He turned to
see Ryan lighting a lighter in his right hand. Where
did you get that, Johnny asked, Bo's mom left it
at my house last night, Ryan quipped. An audible smack
came from behind the light and everything went dark. Ow
(33:15):
you fuck you made me drop the lighter. Ryan complained,
what did I tell you about my mom? Beau asked
that she gives good head, Ryan said and ran back
towards the bikes with a cackle. Beou and Tony chased
after him. Johnny reached around on the pavement until he
(33:37):
found the lighter and gave it a flick. In the
dim light, he could just make out close objects. He
walked around the side of the dumpster, looking for a note.
Then he found what was making that rustling noise on
a blue tarp was a woman and an man. They
(34:02):
were partially dressed but were in the middle of it.
Johnny saw the woman's boob hanging out of her unbuttoned shirt.
He recognized her. She had a reputation in the town
for both being a whore and being homeless. This must
be her office, he thought. A flicker of the light
(34:24):
revealed a folded note taped to the back of the dumpster.
He had to step on the tarp to reach it. Pervert,
he heard the woman say. As he snatched the note,
she threw something at him that broke when it hit
the pavement behind him. It's not like that, Johnny said,
(34:47):
taking a step back. The man pulled his pants up
and came at Johnny. The boy reached into his back pocket,
wondering if the drunk guy had known this was happening
behind the dumpster. I'll teach you to ruin a man's
paid for good time, the man said, and lunged at Johnny,
(35:08):
who took a step back, crushing the glass pipe further
into the pavement. Johnny saw the familiar glow from the
group of trees next to the tarp tent, and his
blood froze. The pumpkin head of sickle Jack appeared behind
(35:29):
the man.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
U sh it was only the wind. You are safe,
weekly spooky. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
What are you looking at, he asked, and then called
over his shoulder, Cover up, darlin, I'll be right back.
Johnny heard a heavy thud and a wet sound coming
from the darkness behind the alley. He tried to flee.
He wanted to flee, but his British night sneakers were
(36:02):
glued to the cold pavement. Darling, the man called out
to the darkness. It was the last words he ever spoke,
as his mouth cavity became the temporary home of a
long curved blade. The man's eyes widened as he watched
(36:23):
the metal protrude farther and farther out of his mouth.
He made a few gagging sounds before slumping on the blade.
That sight freed Johnny's paralysis, and he raced down the alley,
grabbing his bike along the way. He pedaled as fast
(36:43):
as he could and exited the alley at full speed,
almost getting creamed by a red Chevy passing by. He
looked up and down the street quickly and saw his
friends about a block away. Go go, go, oh, he
said as he passed them, still clutching the dumpster note
(37:05):
in his hand. They pedaled for a few minutes before
the adrenaline wore off enough for Johnny to stop two
close calls in one night. He wondered if he should
just go home. Did you find the note, Tony asked him, Yeah,
(37:25):
it was taped to the back of the dumpster. He replied,
you see a rat or something? Ryan asked, sickle Jack
killed a prostitute and her john Johnny said, no shit.
Bo asked, no shit. What do we do now? Tony asked,
(37:46):
We read the next note. It'll lead us to the girl.
Maybe she can answer our questions, Johnny said. Unfolding the paper,
he noticed a drop of dark red blood bud from
the man's face on the white note, sickle Jack among
the dead, lighted by his pumpkin head. Watch out now
(38:11):
where you tread or end up in the pile of dead. Fuck.
We gotta go to the cemetery, Bo asked, looks like it,
Johnny replied. The boys reached the wrought iron gates of
(38:36):
Cornwall Cemetery and threw their bikes over the fence. The
gates were chained loosely, and the boys squeezed through. The
silent sentinels of stone stood in front of them, with
the breeze whipping up splashes of orange and red leaves.
See anything, Tony asked. It was obvious that he was scared.
(39:02):
The rest of the boys were too, but Tony had
a shit poker face. Nothing yet, Johnny said, reading the
note again for inspiration. Let's check it out, Ryan said,
and pedaled up the dirt path leading farther into the cemetery.
(39:23):
Here it says the pile of Dead. Is there some
place where bodies are piled Johnny asked his friends as
they followed the path. I think they just dig a
six foot hole and drop one in and cover it up,
Ryan explained, while finishing off the rest of the vodka.
(39:44):
What about those stone buildings over there, Bo asked, the mausoleums.
Tony replied, Yeah, some of those are stacked up. I
guess it's kind of like a pile worth a shot,
Ryan said, and chucked the empty bottle. It smashed on
(40:05):
a stone in the distance. You have a contract to
be an asshole? Or does it come naturally? Bo asked,
the oldest boy here, mom pays. Ryan started to say,
then thought better of it. What was that, Bo asked,
cocking his arm back. I said the moon's rays. Ryan lied,
(40:30):
the moon's rays. Bo asked for clarification, knowing it was bullshit. Yeah,
they're they're not very bright tonight. Ryan doubled down. Bo
lowered his fist with a sneer. They walked up to
the doors of the mausoleum. They too were loosely chained
(40:54):
like the gate. Who's going in first? Tony asked, you're
the smallest, Ryan volunteered him. Tony shook his head in fear.
There was a rustling from within the ajar doors. Oh
that that's probably a raccoon or skunk or something. Ryan said,
(41:17):
Now get in there. He pushed Tony until he was
up against the door. Come on, he's scared, Johnny protested,
what's that you volunteering? Ryan asked, yeah, I'll go. This
whole scavenger hunt thing was my idea to find Brenda
(41:37):
and get a kiss. Now, at least three people are dead,
Johnny explained. Hugh didn't kill them, though sickle Jack did.
Tony reasoned, he seemed to be where we were, Johnny said.
The boys took a second to look around at their surroundings. Okay,
(42:00):
here I go, the love struck boy said, and slid
under the old, loose chains on the doors. He heard
the rustling inside and told himself it was just a rodent.
He pulled the lighter from his pocket and flicked it.
He saw nothing dangerous and called to the other boys.
(42:24):
One by one, they entered the mausoleum and spread out
in the faint, flickering light. Is that my lighter, Ryan accused,
and tried to grab it from Johnny, but he was
too fast for the drunken boy. I need it, Johnny explained,
and started walking down the inner wall, reading the names
(42:49):
carved into the stone. What are we looking for? Bo asked?
A note telling us where to go next? Or Brenda?
Johnny added, after a second of thought, he had no
idea how long this scavenger hunt would last. Was it
(43:09):
even a scavenger hunt? Anyway? He heard the boys going
the other direction, looking at the stones. Bow had matches,
and they were looking around in short bursts from the
match light. A glimmer of the faint moonlight shone through
a broken stained glass window, illuminating a white square ahead
(43:33):
the moon's rays. As Ryan said, Johnny's heart raised at
the sight of the note. He walked faster and snatched
it from the stone wall. I got it, guys. He
turned around in his excitement to see the boys illuminated
(43:53):
by a flashlight and two other people in the mausoleum
with them.
Speaker 3 (44:00):
Are you afraid? Good weekly spooky, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
He thought they were busted at first, but realized it
was a pregnant lady and her small child holding a
bag of Halloween candy. Thank you for letting us in,
the woman said. It was following us down the road,
some creep in a scarecrow costume, carrying a sickle in
(44:31):
his hand, the woman said, and Johnny's blood ran cold.
We need to get out of here, he said. This
is how it's been going all night. Who's coming, the
woman said. Her daughter tugged on her sleeve. The pumpkin man,
(44:51):
the girl said. As the doors busted open, the little
girl got hit by the doors and slid across the floor.
Johnny caught her before she hit the wall. Sickle Jack
entered the museum and turned his great pumpkin head around,
(45:11):
looking at them all one by one. Do you know
who my husband is? The woman demanded and put her
hands on her hips. Sickle Jack took a swing with
his sickle at her face, and she jumped back, surprisingly
agile for a pregnant woman. She ducked behind Ryan and
(45:36):
grabbed his shoulders. Ryan tried to shake her off, but
she gripped him tight. Get off, He commanded the woman,
I have children to live for, she called out. As
the head turned towards them. Sickle Jack took a step
closer to Ryan and the woman, bo and Tony slid
(45:59):
out the door. Johnny grabbed the girl and led her
to the exit and the relative safety of outdoors. Sickle
Jack took another swing with his sickle, lower than the first.
Ryan managed to dive to the side. He grabbed the
flashlight and shined it in the face of sickle Jack
(46:21):
in an effort to blind him. Johnny heard the gurgling
noises and knew what happened even before he looked. He
stood in the doorway looking at the pregnant woman clutching
her stomach bleeding. Sickle Jack had pulled the blade back
(46:42):
out and wiped the fetus off on his straw filled pants.
It plopped to the floor with a final twitch, then
went still. The woman's knees buckled and she dropped to
the stone floor on them. Sickle Jack swung again, burying
(47:02):
the curved blade into her neck. It was stuck in
her spine, and he planted a foot on her chest
and gave a heave. The blade didn't budge. Johnny went outside,
afraid he was going to puke at what he saw.
Tears streamed down his face. Ryan came out after him
(47:27):
and grabbed his bike. We need to go, he said,
Go where Johnny asked, Everywhere I go, that thing follows. Oh,
don't be a defeatist, Ryan said, and then looked back
at the tiny body on the floor of the mausoleum.
(47:48):
Sickle Jack had just freed his blade and was dispatching
of the mother's limbs. Ha get it, defeatist. Defeatist, Ryan said,
you're a sick fuck. Johnny replied and tucked the note
into his pocket with the knife. Just then, sickle Jack
(48:09):
stepped out of the building and swung, catching Ryan in
the ribs. The blade bit deep, and soon blood dripped
down the boy's side. Come on, Johnny said, grabbing the
little girl and putting her on his handlebars. Hold on,
Tony bow and Johnny pedaled back to the gates as
(48:32):
fast as they could. Can we go to the cops now,
Tony asked, yes, Johnny said, as they threw their bikes
back over the fence. They quickly pedaled down the street. Wait, wait,
the little girl cried out, that's my aunt Donna's house.
(48:54):
The boys stopped dead and let the girl off the bike.
She ran onto the porch of the house, knocking on
the door. I don't like being this close to the cemetery,
Tony said, anxiously, me either, Johnny said, and pulled out
the note. You found it. What does it say? Bo asked?
(49:19):
Sickle Jack loves his home, his needed comfort after a gloam,
though sickle Jack ain't alone. His children rise from the
kattak combs. That doesn't sound good either. Where the fuck
would sickle Jack live Pumpkinville? Johnny asked, Stuffing the note
(49:43):
back in his pocket, He observed the street they were
heading down. Nothing out that way? But farms and corn
the cornfields. He is a scarecrow, right, Bo asked, after
a second to think. Yeah, but maybe we should go
to the authorities. He said, we should finish it for Ryan.
(50:09):
Tony said with determination. Fuck that guy. He's been an
asshole his whole life. We don't owe him shit. Bo
chimed in, Well, if I go out to the cornfield,
there shouldn't be any innocent bystanders around to get hurt
by sickle Jack. Johnny said, feeling the knife in his pocket.
(50:35):
I'm going to head out there. You guys should go
home and be safe. What's a gloam Bo asked.
Speaker 3 (50:46):
If you thought that was scary, just you wait weekly spooky.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (50:55):
Johnny really tried to get his friends to leave, but
they wouldn't abandon him this close to the prize. He wondered,
with a hint of jealousy, if they were doing it
for the kiss. He wasn't sure how he felt about
sharing Brenda even with his best friends. They rode their
(51:17):
bikes until there were no more street lights illuminating the way.
The faint starlight between the trees lining each side of
the road was their only navigational beacon. Still, they rode on,
knowing the fields would open up on either side soon.
(51:38):
An occasional cloud made the night even darker. Johnny looked
at his Cassio wristwatch and saw that it was almost
eleven thirty. His mom would kill him for being out
this late, that is, if sickle Jack didn't get to
him first. Once they saw the rolling hill on either
(52:00):
side of the road, they slowed down, looking for a
scarecrow or any sign of where to go next. The
cold air dried the sweat the boys had conjured during
their speedy ride, there Bo said, pointing into the field.
(52:22):
On the left. At the top of the hill stood
two figures. It was impossible to tell who they were
from this distance, but one had a large round head,
and even from the road they could see the illumination.
Sickle Jack waited for them. The other had to be Brenda.
(52:49):
Johnny abandoned his bike in the ditch and carefully navigated
his way through the barbed wire fence. He didn't wait
for his companions as they headed towards his reward at
the top of the hill. Wait for us, Tony called
from behind him as he got tangled in the fence.
(53:10):
Shit can't take you anywhere, Bou said, and with an
apprehensive glance at Johnny, stopped to help his friend. Brenda.
I made it. I followed the poem you left for me,
Johnny called out, showing her the scraps of paper he
had collected. There was something different about her. She turned
(53:35):
to sickle Jack, who just stood at her side as
he neared them. Go get them, bring them here, she said,
gesturing to Bo and Tony, who were working their way
up the hill towards them. Do I get that kiss now,
Johnny asked. Brenda considered him for a second. Not quite yet,
(54:00):
but soon, cutie, she said, and turned towards the pole
in the ground that normally would hold a scarecrow. You
live out here, Johnny asked. He was infatuated with her.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her beauty. Did
she always have pointy ears? He was wondering if her
(54:25):
hair had been covering it earlier when he met her.
She was still wearing the same costume. Why would she
change her hair? He must have missed it before, he
told himself. Tony landed on the ground in front of them,
followed by Bow. Both were bleeding. Not there on the pole,
(54:48):
Brenda yelled with an exasperated sigh. Sickle Jack dragged Johnny's
friends and began to tie them up back to back
around the wooden hole sticking out of the ground. What's
going on, Brenda, Johnny asked, when his love struck brain
finally processed the scene in front of him. Both of
(55:12):
his friends looked unconscious. Where they hurt? Just getting everything ready?
Did you know that tomorrow starts a new year? Sowyn
is upon us, she said, raising her hands to the sky.
Were there that many clouds before? Johnny found it hard
(55:33):
to concentrate. Do the little one, Brenda said to sickle Jack.
He swung his namesake blade and slit Tony's throat, first
one way, then again on the backstroke. Two arcs of
blood spattered down on the dry, corn stalked covered ground.
(55:56):
A rumbling began, and Johnny's neck had stood Tony, he asked,
dumbfounded at the senseless violence he had witnessed. Suddenly, the
rumbling stopped, and from the drops of blood, mushrooms began
to grow in a perfect circle around them on the hill.
(56:22):
New year knew me, Brenda said. As the mushrooms grew
into familiar shapes in the dark. In front of Johnny
was Josh Tucker, Ryan, the whore, and the businessman from
the dumpster, as well as the woman and even the
fetus from the mausoleum, all standing in a circle around them.
(56:46):
How Johnny asked, Brenda ignored him. Finish the task, then
get back to your post. Brenda said to sickle Jack,
the pumpkinheaded scarecrow round on bow and lifted his chin. No,
Johnny screamed and jumped on sickle Jack's back. He pulled
(57:08):
the knife out of his pocket and buried it into
the side of his large pumpkin head and twisted it around.
It seemed to have no effect on him. Like you're
making cocoa, came the drunk's voice from behind him. He
was among the mushroom people in the circle. Sickle Jack
(57:31):
must have gotten him too. He slid off of Jack's
back in despair. When he heard the wet squelching of
the monster's blade sliding through Bow's flesh, Johnny dropped onto
the ground, tears temporarily blinding him. No fight, please, It's
(57:52):
more delicious that way, Brenda said, with a laugh that
sounded inhuman. Were her eyes is always black. Tears are bitter,
but adrenaline fueled fear is like an energy drink for
you mortals. Sickle Jack finished with bow and climbed up
(58:13):
onto the pole. He slid the sickle into his rope
belt and placed his arms out like a hay stuffed Jesus.
The lights dimmed in the pumpkin head and then finally
went out. The pumpkin cracked and fell off the body,
(58:33):
leaving a boy's face behind sam brait. Johnny asked, but
he he disappeared last Halloween? Did he? Brenda asked, I
knew where he was all along, she said, and drew
(58:54):
closer to Johnny. Were her fingers always that long and pointy?
The mushroom people closed in on Johnny and reached out
with arms that were both fungi and flesh. They gripped
him tight and held him as Brenda closed the gap.
It's time for your kiss, she said, and smiled. Were
(59:20):
her teeth always so pointy? Johnny tried to wrestle free
from the grasp of the mushroom victims of sickle Jack,
but they held him tight. There was no escape. Brenda
planted her lips on his. He had to admit that
part wasn't the worst. But then something entered his mouth
(59:45):
and it wasn't her tongue. It was hard and woody flavored.
It grew into his head, exploring all the cavities it
could find, up into his sinuses, down his throat. He
found it hard to breathe. Brenda backed off, and Johnny
(01:00:06):
saw that it was a pumpkin stem reaching from her
mouth into him. He passed out from the horror. Johnny's
eyes opened and he tried to focus his vision. He
(01:00:28):
was standing on something. He was taller than the vague
shapes of people he could barely see. He blinked a
few times to try and clear his vision. He couldn't
move his arms weren't currently cooperating with him. A few
seconds passed and his vision did clear. He saw Brenda
(01:00:51):
standing in the field a few feet below him. The
mushroom people were feeding on the body of Sam Braid.
His vision darkened again and he passed out. When he awoke,
he was in the same spot, only Brenda was there
(01:01:12):
this time. He tried to speak, but found he couldn't arise.
Sickle Jack, I come to you on all Hallow's Eve
to reap for me, Brenda said. Johnny found himself climbing
down from something until he stood on the ground in
(01:01:33):
front of her. He turned to see what he was
standing on and was horrified to see that it was
the scarecrow's pole in the field. Face me, sickle Jack,
Brenda commanded, and he turned to face her. She gave
(01:01:54):
him a wicked smile. Come, it's time to reap this
year's harvest, she said, and led Johnny off towards the road.
He passed a puddle and looked down, horrified at the
pumpkin head looking back up at him. And that was
(01:02:25):
the legend of sickle Jack, the pumpkin headed harvester who
never lets a soul escape his sickles swing. But don't
blow out your jack o' lanterns just yet, my spookies,
because tomorrow the terror takes a very different shape. We'll
need a girl who thought she'd beaten death herself until
(01:02:48):
a nightmare experiment left her carrying something far worse in strickfield.
She's whispered about, as aids Mary, a walking curse who
leaves lipstick, warnings and bodies behind wherever she goes. So
join us tomorrow for night four of thirty one shows
in thirty one days as the season grows darker, deadlier,
(01:03:12):
and more unforgettable. If you want to help support Weekly
Spooky as we reach our six year anniversary on October
thirty first, simply head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash join.
For as little as one dollar a month, you get
two bonus episodes every month and five years of exclusive
audiobooks and creepypasta readings. And I want to say an
(01:03:35):
extra special thank you to our Patreon podcast boosters, folks
who pay just a little bit more to hear their
name at the end of the show, and they are
Johnny Nix, Kate and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike Eskeuey, Jenny Green,
Amber Hansford, Karen we Met, Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen.
Thank you all so much. And if you want to
hear your name at the end of every episode of
(01:03:55):
Weekly Spooky, head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash join and
so elect a tier at fifteen dollars a month or higher.
It really makes a big difference. It helps me keep
the show going and going and growing. But now it's
time for me to get back to work, so I'll
see you here tomorrow when we unveil AIDS Mary Patient
zero by Rob Fields, for myself, for my executive producers
(01:04:19):
Rob Fields and Bobotopia dot Com, my producer Dan Wilder,
and my composer Ray Mattis. I will talk at you
well after the harvest.
Speaker 2 (01:04:30):
Thank you for listenings. Make sure to find your way
back next weekly week. But for now you are safe.
Trust me,
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