Halloween
 

        Innocent laughter and giggles of children filled the murky surrounding in a nearby cemetery. The atmosphere was uncanny. The moon seemed to shine brighter than ever. The cheerfulness in the air, accompanied by the eeriness of the graveyard was blended to form an unusual oddness. A giant, ancient house stood at the end of the street, and the streetlights were not strong enough to make it clearly visible.

        “We’re not going to miss that huge house back there, are we?”

        The children were so excited about trick-or-treating. Perhaps they were a bit overly excited; they did not know anything about the mansion that stood before them.

        Joe crouched in the dark gloomy corner of the attic. Through the cracks on the ceiling, the mercury moonlight shone through. He glared at the full moon hanging brightly on the dark curtains of the October air. He had hid in this old, tattered house where no one would ever bother to notice or be aware of. A strange and incredible transformation was occurring. As the pupil of his silvery-blue eyes expanded, he screamed in agony. He felt his chest widening as thick hair sprouted across it. His skin split open and his face was soon covered with fur. His teeth started to sharpen and his tongue rolled out. His nails lengthened and soon turned into lethal claws as hair burst through the skin covering his knuckles. His nose extended forward, growing longer and darker. His shoulders hunched and he found himself losing balance standing up. He shrieked in pain and staggered down the stairs, trying to control himself. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Abruptly he turned his head and slowly crept towards the door. Something in the air excited him and his heart began to race; it was the smell of fresh blood. He hesitated before the door. He began to pace. He had successfully conquered the painfulness of thirst in the past twenty years. Would he be able to resist from the taste of warm and rich blood of youthful children lying defenseless before him? His head ached as he wailed in pain again. Anyone would have noticed the cries of a wolf. But the kids who were happily chatting about how they would hide their candies under their beds did not. Desire had overcome his resisting will. He kicked down the door and saw eight little children in costumes begging for candies.

        “Trick or treat!” the kids chanted, assuming the hairy beast before them was another man in a cheap Halloween costume trying to scare trick-or-treaters every year.

        In a flash, Joe’s claws knocked the kids off the ground. The children screamed for their lives and tried to run. In a bloodthirsty rage, he grabbed one of the kids and submerged into the shadows. The remaining children ran as fast as they could. The little boy who was caught by Joe struggled to free himself from the beast’s furry claws, but soon turned unconscious as Joe knocked him out.

        The boy reminded him of his own son who was shot by hunters a few months ago. He could still clearly remember how he taught his boy not to hunt when the clouds did not cover the moon completely.  He remembered the loud bang and the sickening crack as the bullet penetrated through his son’s skull. He could remember the agonizing wail, the wail that he could never forget. With memory still fresh in his mind, the man held back from devouring the innocent boy. The night lingered on in silence as the child stay huddled in fear in the corner of the hearth. The child was numb with coldness and fright. Hours passed and soon the sun was about to rise. The police soon arrived and surrounded the house. A shadow emerged from the house and all the lights shone towards him.

        “Put your hands up,” the police warned. Joe looked around puzzled and confused. He did not know what he had done.

Written by: Me, Jim Chang and Chris Dzierzawa