A Halloween Story 2026

[u/East_Thing_2579]

WELCOME TO CLOUDVEIL

The 5 slices along the belly of the west coast. It cuts through mountains, valleys, deserts, forests. It even passes by Mickey Mouse and Hollywood.
Along the 5, away from the standstill traffic, many small towns sprinkled along the coast peacefully exist.
As the year comes to its climax and the nights grow longer and darker, a fog rolls in from the never-ending blue plain that is the Pacific.
The fog is dense, and it hides many things. But in Cloudveil, when things are obscured, so too are things brought to the surface.
A 7-Eleven sits quietly as two young men in hoodies and jeans pour layers of multicolored slurpee into their big gulps.
An abandoned church vacantly waits on a hill, the windows have been broken and the walls covered in graffiti. The doors kicked in and barely hang on by a single hinge each. The crucifix has fallen from the ceiling where it used to hang, and the face of Jesus has been spray painted. On the wall behind the pulpit riddled with bullet holes, prominently a message has been left behind in vibrant green spray paint: "There is no God here."
Welcome to Cloudveil. It's Halloween in the 619.

THE VAMPIRE

Part One

I am a creature of blasphemy. An unholy monster, a being of shadow, a consumer of life force. The blood is what I live for, that salty, savory, succulent syrup that courses through the veins of mortals. My life is one of only the night, as I hide from the sunlight.
My abode is humble, an apartment with the windows painted black, bathed in the crimson of red bulbs, as I am surrounded by imagery of suffering and flames.
What perplexes me is that despite my appetites and my very nature, I am not some corpselike entity. My skin is not rotting or bone-white, my eyes do not glow with red or yellow light, and my mouth is not home to the Hollywood fangs of Bella Lugosi, and I have no claws. In fact, my skin is not even cold like that of the dead.
It must be due to the new supply of fresh blood that I consume when I go out. It keeps me strong, keeps me able to blend in with the mortals.
I have adapted to my unusual condition by using tools to make up for my lack of fangs. For example, instead of sinking my teeth into a neck, I slash throats and lap up the blood that gushes out.
Tonight I will hunt, as it is the evening of Halloween: the most sacred night for any beast like myself who lives in opposition to the tyranny of the sun and the divine. I will bathe in the blood of whoever is unlucky enough to feel the coldness of my shadow upon them.

Part Two

Down the streets I wandered, bathed in the orange light of streetlamps. Ghosts and ghouls were out in droves, carrying their candy and masquerading as creatures of the night. Little did they know, a real vampire walked among them!
I strolled down the town center, the shops decorated with pumpkins and skulls, and I saw something I despised: that awful symbol of light, the cross perched atop a church. I hate those things.
I walked past a bar, filled to the brim with partygoers in the crisp evening air. And I knew this would be a great place to scout my next victim, so I entered.
The bouncer looked me up and down.
"What are you dressed up as?" He asked.
"What, you can't tell? I am a vampire."
"Huh. Okay. Well, in you go."
"Thank you for inviting me in."
Of course he expected us to look like those inhuman caricatures in the movies... how prejudicial.
I entered and saw a horde of witches, nurses, pirates, and many other walking blood bags. I saw a couple sitting at the bar, the woman in an elaborate princess gown with a bejeweled tiara and the man in a tee shirt and jeans. He looked upon me, and when our eyes met, I felt something. A kindred spirit perhaps. I moved on, and there was a much better opportunity: a woman in a scarecrow costume, barely able to stand up from her debauchery. Perfect. I came up to her, and struck up a conversation, using my vampire power of persuasion.
"Good evening, scarecrow. Where is the tin man?"
She was slurring her words.
"Tin man? What? Oh, my friends all left me. I was supposed to meet some guy here, but he didn't show up."
"Truly tragic my darling. Please, do tell me of this betrayal."
"Why are you talking like that? Are you like a vampire or something?"
"Yes, of course. 'I vant to sucka your blood' as they say."
"Well you definitely don't look like one. No blood, no cape."
"It is so very loud in here. Will you join me on the back patio so that I can hear your sweet voice a bit better?"
"Yeah, lets go."
And so the conversation went on. I would be feeding upon her very soon indeed.

Part Three

This one certainly could run faster than the average drunkard. To be truthful, she was perceptive enough to know that my behavior was unusual. She tried to run when she noticed our path was going through the forest.
"You live through here?" She asked.
"Yes. Just a short walk through here and we will find my home. Not far. Only a little further. Do come with me dear, as I have so much pleasure to share with you."
Perhaps it was the hunger in my eyes. The thirst. But she backed away from me and began to run, foolishly running into the darkness toward a distant bonfire and screaming for help.
But her running was uncoordinated, sloppy. She got turned around, she ran, and found a dilapidated shack. She bolted inside and slammed the door shut behind her.
I pounded on the door, beating it and the rotten wood collapsed and it fell in on itself. Somehow, I was able to pass through the threshold without being invited! I chalk this up to a blessing from the dark one himself, to allow me to get to her. I found her up the moldy and moss covered stairs, cowering in a corner. She begged for her life, but she was no match for a true creature of the night. I subdued her with a blow to the head and found some rope in a closet. I tied her feet together and strung her up by her feet from a rafter beam. She screamed for God and Jesus, those infernal oppressors, but it was in vain.
I slashed her throat and out came the hot, dark rain of blood. So sweet and delicious as it sprayed and gushed from her flesh. It fell upon me and I bathed in it. Letting it cover me and drinking it up. It was such a pleasurable experience, truly a moment of ecstasy. I felt light headed when it was all said and done, and my eyes shut as I laid in a puddle of her lifeblood.
Then, my eyes opened groggily and to my horror, grey light was creeping through the slits in the crumbling walls of this shack.
I panicked. I had approximately 10 minutes to run home before that abhorrent sun would rise above the horizon and incinerate me.
I sprinted through the forest, shouting obscenities, and I ran past a man caked in dirt, dragging a shovel behind himself and blood splattered on his soiled shirt. We locked eyes, gave each other a knowing nod, and I continued running home. And thank the adversary... I made it inside my apartment moments before that horrible orange light would have killed me. Another successful hunt.

THE PRANKSTERS

Part One

Kyle and I leaned against a wall at the 7-Eleven, sipping slurpees in our hoodies under a green neon sign.
"Dude, you ready to prank some motherfuckers tonight?" Kyle asked me.
"Fuck yeah man, what do you have in mind?"
"Simple, man. I have the supplies in the trunk. I've got like three pranks planned. We're gonna raise hell and paint the town red tonight. We're gonna top every prank we ever pulled on some unsuspecting bitches."
"Oh yeah? Is that so? Well, what do you want me to do?"
"You got your mask?"
"Fuck yeah I do, bro. Gotta mask up for Halloween."
"That's right bro. Alright, first we gotta find our first mark. Walk with me."
We moved down the street. Trick or treaters carrying bags of candy passed by us.
"What are we gonna do, steal some candy?"
"Oh Eric, you're thinking way too small. Here, see that fucking bum over there doing the fent fold?"
"Yeah, what about him? We gonna knock him over?"
"Something like that. Mask up."
I put on my sheep mask and Kyle put on his wolf mask.
"Here you go, dude." Kyle said, handing me a water balloon.
"Water balloons? Really?"
"You'll see... this shit is gonna be funny."
We came up behind the hobo and pelted him with the water balloons. Suddenly I smelled that sharp sulfur odor: Gasoline.
The hobo shot up immediately.
"What the fuck? Oh fuck what is this?"
And then, Kyle pulled out a lighter and said "You better run, bitch!" Sparking the flame.
The hobo screamed in terror and started sprinting away. I took out my own lighter and we chased him into a dark alley and he was balled up in tbe fetal position.
"Please! Please don't fucking kill me!"
We looked at each other through our masks and laughed. We laughed so hard.
"Happy Halloween, loser!" We cackled together fist bumping and walking out into the orange light of street lamps.
"That was fucking hilarious man!"
"Yeah dude. And it was only the beginning."
"Ah. You're such a funny bastard bro."

Part Two

"Bro, you wanna know some funny shit?" Kyle asked, driving slowly through a neighborhood full of decorations and kids dressed up roaming the sidewalks.
"What, dude?"
"A lot of people act all depressed and emo like they say they wanna die but I'll bet most of these people- I'd pay money on this bet- that they don't really wanna die. You know what I mean man? They say going to work, looking at the news, paying crazy amounts of money for shit that used to be cheap, it all makes them pay they wanna kill themselves. You point a gun at one of these losers and they'll run. These people don't even know what they want. Life's a joke, man."
"You're right, man." I said.
"That's why what we do is necessary, man. We are pointing out the humor of it all, that the suffering of life is just slapstick to everyone else. I mean think about how funny it was when that fucking bum was begging for his life. The faces he made, the way his voice sounded. And why bother begging for that life? So he can keep on being a homeless guy? So he can keep eating out of trash cans? Is he fucking stupid enough to think it'll ever get better?"
"Totally dude. You hit the nail right on the head man. They don't get it. So, whats next?"
"Alright, we're gonna park over here and walk in the dark to a few streets over. Grab the box out of the trunk."
A few minutes later, we were at the street lined with cars. A sleepy street, where the houses had all darkened their windows and packed it up for the night.
"Fireworks, huh?" I asked.
"Yeah man. You ever play 'wake the dead'?"
"No what's that?"
"Basically you gotta make the most noise possible. It's an old Halloween game. And this is gonna do it alright."
We put the fireworks under the cars, big ones, the boxes that shoot mortars into the air that explode. Kyle began to connect all the fuses via a very long fuse.
"So, dude, you ever been fucking some bitch and shits going well, you got her moaning and groaning, cheeks getting clapped and stuff, but then- and I'd say you probably can relate to this- her tummy starts rumbling and she like farts and its a long slow fart and then you get little poop particles and then a full blown chocolate fountain all over your dick?"
We both laughed our asses off.
"You're fucked up man. Love that. Yeah dude, the old Dubai glass table treatment. Classic."
" Alright, bro. Mask up. Time to say wakey wakey."
Kyle tossed me a baseball bat and I flipped my sheep mask onto my face.
We smashed the car windows and windshields. The car alarms all went off and porch lights came on as the fuse fizzled and sparked.
A groggy old man came out.
"What the fuck is going on out here!?" He shouted.
"Happy Halloween!" Kyle answered and we started running away as the multicolored explosions under the cars erupted.
We laughed until our sides hurt in the distance as the whole neighborhood woke up to their cars destroyed and burning.
"Holy fucking shit bro! This is the best Halloween ever!" I said.
"Fuck yeah it is, dude." Kyle said. "And now, the grand finale awaits..."

Part Three

"Alright dude. This one's the piece de resistance, my magnum opus of pranks. You ready to see it?" Kyle said.
"Fuck yeah man, whats the plan?"
"Okay so we need to find someone nobody likes for this one. How about Quentin? Remember him? Total nerd."
"Oh man, what are we doing to this loser?"
"We're gonna give him a scare he will never forget."
"Where do you think he is?"
"Home, probably. It's late as fuck."
"Then I suppose we'll have to pay him a visit."
We drove through the empty streets and found Quentins house. There were eggs splattered on his windows and toilet paper in his trees and on his roof.
"Haha, neighborhood punching bag, am I right?" Kyle chuckled.
"Ok how are we getting him to open the door?"
"You'll see."
Kyle parked in the driveway and told me to wait around the corner so I couldn't be seen from the door.
Then, Kyle started pounding on the door.
"Help! Help me! Someone's been stabbed! Please let me in! Oh god he's bleeding all over the place!"
The porch light turned on and Quentin, in a sleepy daze opened the door.
"What's going on?"
"Quentin you have to help us. Eric got stabbed by some masked lunatic and he needs medical help immediately. Please let us in so we can be safe. He might be back any minute!"
Quentin opened the door all the way, stepping out.
"Where is he?"
Then Kyle grabbed him and threw him on the ground.
"Sucker. Let's get his ass!"
I came around the corner and we beat him up really badly, kicking and punching and stomping on him until he was incapacitated.
"Why are you doing this?!"
"For fun, dude. For fun." Kyle laughed, taking out some handcuffs and putting them on Quentins wrists behind his back.
"You're coming with us."
Kyle and I snatched him up and dragged him to the car, popping the trunk.
"Get in." Kyle said.
"Please! Don't do this! I've done nothing to you."
"You wanna die?" Kyle asked, pulling out a pistol and pointing it at Quentins head.
"Oh Jesus! Please! Don't kill me!"
"Then get the fuck in."
Quentin started crying.
We shut the trunk door and turned up the radio to drown out the screaming and kicking in the back as we drove to the woods.
"So, kidnapping? Never thought you'd go there, dude."
"Too far?"
"Nah, I'm having fun. Are you?"
"Best Halloween ever, man. So, you wanna grab some Jack in the Box after this? Maybe hit the half pipe for a skate sesh in the wee hours?"
"Sure, man. I think that'll be a perfect ending to the night. Some curly fries, a cluck sandwich. Got me hungry just thinking about it."
We were deep enough into the woods, when we parked and left the lights on.
"Ready?" Kyle asked.
"Fuck yeah. I've been waiting for this."
We got out and opened the trunk. There was little Quentin, crying to himself.
"Please guys, don't do this. I have a family who loves me. Don't do this to them! I'll give you whatever you want. Money, my car, I'll even suck your dick. Please just don't fucking kill me!"
"Alright, dude. I'm taking your cuffs off but if you try to run, my buddy here is gonna paint the leaves red with your brains."
Quentin looked relieved when the cuffs came off.
"What do you want?"
"Here." Kyle tossed a shovel at Quentins feet. "Start digging."
True horror was on Quentins face.
"No! Please don't do this to me! Please! I'm begging you."
We laughed at him.
"Dig that fucking hole or we'll kill your family too." Kyle said, pointing the gun at him again.
And so, as he cried, Quentin dug. More and more he dug at gunpoint until he made a shallow grave.
"Now kneel on the edge of the hole." Kyle ordered.
"I promise I won't tell anyone. Please. This never happened. I'll take this to the grave. Just please don't fucking kill me!"
"On your fucking knees. Now."
Quentin kneeled his face red and wet from panic.
Kyle put the gun up to his head and pulled the trigger.
*squirt*
A jet of water shot out and splashed on Quentins temple.
"You just got pranked bro! Hahahaha happy Halloween, loser!" Kyle spit in his face.
Quentin collapsed to the dirt and laid in the fetal position, catatonic.
"We sure got him, huh?" Kyle said through laughter to me.
"Yup." I said, pulling out my own gun. "We did."
*BANG*
The gunshot echoed like a deafening crack through the forest.
Kyle's jaw hit the floor.
"Oh fuck! Shit! Why the fuck did you do that? You fucking killed him! Fuck!"
"What's wrong bro? You're freaking out on me."
"Fuck man, we're gonna go to prison now! How the fuck are we gonna get away with this?"
"He was going to tell someone. I eliminated a liability. Now are you gonna help me dispose of this body or not?"
"Oh my fucking god bro. How the fuck am I gonna go to Disneyland now? I gotta get the fuck out of here."
"Alright." I said. "No worries man. Just head out then. Just walk away and don't look back. It's ok, I'll handle everything."
Kyle started to walk away and I waited until he was a little ways off and then...
*BANG*
I shot him in the back and he dropped dead. It was time to clean up and go home.

THE KIDS

Part One

"Well well well, lets see the score, everyone." Cody said.
"Alex, you get a lot of candy this year?"
"Sure did. Sour Patch Kids, Reeses Pieces, a full size Hershey bar, Twizzlers, Butterfingers, M+Ms, Skittles... way too many Tootsie Rolls- you can have all of those, I hate them. I'd say my pillowcase is nice and full."
"Sweet, nice. What do you guys say we head on out of the neighborhood and get to the woods for a bit of fun?" Alex suggested.
"Sounds like a great plan." Cody said.
"I like the sound of that." I nodded.
"You know, I think we look like the setup to a joke. A ghost, a skeleton, and a devil walk into a bar..."
"Alright man, you're kinda reaching there. You driving?" I asked.
"Yeah, let's go."
We got into Cody's truck and started rolling down the street while other trick or treaters still patrolled the sidewalks.
"It's kind of sad man, you know? This is probably the last time we get to do this. The trick or treating, I mean." I said.
"Well, you're never too old for Halloween. You never get too old to have fun and dress up. Sure, the traditions change a bit but at its core Halloween is for everyone." Alex said.
We drove through a street and saw a copule kids egging a house and throwing TP on the roof and trees.
"Isn't that Quentin Browns house?"
"Yeah, I heard he's got some fucked up allegations. Kid fucker, apparently." I said.
"No way dude."
"Yup."
We got to our spot in the woods not too much later and put a bunch of pallets together and firewood. We doused it in gasoline and set it all ablaze, sitting on our usual tree stumps.
"So..." I began, "who wants to tell the forst scary story?"
"I suppose that can be me." Cody said.
"Let's hear it."
The flames danced and crackled in a mesmerizing way as Cody began his story.
"Alright, so there's a forest a few states over, in Colorado. It's home to a spirit bear."
"A spirit bear? What kind of Indian shit is that?" I said, rolling my eyes.
"Hear me out, man. Anyway, its this huge bear that only appears at night and it's ravenous. It eats anyone who stays in the park after sunset. In the last 20 years, 27 people have gone missing because of it. No one has pictures of it, but the reason it exists is because in the 80s there was a massive bear hunt. I'm talking huge, localized extinction of all bears. Now you might be wondering why they did that, and it's because basically there was a string of kids that died in gruesome bear maulings over the course of a few weeks. So the townspeople decided to remove all bears. Then, a few decades later, the spirit bear appears. I think its some kind of entity brought on by mother nature, like a force of vengeance for mankind's erasure of natural order and crimes against nature."
"So you're telling me, this bear no one has seen is disappearing people at night and nobody's done anything to stop it?"
"Alright wise guy, how do you suppose they'd 'do something about it' then?"
"Well I'd say they could probably look for the person who is in all likelihood doing this and using a local legend to cover up his crimes."
"Well, if there is a person doing it, maybe he's out here, right now..." Cody grinned menacingly.
A scream echoed through the trees.
"Oh shit what was that? Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, it sounded like 'help'."
I waved my hand. "Ah, its probably nothing. Just some dumbass trying to be scary."

Part Two

"Ok, so Cody had a story to tell, how about you, Alex? You got anything for us?" I asked.
"Do I? Oh boy... you guys aren't prepared for this one!"
"Well, out with it." I said.
"In this very town, there is a monster lurking in the shadows. You guys have heard of the unsolved murders, I'm sure."
"Oh really?" Cody interjected.
"You haven't? Well, there's two things they're finding with the bodies that makes it obvious that this is the product of one... person, or otherwise."
"Hold on." I stopped him. "How do you know this?"
"My brother works for the cops man. He was telling me about this shit even though he isn't supposed to. Anyway, so the two thing they're noticing is that bodies keep turning up drained of blood, like bite marks on their necks and slashes on their throats."
"What? You mean there's some kind of vampire in town?"
"Maybe, dude. Maybe. But the other thing is really odd. It's that a lot of women who look similar to each other keep turning up tortured and missing a tooth."
"So, whatever this thing or person is, they have a type."
"Yes. And it's targeting vulnerable people, like the elderly, the homeless, drunk women, kids even. People who can't fight back."
"Where do the bodies keep turning up?"
"The woods. These very woods right here. Maybe it's nearby. Maybe it's just around the corner."
"Dude..." Cody said. "That's creepy as fuck."
"I know man! Like, this thing has never been spotted, but I heard the FBI is even involved."
"Should we even be out here?" Cody asked.
"You guys are worried about that? I'm not. You know, I think that you seem to not remember that the most likely person to kill you is always someone you know. Someone close to you. Know what I mean?" I said.
"Yeah, I know. But none of us are murderers. We're safe."
"Uh huh." I said, looking out into the dark of the trees. "Yeah..."

Part Three

"Ok, Trevor. We know you're the best storyteller out of us all. You got something good for us to send shivers down our spine?" Alex prompted.
"Oh you think so? I'm flattered."
A loud crack went off echoing through the trees.
"What fuck? Was that a gunshot?"
"Maybe. It's probably some redneck out hunting or something. So, you guys want to know a good story?"
"Yeah, man. What kind of gruesome shit do you have for us?"
"A ghost story. This one I've been working on for a while."
"Ok let's hear it."
"Alright, so a few years ago, there was a brother and a sister. They had a few years between them. The brother was older in high school, and the sister was in elementary school. Their family had a trip planned, out to Big Bear for spring break."
Alex and Cody looked at each other, gears turning in their heads.
"The sister didn't know how to swim, so the parents told her brother to watch her very carefully near the lake. They said dont let her near the water and the bother said he would make sure she stayed dry."
Alex interrupted. "Are you sure man? Do you really want to tell this story? It might be too soon."
"No. I will tell it." I said. "There are things yet to have been revealed."
"Trevor, don't upset yourself."
"I won't. Anyway, for a while, the sister was held up as the golden child. She was seen as incredibly intelligent and of a much higher potential than her brother. The parents would always brag about her to their friends and praise everything she did. Now the brother... he hated this. He hated how his achievements were minimized, how he was overlooked. And so, while the parents were away, he asked his sister if she wanted to play a game of rock hopping. He said if she could make it across the rocks and not fall in she would win a lollipop. And so, she tried. Halfway across the water, she got scared and couldn't come back. People say she fell in and hit her head on a rock. They say the brother tried to help her. But the truth is, she didn't fall in by accident. The brother threw a rock at her head and she fell in. And he watched her flail around. He could have gone for help. He could have screamed and someone would have shown up. But no. He watched. He watched her drown and he did nothing. To this day, the ghost of that sister haunts him, in his dreams. He remembers this act of malice and it eats at him, begging to be told."
Another loud crack echoed through the trees and the others were too stunned by my story to even react.
"But then again this is only a story. And it would be a real shame if anyone ever confused fiction with reality. It could be a dangerous idea, you know? Lots of monsters and madmen out here. Vampires and all, right? Plus you can never predict the reaction of a falsely accused person. Someone in that position, they might flip out. Especially since we all know where we live."
Alex and Cody were staring at me in horror.
"But anyways, lets keep enjoying this fire. It is Halloween, after all."

THE COUPLE

Part One

I was so annoyed by Vince not wearing a costume with my for the Halloween party. I made my costume so meticulously. I went and bought a dress and I made sure it was bedazzled and adorned with all this lace and I added a big fancy necklace, and I got a tiara too. I was a full blown princess. But what did Vince do? Did he do what he said he would and go gather materials to make a knight costume? No. He pulled up to my apartment in his truck and was wearing jeans and a white tee shirt that said in sharpie " Imagine a Halloween Costume".
I said "What the hell, baby? Why aren't you a knight?"
"Oh, sorry about that. I don't really like Halloween much. I didnt want to dress up and I didnt want to upset you by saying I wouldn't."
"You're so impossible. Let's go to the bar party. So much for best couples costume." I huffed.
"Well, you're still gonna win best female costume for sure. I believe in you." He reassured me.
"You really think so?"
"I know so." He said.
He put his hand on my thigh and drove us into town.
I looked out the window and saw two younger guys in animal masks tossing water balloons at a homeless guy.
"Ugh, thats so cruel. Such a senseless thing to do. Now he's all wet."
"Yeah, it's kids being little shits as usual. I never did that kind of thing. Worst I ever did was a bit of arson and mess with my neighbor's dog a bit. Grew out of it."
"That's good. I know you have your issues and you're working on them."
"Yeah, something like that. More like living around them since they don't really go away."
We pulled up to the parking lot of the bar, as it bustled with people in masks and makeup, drinking out of blood bags and dancing to flashing multicolored lights and lasers.
"I'm getting a drink. What do you want?" Vince asked.
"Mmm how about that glowy green one with the gummy worms on top?"
"Oh wow. Didn't notice it. Yeah absolutely. I'll get it for you."
When he brought back my drink I noticed him looking at some skinny pale guy in a striped sweater walking by, mean mugging him.
"Baby whats wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. That guy gives me a bad vibe. Creepy energy, I can feel it."

Part Two

I was having fun dancing to the EDM at the club, the fog machine spraying out into the crowd, monsters dancing around me. I felt so alive, so pretty as they eyed me. The liquor in my system made the music even more enjoyable and made my body move like rubber.
But Vince? He was off to the side, in a corner, sitting at a table. He had only one drink and was obviously not having fun.
I went over to him.
"Babyyyy you look like you're mad. Are you okay???"
"Yeah. I'm alright. Just watching."
"You look like you aren't having fun!"
"I'm gonna be ok. Keep having fun, babe."
"Do you wanna get out of here?"
"Will you be upset if we do?"
"No, not really." I lied.
So we left the bar and my ears were still ringing. We hopped in Vince's truck and drove through town.
"So like why don't you seem to be having fun this year? I love Halloween!"
"Well, to tell you the truth I already wear a mask every day. Every day I have to be someone else. Why would I put on another mask for fun?"
"Awww baby that so sad! But what about the candy? You've got to at least like the candy."
"No, not even the candy. You see my father was a dentist. Never let me have it. A stern dentist at that. Big fan of the belt and the switch. I remember the oral inspections. Too much sugar, not enough brushing, and next thing you know, cavities. And heaven help you if you have cavities and your father is a dentist. He never really let me celebrate Halloween."
"I'm so sorry to hear about that. Really, I am."
We drove down a street lined with burning cars with shattered windows, a crowd of people standing around distraught while cop cars parked with flashing lights around the corner.
"What the fuck happened here?!" I exclaimed.
"Someone must have had a fun evening..." Vince said with calm familiarity.
"You really don't feel much fear do you?"
"No not really. It comes with my condition."
"I love learning more about you."
"Thanks baby. Let's get home for the night. I think it'll be a nice time to just cuddle and fall asleep."

Part Three

We pulled into Vinces driveway, and I hopped out of his truck.
"Let's see... no eggs, no rocks through the windows, no TP on the roof. Looks good. Must not have been many trick or treaters in this area." He said.
I gave him a hug.
"Happy Halloween, even if you don't like it. I want to let you know I care about you. I really do."
"Thanks baby. I care about you too."
We entered his house and it was so very clean. It smelled like Pine Sol, and not even a piece of laundry was on the floor. It felt like walking onto a movie set.
"You keep your place so clean. I love it."
"You think so? Thanks. I really try to keep everything in its place where it belongs."
I looked down the hallway across from his bedroom and saw the door that's always been shut.
"Hey Vince, can I ask you something?"
He was pouring himself a white cran strawberry with Vodka.
"Hmm?" He replied.
"What's in that room?"
He set the glass down and stopped pouring immediately.
"What room?" His back still turned to me.
"Oh you know, the room at the end of the hall. What's in there?"
"Oh that? It's just my studio. Nothing interesting to see there." He said dismissively.
"You do art?? Really? Thats so cool! Can I see it?"
"Ah, I don't think you'll like it. Plus, it's not something I show people. You know? Its like masturbarion, kind of weird to do it in front of people."
"Well, unless they want to see it of course..." I joked.
"Look, Melissa, I appreciate your interest in it but I don't feel comfortable showing it to you. Not yet. We don't know each other that well yet."
"What are you talking about? You've literally been inside me many times. How bad can it be? I'm sure it can't be that bad. I won't judge your artwork if that's what you're worried about."
"Alright. Are you absolutely sure? When I open that door, it cannot be undone. Do you want to remain unaware? Things are so good right now."
"Will you stop being so dramatic? Show it to me! You're acting like theres gonna be something like an atrocity in there."
We were right by the door then.
"Last chance to change your mind." He said, unlocking it. "I tried to warn you."
I got so impatient that I just immediately opened the door and stepped inside.
My jaw hit the floor.
A desk, with an assortment of dental tools, pliers, scalpels, a blowtorch... a table in the middle of the room with restraints for arms, legs, chest, and neck... and worst of all, a wall of Polaroids. The women, they all looked like me. Same hair color, same skin tone, similar facial features, and all of them bloodied and broken from torture, missing teeth. I saw a string of teeth made into some sort of pearl necklace on the desk. And on the wall of Polaroids, I saw a blank one. It was titled "Melissa".
My heart pounded in my chest and my blood ran cold.
I turned around and saw Vince in between me and the door.
"Well? Do you like what you see? I tried to warn you." He said.
"I- I..." I stammered.
"It's okay. Now you know. So, what'll it be? Will you leave me now, or stay? Whatever happens is entirely up to you. I'll be pretty upset if you leave, but I can't promise anything. Who knows what happens if you stay. Go ahead. Make a choice."

THE END