Trick or Treat

Written due to my love for Clive Barker's The Thief of Always.

“Let’s go! We still have two more blocks to go.”

“I know Regin but I’m tired and this stupid mask keeps going sideways. Don’t we have enough candy?” She’s looking at me like I’m nuts but a pillowcase full should be enough to rot our teeth for months. That is, if our parents or brothers and sisters don’t pillage it first.

The paint from her face is smeared on one side and her hair is a wreck from the wind and still she wants to keep going. Now she looks like a lopsided cat that has been drug under a car.

“Joel? Earth to Joel! Move your rear end.”

I don’t know why I’m following. If I stay out much later my dad is going to kick my ass. I’m supposed to get back to babysit Lauren so they can go to their party but in my defense, if I’m going to watch that nightmare I need all the sugar I can get. On the other hand the weather is getting worse and my mask is itchy. “Regin, I think I’m done for the night. My parents are going to freak if I stay out too late.”

She’s still dragging me to the next house. “Yeah I know. Just a few more. To the end of the block then we’re done.”

The jack o’ lantern on this porch has already been smashed and the streets are clearing. I’ll never admit it to Regin but it’s getting creepy out here. I haven’t said anything to her yet because I don’t want to scare her – besides she wouldn’t believe me anyway – but the man in the suit and raincoat is still following us. He’s been following us for some time. I thought he was a dad to one of the other kids from a group trick or treating earlier but when they left he stayed. And he keeps smiling at me. But he’s keeping his distance. From here it looks like he’s dressed up to, maybe he’s just a big teenager waiting to take our bags. His skin is kind of a sickly yellow and his smile is too big for his face.

“Trick or treat!”

He’s still there but Regin’s elbowing me. “Trick or treat,” I muttered.

“Well it looks like someone is tired of tonight’s festivities.”

Her house is warm and smells like cinnamon and her smile is inviting. I don’t think I’ve seen her before but this isn’t my street.

“Here’s your treats.” Her smile fell. “Is that your father waiting?”

Regin turned. “Nope. Not mine.”

I don’t need to turn. I shook my head.

“Hmm,” she said. “Maybe you should come in for a minute? It’s getting late. You can call your parents to come and get you.”

“Yes, thank you,” I said before Regin could say no. I couldn’t get in her house fast enough.

Regin only shrugged. “Yeah I guess we’ve done enough. Besides it’s starting to rain.”

Ushering us in she took one look at the man standing on the sidewalk and he kept smiling and gave her a little wave as she closed the door.

“Joel, call your dad will you? Mine’ll be pissed I’m this far from home.”

“The phone’s through here. By the way, I’m Sharon. We haven’t been properly introduced yet.”

I’m smiling at her and thankful that she’s being so nice but all I can think about is whether or not that man in the suit is still outside waiting. But I don’t have to wonder – I know he’s still out there.

“It looks like the two of you cleaned up. How many houses did you have to go to to get that much candy?”

I lost count but good old Regin, “Thirty-seven,” she said proudly.

She’s proud and my feet hurt.

Sharon whistled. “Thirty-seven? I bet you’re tired. Did you happen to get a caramel apple from a house on Tee street?”

“Yeah, it looks good too.”

I had to agree with Regin on that. I am definitely looking forward to having that for breakfast. It is an apple after all.

“Let me have them.”

Is she serious? She must be crazy and by the look on Regin’s face I know she’s wondering the same.

Her hand reaches for me as she says, “Cough it up.”

I don’t want to but I also don’t want to go against an adult and have my mom find out. She’d tan my hide for that.

“You don’t want to eat it anyway. Trust me.” She reached over and plucked the caramel apple from my hand then encouraged us to follow her into the kitchen. Taking a large, sharp knife she hacked my sweet apple in two before I could stop her.

“What did you do that for?” I cried.

She just smiled and opened the apple halves toward me. It took me a second to register that there were razor blades embedded in its white flesh. “It’s an old, cruel trick to hide double-edged razors in apples. They dip them in caramel to cover the holes. People do unforgivable things on Halloween. Make sure your parents check the rest of your candy.”

Regin dropped hers on the counter top and backed away from it. I nod. I feel like flushing the whole bag down the toilet after seeing that.

The doorbell rang. I still need to call my dad but she hasn’t shown me the phone yet and Regin is already digging into her candy.

“Can I call my dad now?”

“Let me answer the door then I’ll give you the phone.”

“Who do you think it is?” I ask Regin.

She only shrugs. “Who knows? Could be more trick or treaters.”

“Maybe,” I said. But I don’t think so.

After Regin’s made a pretty good dent in her candy bag Sharon walks back in, a tight smile on her face. Now I’m positive it wasn’t kids looking for treats. It was the man.

“Who was it?” I tried my best to sound casual as I said it.

Her smile grew even tighter. “It was that man I saw earlier. The one I thought was your father.”

“And what did he want?”

“You.”

I can feel a knot growing in my belly. Why does he want me? “What did you tell him?”

“Oh,” she relaxed a little, “it’s nothing like that Joel. Your father sent him to come get you. Apparently he works for a getaway for children and has come to collect you.”

“My dad sent him?” That doesn’t make any sense. Why would my dad want a stranger to fetch me when he’s always told me not to go with someone I don’t know? I know right now that I’m not going. “What about Regin?”

“Regin will stay here with me. I can promise you she’s in good hands. I can tell I’ll be in good company. You love Halloween don’t you Regin?”

“I do,” she nodded vigorously.

“I do too. I love the masks that people wear. This is the one night of the year that people get to let their hair down and be who they were truly intended to be. You know clowns feel like the face that they paint on is their real face. The one they were born with is the façade – their life without the makeup and costume a charade. It’s horrible having to go through life not being able to be yourself. To have to hide your true face from the world for fear people won’t understand is what the definition of hell is. Do you know what that feels like Joel? Do you fear hell?”

I nod but I’m not sure what she’s talking about. I look to Regin but she’s completely lost in her own world. Sharon stabs the apple halves and walks them to the trashcan then pauses next to Regin.

“I have a mask Joel. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to let myself have this tonight but then you two showed up.” Her eyes meet mine and I’m terrified. What is she doing? What does she mean, what does she get to have? Before I can scream she slashes at Regin and blood starts pouring from her neck and as Regin gasps for air and reaches out to me Sharon is licking at the blade like it’s an ice cream cone, delicately lapping at the red liquid. My lungs let loose an incredible scream and I know I’ve peed myself when I stumble backwards and fall into the puddle.

“Thank you for giving me my treat Joel.”

Her teeth are covered in blood as she smiles at me and her skin starts to crawl and move like she’s nothing but a pile of bugs underneath a skin suit. Screaming again, I run for it. The door’s not locked but I fumble with it anyway terrified she’s chasing after me. All I can see is her smile and Regin’s blood dripping from her rosy lips. My stomach lurches as I feel the cold night air hit me and I run into a body. The man in the suit.

“Good evening Joel.”

I can’t hold it in anymore. The man smells awful, like a bag of heinous farts, and I puke all over his shoes. I don’t have time to be embarrassed. I grab at him, “She killed her! She’s gone! We need to go – we need help!”

“Whoa young man. Just calm down.”

“I can’t! We need to get out of here!”

“Well that’s the plan Joel.” He smiled and pulled me into his arms. “Let me take you somewhere safe so you can call your parents.”

Wait, didn’t this man say he knew my dad? I shouldn’t go. I can’t go. But Regin – “We need to police.” Why is he not hurrying? Why doesn’t it seem like he’s worried at all. “She’s dead,” I scream.

“I will take care of it Joel. I will take care of everything. Will you follow me?”

I don’t know what else to do. Why hasn’t she come for me? “I’ll follow,” I said desperately holding on to this strange man.

He clapped his hands together and I flinch as his smile reaches from ear to ear. “Excellent. By the by, we haven’t been introduced. I’m Rictus. You’re going to love where I’m going to take you.”