The Witch of Halloween House

by Jeff DeGordick

  "Where's Peter?"

  But he just blankly stared at her.

  She knew that she would get nowhere with him; he was too far gone. Everyone was too far gone. Suddenly she felt foolish for thinking that she could affect any of this at all. She was overwhelmed by it, by how everything had seemed normal just a few days ago, and now her whole world was a mess. She threw herself onto his desk and cried.

  Robert took his feet off the surface and leaned forward, patting her on the back in a pseudo-human gesture.

  But Carmen viciously threw him off, grimacing and standing up. "Don't do that!" she said. Whatever this thing was in front of her, it wasn't her father, and it had no business pretending to be.

  "Where are they?!" Carmen shrieked. "Where are the children?! Where's Tommy?!" She slammed her fists down on his desk. "What have you done to them?!" She started bawling, and her hand fell on her chest inside her open coat.

  There was a dull warmth under her palm, and she looked down to see the witch mirror hanging around her neck, the smooth stone of it slipped inside her shirt. She pulled it out and saw that the stone was glowing, just like it had the night the witch chased them into the house and Robert had shown up, acting strangely.

  Carmen looked up and saw her father's eyes wide, staring at the stone. She glanced back down at it, drawing a connection. She held the stone up in the air from around her neck, closer to him, and he backed up in his chair.

  She glanced over her shoulder at the hallway behind her, then she quietly shut the door and locked it.

  Robert stood up cautiously, taking a few steps back into the corner.

  She stepped around one side of the desk, and he matched her movements on the other side. "You don't like this, do you?" she asked the thing in front of her.

  Robert pressed his back to the corner of the room as Carmen whipped around, then he pushed himself out and tried to get out of the door, fumbling with the lock. But Carmen came up behind him and pressed the stone to the back of his neck. He shrieked and elbowed her in the neck. Carmen stumbled back onto the desk as Robert howled in pain, a searing burn etched into his flesh. He turned for the door again, and Carmen took the necklace off of her, setting back in on him. He opened the door, but she managed to jump up and wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him backward. They both crashed into the desk, and Carmen held the stone onto his skin.

  It was like a hot iron to him and he cried in pain, bucking her off and stumbling onto his hands and knees on the floor. He got up to his feet quickly, then he doubled over suddenly, shaking his head like a wild animal. His face twisted into a litany of emotions, and he rubbed the back of his neck hard, like he was trying to get an itch he couldn't scratch. He started grunting and coughing, and the voice that did so seemed much closer to her father than the one she'd known in the last couple days. He continued to struggle with himself and he strode quickly out of the room, his lips pulled back into a grimace and his eyes strained shut.

  Carmen lay on the desk, staring at him. She heard him go to the back of the station, and then she heard a door open. She picked herself up and looked into the hallway.

  Some other officers were standing around, staring at her and down the hall where Robert had gone, but they didn't seem to be too concerned.

  Carmen composed herself, clutching the witch mirror in her hand, then she casually made her way out the back door of the station into the alley next to the vehicle pool. "Dad?" she asked timidly. She looked around but didn't see him. Then she heard the flicking of a lighter around the corner. She walked around the building to see him standing in another alley on the opposite side from the vehicle pool. Her father was leaning against the wall, his collar pulled loose, and a cigarette hung from his lips.

  "Dad?" she said again.

  His hands were shaking as he tried to light the cigarette. Catching the flame to the end of it, he took a long drag, then removed it from his mouth and exhaled. Cool smoke blew out and intermingled with the night air. He glanced over at her, and the eyes were familiar. She didn't know if he was quite all there, but she saw flashes of her father—her real father.

  "Dad, you don't smoke anymore..." She took a step toward him, but he held out his hand.

  "Get away!" he said.

  "But Dad..."

  His face scrunched up suddenly and he pressed his hand to his forehead, like he was trying to wipe something off. His teeth ground together, and he grunted. "Just stay away from me," he warned. "I'm not... I'm not safe."

  "Let me help you," she said, holding out the witch mirror to him.

  His eyes widened in horror. "No! Please... no more!" He took another drag of the cigarette and let it out, then he looked down at the wedding band on his finger, and she saw something like reverie in his eyes.

  "You're thinking about Mom, aren't you?" she said. "You're still there, Dad. I can see you under all of this."

  His face scrunched up again like he was in horrible agony. "I can't fight it!" he said in a strained voice. "It's coming back over me!"

  "Just don't be afraid," she said. "Don't give into the fear!"

  He shook his head violently, throwing the cigarette against the wall in a rage. "It's too late for that." His head snapped up suddenly and he looked at her with sober eyes, like it was the last chance he had to say something genuine to her. "They're at the house," he said. "They're all at the house. I can see them."

  "Tommy's there?" she asked. "Can you help me?"

  He shook his head violently, then he scratched his throat. "Take my cruiser and go." He pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them at her. "You're the only one who can."

  And with that, he doubled over and dry-retched, furiously rubbing the back of his neck. Then a wave seemed to pass over him, calming him down. He stood up again, and his eyes glazed over. He looked at her.

  "Why don't I take you home, Sweetpea?" he said.

  Carmen looked down at the witch mirror in her hand and then her father, considering it, but she knew it would probably cause him excruciating pain, and it wouldn't be enough to save him. There was only one thing that could: stopping the witch.

  Carmen left her father in the alley as he blankly stared at her and watched her go. She came out onto the street and saw the front door to the police station open. Stacy came out, stopping and turning in the door.

  "What is wrong with you?!" she shrieked toward the officers. "Why won't you help me find my brother?!" She gave a frustrated grunt and she turned away, finding Carmen right in front of her. She paused like a deer in the headlights, then she rushed over to her. "Where the hell is my brother?" she asked. "You have to know where he is, don't you? Where did that little twerp of yours take him?"

  "I saw them at the church!" Carmen said. "But the witch... she took them."

  Stacy's eyes widened. "What? You saw Brett? Why didn't you take him out of there?!"

  "It was too late by the time I got there," Carmen said. "They're both gone. Gone to the house up in the woods."

  "Why did you let her take him?!" Stacy screamed, shoving her.

  Carmen stumbled back. This was the last thing she needed. "Don't touch me," she said.

  But Stacy had already flown into a rage. She came at her again and shoved her, then she started into a tirade, scratching at her face furiously.

  Carmen reeled back and shoved Stacy away from her, her own lips stretched back into a scowl. Since Tommy had been taken, she'd been trying to control her fear, but that control was slipping away now. She felt a deep anger born inside of her, growing and flooding through her whole body. When she looked at Stacy, she saw a big red and white target painted on her, and her hands curled into claws.

  Carmen launched herself forward and fought back against Stacy. The two of them locked into a catfight that was quickly taken to the ground. Stacy slashed her face, cutting her cheek, then Carmen flipped her over and straddled her, thrashing her with fingernails and fists. A strong punch connected with Stacy's jaw and her head was rattled. She landed anothe
r one, and another one as Stacy was knocked silly. With one more punch, she was out cold, then Carmen sat upright, horror dawning on her.

  What had she done?

  Carmen got off of her, and stayed on her knees, rolling Stacy's jaw with her hand. But she was out like a light. Carmen stood up, her legs weak. Her arms shook, and her fists felt numb. She would never ever do something like this, not even in the face of Stacy's attacks and belittlement, and she felt a strange sensation swim through her head. It urged her to do more; to find someone else and fight them, too. A part of her wanted to tear the whole town apart, but her mind—that good, wholesome part of her mind that had been nurtured and brought up by her mother—furiously fought against it. She took a step back in horror and looked around. She had to go save Tommy, but she couldn't leave Stacy here like this.

  She bent down and hooked Stacy under the armpits, then she dragged her around the station to the vehicle pool. She set her down gently next to her father's cruiser, then unlocked it with the keys he'd given her. She opened the back door and struggled under Stacy's weight to carry her inside. When she was laid out across the back, she shut the door and climbed in the driver's seat. Sliding the keys into the ignition and turning the engine over, she did a quick inventory. She had the salt, the garlic, and the knife in her coat pockets. She had the witch mirror, too, and there was nothing else to do but to be brave and drive up to Halloween House. She turned the flashing lights on like she'd seen her father do a million times, then she pulled out of the parking lot and sped into the night for the house, praying that she got there before it was too late.

  Crossing the Gauntlet

  She sped through the streets of the small town, heading for the edge of the woods. No children were out trick-or-treating, and in fact, barely anyone was out at all. A few cars passed by her, their drivers not appearing to care that a police cruiser was going by with its sirens on. Carmen glanced over her shoulder periodically at Stacy lying in the back, but she was still out cold. When she got to the woods, she slowed down and took the car off road.

  The frame of the car bumped and heaved over the uneven ground, then she hit the long incline toward the house. She slowed right down, maneuvering around the trees like a slalom race. Her dad had let her drive his cruiser around a little bit in parking lots before, and down the street just once, but she didn't even have her license, so it was difficult for her to get around the trees without crashing into anything. The car lurched over a large mound and the front of the bumper slammed into the ground, shooting up a plume of dirt. She hit the brake as Stacy's body rolled into the back of her seat.

  She went slowly and carefully, getting farther up the hill. The trees became denser, and at a certain point, she wondered if it would be faster just to get out and go on foot. Finally a line of trees came up ahead and she couldn't see a way through them. She pulled the cruiser to a stop and looked around for an alternate route, but she didn't see one. She stared up the hill, but the house still wasn't quite in sight yet.

  Stacy groaned in the backseat.

  Carmen killed the ignition and got out of the car. She opened up Stacy's door and Stacy looked up at her, rubbing her jaw.

  "What happened?" she asked.

  "Sorry about that," Carmen said, offering her a hand.

  But Stacy looked at her suspiciously. She sat up on her own, glancing around, then she got scared. "Where are we?"

  "I brought us up to Halloween House," Carmen said. "To the witch."

  "Why do you keep talking about a witch?" Stacy demanded. "The only witch I see here is you."

  Carmen felt the sting of anger rising in her again, but she took a step back and drew in a deep breath, letting Stacy climb out of the cruiser. "Your brother's somewhere up in that house," she said, pointing. "So is mine, and I'm going in there to get him."

  "Brett's up there?" she said, turning her head. "Brett!" she shouted, then she took off running up the hill.

  "Wait!" Carmen called after her. "It's dangerous!" She turned back to the cruiser, making sure she had everything she brought. She pulled a flashlight out of the car that her father kept there, then she turned and followed Stacy.

  The night was bitterly cold and the wind howled over top of them. Bare tree branches moved slightly in the wind, giving an eerie life to the woods.

  A light glowed ahead.

  Stacy saw this. "Brett? Are you there?" She ran up the hill, and Carmen struggled to keep up with her.

  "Stacy! Wait a minute!"

  Carmen saw her stop up ahead, and when she caught up to her, she saw that there was a long line of jack-o'-lanterns curving up a path toward the house. The blackened husk sat in the distance beyond them at the top of the hill, and their faces glowed as flickering orange flames danced inside each one.

  Stacy looked at them for a moment, then she turned away and carried on up the hill for the house.

  "Stacy, watch out!" Carmen said.

  The jack-o'-lanterns started to move, their carved faces shifting like they were alive. Then a cold wind swept across the floor of the woods, raking up all the leaves and twigs and dirt together in a small whirlwind. The debris clustered up to the edges of the pumpkins, and then the jack-o'-lanterns rose into the air as pillars of nature packed themselves together underneath them, forming humanoid bodies. An army of jack-o'-lanterns turned to them and their grins widened, their orange teeth sharp.

  Stacy screamed. "Oh my God! What the hell are these things?!" She took off running to the side, trying to get away from them.

  Carmen looked around for a weapon and spotted a big branch that had snapped off a tree. She picked it up and brandished it at the gruesome creatures as they came for her. Carmen skirted around to the side as well, swinging the stick at them to keep them at bay.

  Leaves and dirt shook off of them as they moved, and they lumbered slowly toward her. She smacked one with the branch, and a large section of its body was knocked away, causing the pumpkin to tumble off and smash on the ground. Another one took a swing at her with its long arm of packed dirt and stones. The arm exploded across Carmen's cheek, rocking her head back and making her stumble. Dirt and debris flew everywhere in a shower as the armless man continued for her. Hard stones had been packed in the dirt, causing incredible pain in her jaw.

  Stacy shrieked up ahead as a jack-o'-lantern grabbed her and sank its teeth into her leg. The pumpkin's teeth had hardened like stone, and they cut through her skin easily. She spun around onto her back and kicked at it. It held strong at first, but as she furiously rained kicks on it, the top of its head caved in and turned into a goopy mess, then its body disintegrated all at once into a man-shaped pile on the ground. Stacy got up as more pumpkin-men approached, and she fled up to the house.

  Carmen came up the rear, swinging the branch wildly at them. She knocked a few of them apart, and the jack-o'-lanterns that fell to the ground but hadn't smashed, waited until more earth swirled and formed new bodies underneath them, then they stood and stalked her again. She swung the branch hard down on one, and the branch snapped in half as the creature fell. She stomped on the jack-o'-lantern and smashed it to bits, then she swiveled her hips and drove a fist into the head of another one. She dented it, but she mostly just bruised her knuckles. Shaking her fist out in pain, another man came up behind her and wrapped its filthy hands around her throat, squeezing her. In desperation, Carmen turned and grabbed the jack-o'-lantern. It seemed to be fused onto the dirt-body by some kind of strange adhesion or force, but she ripped it off with all her might, and finally the head popped off the body and she hurled it at a tree, watching it smash and rain down soft innards and seeds everywhere.

  She ran up the hill and saw Stacy ahead, realizing that the army of horrifying men were behind them, largely vanquished.

  A cacophonous shriek filled the sky, one that was all too familiar to Carmen's ears.

  "Oh no..." she muttered as she looked up. Stacy paused too and saw a strange cloud moving through the sky past the bare branches of the tre
es above them.

  "What is that?" Stacy asked as Carmen caught up to her.

  "We have to move!" Carmen shouted, pulling her along.

  The cloud of bats swooped down and dove at them through the trees. Thankfully the trees were dense where they were, and most of them got caught up in the branches, even injuring themselves to try to get to them.

  Carmen and Stacy crouched down, holding their arms above their heads to try to protect themselves. The bats flapped and nipped at them before swooping off to make another pass. The rodents curved through the air and dove again, and Carmen pulled the back of her coat over the top of her head to protect herself, but they still nipped at the knuckles on her exposed hands.

  Stacy screamed as she fought them off, and she struggled to get up the hill. Carmen grabbed her arm and they both slowly made their way up as the bats flew off again.

  The house sat up ahead, its dark husk faintly illuminated in the moonlight. They could already feel its presence now, especially strong now that it was Halloween night. It was ominous and brooding, and Carmen got a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. The answer to all the questions and fears sat in there, and her body screamed at her not to know them and turn away. But she wouldn't be stopped.

  The bats dove down for one final pass, and they braced themselves. But when the flying mob neared the trees, the bats suddenly tilted upward and sailed back into the air, scattering apart and flying into the night.

  Carmen and Stacy took a breath, watching them go. They took a moment to look at their injuries, which admittedly weren't too bad considering what they'd been through. Stacy's breath rattled out of her mouth, and soft tears came out of her eyes. She wiped them away, then she started forward again, looking at the house in fear. She walked a few paces, and then she stopped, staring down at her hands. She shrieked.

  "What is it?" Carmen asked. She rushed up to her to see what was wrong, then she put a hand to her mouth.