"Oh, you didn't have to do that," Carmen said, smiling.
"I think I did," Stacy replied, setting them down on the table next to her. "Just to apologize for being... well, a bitch. And for saving my life."
Carmen played it off. "Ah, it was no big deal."
Stacy smirked. "What, you do that every Halloween?"
"Every other Halloween," Carmen said, smirking back.
Stacy sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the wall in front of her. "I've been so terrible to everyone all these years," she said. "So stuck inside my own head, caring what everyone else thinks. But you're different. You always do the right thing. You just... you're a good person, Carmen."
Carmen blushed. "Well, sometimes you just gotta grab life by the—"
Vince poked his head in the room. "There you are, Baby," he said. "I was looking all over the place for you." He barged right in without paying any attention to Carmen. "Come on, let's go."
"Vince, what are you doing here?" Stacy asked, anger on her face.
"What does it looked like, Baby? I'm coming to pick you up. I heard you were here visiting someone." He glanced at Carmen at last but didn't even give her a nod. He looked over at the flowers. "You didn't buy these, did you, Baby? I told you not to spend money on stupid things like this!"
"Vince, get out of here!" Stacy said. "I told you, we're through."
"We ain't through," he said. He walked up to her with a fiery look in his eyes, as if asking her how dare she say something like that to him. He sank down on the bed, landing on Carmen's bad leg, and she bolted upright in bed with tears in her eyes. Vince adjusted himself off of it, but he didn't pay any attention to her. "You're coming with me... now." He grabbed her by the wrist.
Stacy grabbed him by the crotch.
Vince's eyes went as wide as dinner plates.
She stood up and pulled him off the bed, squeezing harder. She heard a little whimper escape his throat, and she dragged him back toward the door and slammed him against the wall, never letting go of her grip. She was tired of being pushed around by jerks, and letting them walk all over her and Brett. They were nothing but a bad influence, and now that part of her was over forever. She got right in his face as tears came out of his eyes.
"Do you need your ears cleaned out?" Stacy asked. "You and I are through. For good. If you ever come near me again... if you ever come near Brett again... I won't be so nice next time. Understand?"
He nodded rapidly, his face twisting in pain.
"Now get... out of here!" She shoved him through the open doorway, and he crashed into a gurney, tipping it over as he fell to the ground. The orderlies in the hall stared at him, and Vince pushed himself up to his feet, his face reddening. Embarrassed, he pulled his jacket straight, then he headed for the nearest stairwell.
Carmen smiled at Stacy as she turned around. "Well look at you, grabbing life by the balls."
Carmen and Tommy sat at the dinner table, and Robert waltzed into the room carrying a large platter. "Dinner is served!" he said, laying it on the table.
Carmen was a few weeks out of the hospital, and feeling much better, though the doctors told her to be careful for a while on her leg and her shoulder. She put a hand on her father's arm and smiled at him. "I'm really glad you're spending more time with us, Dad," she said.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Sweetpea," he said, looking at Tommy and rustling his hair. "From now on, I'm going to be shifting around the officers' hours, and giving myself a little more time off."
Tommy couldn't have been happier to hear him say that as he fixed his hair.
The kids started pulling dinner from the platter onto their plates, but before they dug in, Robert stopped them.
He stared down at his wedding band on his finger, and fiddled with it. "Why don't we say a little prayer before dinner tonight?" he suggested.
Tommy gave him a strange look. "But Dad, we're not religious."
"Not really a prayer, then," Robert said. "But I think it would be nice to remember your mom... maybe say a few memories you have of her."
Carmen smiled, happy that he was including her in this. For the first time in years, it felt like their happy family was complete again.
The three of them went around, sharing some happy memories, and they all laughed and smiled as they remembered the matron saint who was the glue in their family. When they finished, they all resolved to always keep her in their memories with everything they did. They ate their dinner in peace and quiet, a constant smile on each of their faces.
"So does that mean you'll take me to the arcade sometime?" Tommy asked halfway through dinner.
Robert smiled. "I'll tell you what, I'll even take you trick-or-treating next year."
"You will?" Tommy asked with excitement.
"Of course. I'll even take the whole day off work if I have to. Just you and me, what do you say?"
Carmen was thrilled beyond belief to see her little brother smile again like this. The whole town quickly went back to normal as everyone healed from their terrible ordeal. They had still lost a few of them in senseless accidents or tragedies under the witch's spell, but as the years went on, they forgot that that terrible house on the hill—and the witch inside of it—ever even existed.
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ALSO BY JEFF DEGORDICK:
The Haunting of Bloodmoon House
About the Author
Jeff DeGordick is a horror and post-apocalyptic novelist currently living in southern Ontario, Canada. Writing stories was his first passion as a child, but he's also had forays into testing and designing video games for a living, and a very brief career as a cook.
He began writing in 1994 at age seven, embarking on a long journey of spinning strange and scary tales, penning many short stories and partial novels as a hobby.
He is also the author of the Zombie Apocalypse Series and he's currently writing many more creepy tales!
The Witch of Halloween House Page 18
