Hallow's Eve

Eli is now 15 years old, the average age of a teenage boy to stop giving a fuck about Halloween but definitely not old enough to spend the night with his rowdy friends in abandoned buildings. He’s been permanently placed on giving-out-candy duty while Mom and Emma go around the neighborhood with Emma’s friends. “Now we won’t be long, just an hour or two so don't think you can just leave without me knowing, kiddo. Make sure you pass out all the candy and be safe. You have my number if anything happens, I love you!” Emma chimes in with her tiny tongue sticking out just enough to cover his face with saliva. “YUCK! YOU’RE GONNA GET IT YOU LITTLE..” Mom stopped the fight before Eli’s intentions became afflictions. “Ok, no. We’re leaving before you two rip each other to shreds,” Mom said as agitation seethed through her teeth. And with that, they were gone.

Eli soaked in the reality of being alone and it felt like he could do anything, wear anything (or quite the opposite until the doorbell rings) and most importantly WATCH ANYTHING. He took this precious moment to catch up on his ultimate favorite show, Deadman Walking. Time passed by so fast that he hadn’t realized not a single ring nor knock made any contact with his house by the time he finished two episodes. Regaining his eyesight after 2 hours of up close action with the television screen, Eli opened the door to check and see if he hadn’t slept through Halloween. The cold October air sent shivers down his spine as he came to realize there wasn’t a soul out on the streets tonight. "This doesn’t seem right," he thought, "where are all the annoying little rats at?"

With one barefoot in front of the other, he walked the cement bridge connecting his house with the outside world. Not a single living being roamed the streets. Eli stood there for a solid 5 minutes, still processing the fact that no one was trick or treating. Off in the distance, he saw movement taking place. Without hesitation Eli walked towards the object in a bid to see if he can find at least one kid that's candy hungry. The closer and closer Eli got, the more he felt a pit in his stomach as he made the conclusion that yes, this was in fact a living thing but no, this was not a human. If he watched enough Deadman Walking (and he has) he knows he only has one thing left to do: run.

Eli dashed inside his house so fast he almost forgot to close the door behind him. "Where’s the phone, where’s the phone. WHERE’S THE GODDAMN PHONE," was the only thought that echoed through his mind. When he finally found it, he dialed his mom’s number so fast that he managed to skip a heartbeat or two. “Come on, Mom, come on, COME ON MOM COME ON,” he repeated after every ring until she picked up.

“Eli... sweetie... stay in the house. Everything’s fine, I promise. Don’t you dare walk out of it okay?” His mom’s voice was so calm, so reassuring. Which made it that much harder to believe. He gulped in order to muster out a fragile “okay” before saying, “I love you, Mom. Get home fast and safe.” and with that, the phone call ended. Eli looked at the kitchen window, something was drawing him to it. With each step he took his heart sunk even deeper into his body, as if it’s too scared to see what’s about to happen next. Eventually his anxiety soared into a numbness as he reached the dreaded window where she had been standing, waiting for her big brother to greet her newly transformed, flesh-eating body. With one snarl, she revealed her blood stained teeth from her last meal. Emma stuck out her little tongue just enough to cover the window in droplets of blood.