Trick-or-Treating Horror Stories

Years ago on Halloween, I encountered a dubious situation. My cousin had come over to join me in trick-or-treating. At the time, I was 15 years old, which may have been considered too old for such an activity, but the allure of free candy was too great to resist.

My cousin and I had planned to take it easy that Halloween and only visit a few houses before returning home. Accompanied by my friend and his younger brother, we set out on our quest.

The streets were bustling with children and decorated houses, making it difficult to navigate. My cousin and I decided to target houses with lights on and no children present on the front stoops.

We discovered that many of the houses we had previously visited, which lacked decorations, had people inside ready to distribute candy to trick-or-treaters. However, we were not the only ones with this strategy, as other children were also targeting the heavily decorated houses. In an attempt to avoid the crowds, we approached a house with no decorations but a light on. Upon knocking on the door, an older man opened it, revealing five other men standing behind him.

The men appeared to be in their late 30s, while the older man was in his early 50s. The older man offered us candy from a bowl and asked my cousin for his name, to which he responded with a fake name before we quickly departed. The encounter left us feeling uneasy, as we questioned the presence of six men at the door and their peculiar behavior. My cousin and I were spooked and decided to visit only two more houses before calling it a night.

We commenced our journey towards my residence, and as Jack and I turned our heads, we observed a vehicle exiting the driveway of that particular house. Curiously, the car proceeded in the direction we were walking, gradually decelerating until it was positioned right beside us. The streets were devoid of traffic, and all the children participating in trick-or-treating were safely on the sidewalks. Hence, there appeared to be no valid reason for the car to slow down in such close proximity to us. Sensing a hint of unease, we quickened our pace.

It was at this moment that another car accelerated from behind, eventually matching the speed of the first car. I recognized the driver of the initial car as the older gentleman who had distributed candy to us earlier, while the driver of the second car was one of the individuals who had been standing suspiciously among the group of five men. The first car also had a passenger, although I could only discern the silhouette of the person. When Jack and I were two houses away from my own, we noticed the first car parking directly across the street from my residence. We were unable to ascertain the whereabouts of the second car, as we hastily retreated indoors. Our parents, who were engaged in conversation in the living room, inquired about the cause of our distress.

We recounted the entire incident, and upon its conclusion, we approached the window to verify if the car was still stationed across the street. To our surprise, within a mere five seconds of our observation, the car departed. It had likely been parked there for the duration of the five minutes since we had entered my house. Both my mother and Jack's mother urged us to lead our fathers to the house where the group of men had been present. However, our parents eventually managed to assuage our fears, attributing the occurrence to a mere Halloween prank or similar jest. Nevertheless, I have my own personal theory regarding the events that transpired. It is plausible that the reason for the presence of six men at the main entrance was to target lone or younger trick-or-treaters, with the intention of ambushing or abducting them. However, upon realizing that Jack and I were teenagers of comparable stature, they opted to maintain a facade of normalcy, despite their suspicious appearance. As for their pursuit of us in their vehicles, we may never truly know the underlying motives.