TRICK OR TREAT?

FOREVER STARTS WITH A TOUCH

We walked confident through the silent night. Illumination came from lamps placed too far apart; the shadows were greater than the light and the clouds made certain the moon had no say. We had been here before, there was no reason for caution, we hadn’t started the nights work yet. Quietly laughing about past moments, we gave each other a shove of with a slight laugh of confidence.

We may have been better off had we been in predator mode. Ahead there was a shadow in the spot of light. Could have been garbage, could have been a feral cat licking itself after a kill, could have been anything. Anything but a cause for concern, we had seen shit like this before; this was never the prettiest well-kept part of the city, we fit right in. Day or night we feared nothing

As we closed in on the circle of light, the shadow seemed to grow a bit. In truth is appeared to get larger with every step we took. Not more than a meter away now, there was a crack above our head and the light from the overhead lamp went dead as the sound of falling glass was heard. I reached for the butt of my pistol. That ever reassuring weight I kept at the small of my back. I was certain my companion was doing the same. Up until this moment everything had been silent except for the echo of our own steps, we worked best in silence but from the shadow came a raspy whisper of a laugh. A chuckle really. Then a slow cold sober movement.

I felt some sort of tender touch reaching out from the darkness, our comfort zone, now violated. I could feel it deep within me. I heard my companion shudder and move a step away from me. We had our own set of rules. We had once become entangled in each other’s movements when we were out robbing a stranger. It had been our first murder. There was no sound now from the darkness save one, his gun hitting the ground. No scream, no whisper of movement, nothing. He was gone. I felt it, I was alone now with whatever this thing is.

Fear was not what I felt only alone, absolute and unconditional. I was the only approximation of life in that darkness now surrounding me. I was blind but I heard what sounded like a chewing, grunts and lips making noises of pleasure. It took some moments of time but a switch had been thrown and a jack o’lantern lit up not more than 20 centimeters from my face. My partners head, skin and hair intact but hallow inside, a dull light shining out through where his eyes had been and his mouth open in a look of shock. It was just floating; floating in front of me and that raspy whispery laugh surrounded me again.

Then the words invaded my mind, thick and whispery. “Trick or treat, gunman?”

I’ll never know the answer to that question or what had become of our transformed heads. All I know is that this, this place we are is not death, only darkness, cold and moist like fresh blood, unending nothingness. A life spent prowling in the darkness grew that shadow and retribution is merciless in it.

© M Durfee
10/31/17