Halloween 2017
#1 of Snippets
A very short, short scene at Halloween. What trickery is this? But perhaps for him, it will be a treat...
Halloween 2017
A 1K Snippet
"I hope the party is good," Travis muttered to himself as the map directions on his phone had him turn down a dank road. "Wonder why he changed the spot so late." Outdoor party in the middle of nowhere. What was he thinking? But hey, it was Halloween, and it was his friend, so it should be fine.
The road ended at an unlit parking lot but his headlights found the reflectors of a small number of cars. As the light played over them, he realized the odd mix of vehicles from ancient junkers to old cars that looked to be in stunning condition to some extremely fancy newer cars as well. He tried to think of who he knew who might possibly have any cars like this, but he came back with blanks.
He spotted the trail of small, orange lights leading down the dark path, so he pulled his car into a parking spot and got out, straightening his teeshirt. "404 - Costume not found" was written in marker on the white shirt. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he wondered if he'd have the worst costume there. He was pretty sure some people wouldn't dress up at all, though, so he should be okay.
The trail seemed clear enough so he didn't worry about his footing, following the tiny orange lights as the edges of the route. It was a winding path between huge trees and the atmosphere was quite appropriate, a low-lying haze hanging around the trees and causing the small lights to cast a dim halo.
A chill suddenly ran up his spine mid-step and he stumbled, dizzy for a moment. The lights swam about and he stopped, trying to wait for the lights to settle down. But they didn't, and he soon realized that they'd turned a strange, pale blue. Worse, they promptly danced off into the air and scattered in all directions, leaving him with no guidance for the path. What the hell? He hadn't eaten anything. Was there something in the air here?
"Travis?" a woman said from very close by.
He spun in surprise and took a step back from what appeared to be yellow, glowing eyes. Then there was a motion and a glow lit up a smiling human face with light brown eyes. Well, human with makeup. Fancy swirls on her cheeks that resembled the Amaterasu from Okami and gray-painted hair in a poof around her face. Had to be painted, she didn't look old enough to be naturally-gray. He didn't recognize her at all though. Must be a friend of a friend.
The glow came from a cell phone she was holding and she smiled. "Come on, you're almost there."
She walked up to him and put an arm around his waist like she was his girlfriend. It seemed so natural that he just went with it, despite how unnatural everything was seeming. The glowing lights were nowhere to be seen and soon her phone turned off as well, but with her guidance, he traversed the last fifty feet or so to a clearing. What were those? Fireflies? They seemed too big and fuzzy, like little glowing bubbles of gas
"You arrived just in time," the woman who'd led him said.
"Where's Jerry?" he asked, looking around. It seemed very underlit for a party. He saw other movement in the dim light and somebody hit a drum, then a few more people, and then as the drummers found their places, they started up a slow, tribal beat that echoed through the surrounding forest, slowly gaining speed.
"Ken was worried you wouldn't make it," the woman murmured into his ear, then slipped away in front of him.
He barely saw her suddenly take up the beat with a dance that was absolutely surreal. She had to be a professional dancer or something with the way she moved. Just watching her shadowy form in the darkness had his heart thumping in time with the music, and again he swore that her eyes were glowing in the flashes he saw of them.
Her solo dance didn't last long and he was soon aware of many more people joining in the dancing from all sides as the beat grew in intensity and speed. He wasn't sure whether to be terrified or mesmerized. Either one would explain why his feet were planted firmly on the ground and his heart was racing as he stood frozen in the midst of the dancers.
Then his phone buzzed in his pocket. Dazed, he fished it out and answered the silent ring, putting it to his ear.
"Travis?" Jerry asked from the other side. "Hey man, I thought you were coming to the party tonight. The house feels empty without you, are you almost here?"
House? He definitely thought it and he might have said it out loud.
A shiver went down his spine this time as somebody pressed against him from behind and slipped an arm around his waist, gently taking the phone from his loose grip.
The voice was quite unique. The accent was something he'd never heard before and the voice was indistinct in gender and quite guttural. "We heard you like weres..." was murmured in his ear as the drumming headed toward a frenzied crescendo. The hand that had taken his phone was already free of it and a claw slipped under the neckline of his shirt, tugging it down his shoulder
"Travis?!" The voice from the phone was far away yet his senses insanely acute as he picked it even as it hit the ground amidst the thrumming beat of the drums.
It was the last thing he heard that night as many hands found the heads of drums at once in a ringing, single beat. The dancers stilled and countless glowing eyes turned upon him in the echoing silence. A heartbeat later, long fangs sank into the crook of his neck from behind and the world went dark.
Happy Halloween
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