Monster Mash

Screaming at them would’ve put a real quick end to their night. Standing outside the motel room door of what sounded like an entire damn fraternity celebrating Halloween Kara had considered it. Nobody wanted to party with their ear drums ruptured – there was nothing like a trip to the ER at the end of the night to make for a great Halloween story.

She’d made it five more minutes listening to it, hovering there, before a girl had started laughing inside the room – a genuinely happy sound that had the idea skittering spider fast out of her head. They were just teenagers, probably the least harmful thing in this town, even if they were scoring high on the irritation scale for tonight. By the time she made it back to the motel room later, they’d probably be half comatose on the booze they’d hauled in there with them. Better them than her.

Kara climbed into her car, heading for the centre of town. The streets were dotted with clusters of people - teenagers costumed to the eyeballs, all as loud and celebratory as the ones back at the motel, families in matching costumes, kids hands clutched by their parents, the other gripping tight to the treasure of the Halloween candy they’d already collected. It set off an ache in her throat that had nothing to do with the scream that could bubble from it. Every year her parents had taken the three of them around the neighbourhood, Roberto always in some sort of super hero costume, Mia a princess almost without fail. She’d been the one begging for fangs and claws, for fake blood to splash herself head to toe – right up until the first death had happened, after that Halloween had become some sort of personal nightmare.

At least she wasn’t policing it. Blue eyes ticked to the patrol cars that glided past her. It’d be like trying to wrangle wet cats tonight, wet drunk cats who thought they were hilarious. That was one part of the sheriff’s office she didn’t miss – the drunks and him. Something in Kara’s stomach tightened as she went from looking for teenagers to trying to find that lanky figure in the crowd. If he had any sense he’d have been long gone from town by now. He could get himself a good drunk on someone hundreds of miles away from him and she’d do the same here.

Despite the dangers of drinking and driving, the spaces on the square were packed tight. There was something going on at the club, some event that had them lining up down the block, and decorations sprouted from the other businesses on the square, all of which seemed to be doing good trade out of those who needed to warm their hands after hours of knocking on doors. Nope. She wasn’t wading through them.

A quick twist of the wheel had her bumping down one of the alleyways that cut between the buildings. It might mean a walk back through the dark later, but it wasn’t like she was going to be drunk enough to allow herself to stumble right into the arms of something. Kara checked the alley around the car before she got out. Still quiet back here, quiet enough that her car should be safe. A quick walk back the way she came would take her to Campbell’s and just enough alcohol and company to make up for the change to her evening’s plans not to leave her motel room.

Hands in her pockets she started down the alleyway. Two hundred yards, absolutely nothing when you were used to hiking for miles through rough terrain. Too much when the shadows ahead suddenly coalesced, someone scooting a dumpster up ahead to come towards her. Kara carried on walking, but she was stiffer through the shoulders now, wary and not willing to show it. Getting a glimpse of the outfit, she wondered why she’d been so worried. ”What are you meant to be?” she asked with a snort. It wasn’t like she was au fait on the latest horror stuff anymore, but she liked to think she would’ve recognised most things.

Tagged: Open Thread * Word Count: 695