(Click the picture to learn more about Halloween from Wikipedia)
A week or two ago we got a bunch of snow in the mountains. I thought we might have bypassed Autumn altogether, so I was glad when the snow all melted. As you can see from this picture I took today, plants in Provo have largely turned orange; those that haven’t will do so soon. Even the skies want to remind us that winter is on its way.
But based on my title, you’re not reading this to learn what’s going on with me and the weather. You’re here for part two of my Halloween story. By the way, part one is indeed the original complete story. Kind of sad, isn’t it? That’s why I decided to write a part two. It’s cruel to leave a person hanging with too many unanswered questions – even in a Halloween story. Then again, it’s cruel to write a pitiful second-half to a story when you know it’s worse than the first part…
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“What…happened?” I ask. I almost don’t want to know, but they’re my friends. How could I not want to?
“I wish I could tell you,” Ryan says, “but I have no idea.”
“Where were you?” I ask.
Ryan looks embarrassed like I’ve just discovered some secret of his.
“I don’t know where I was,” he says. “I saw that thing running at you and I shot. But I don’t even remember how I got the gun.”
I want to ask more, see how the others are, but I’m in a lot of pain and I black out again. I wake up once more in my own bed. I know that’s not where I last woke up.
Looking at my clock I see it reads 12:00. Midnight. Once more.
I panic. It’s the same time I last got out of bed, and I do not want to relive that all again – even if it is all just in my head.
My body still hurts like crazy and I know how real my last memories are. No dreaming around I’m certain. My clock stares back at me. 12:00 midnight. It waits for me to make the first move.
I refuse to. I do nothing until it changes to 12:01. Just after midnight. No longer midnight.
Something darkens my bedroom window. I’m no fool. I can see the shape of it.
I want to hide under the blankets and make it all just go away, but I know it won’t. I debate what to do and cannot decide. If I try to run it could hear me. I might not even make it far in my condition.
And if I stay put? What kind of dummy just waits for a monster to attack? I do.
The monster jumps at my window. Something stops it but I cannot see what. It tries again with the same result. Maybe I should feel relief or something but I don’t. I know the moment the monster breaks free from whatever has it, I’m still a goner.
But I’ve got a second to prepare at least. I sit further up but the pain in my back nearly puts me under again.
Don’t fall asleep! I tell myself. DON’T FALL ASLEEP!
“HELP!” I shout hoping someone is even here to hear me. “Help!”
A few seconds pass and the monster growls at me. Then I hear someone in the hall. Man, I’m relieved to see who it is.
“Ryan?” I say. “The monster’s back.”
I point to the window in case Ryan did not hear the monster’s growls. Ryan looks ready to run from the room.
“Wait!” I say.
He stops but looks about as scared as I feel.
“What…what do we do?” he asks.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think it can get inside for some reason.”
I spoke too soon. The monster flings an arm through the window and starts to climb in. It suddenly hits that invisible barrier once more. I am both confused and scared now – with no idea how the barrier thing works I have no way of knowing whether to stay here or run to some other room.
“That’s your mom!” Ryan shouts, scaring me out of my wits.
“Where?” I ask. I look all around my room but don’t see her.
“She’s the monster!”
He has lost it. Just what I need right now, a friend gone insane while I’m too injured to help him, and a monster trying to climb in my window.
“Ryan, get yourself together. Where are the others?” I ask.
“They’re out in the barn still. But I’m serious. That monster’s your mom!”
Ryan goes to turn my light on but the power had gone out. I try to even figure out why Ryan thinks my mom’s a monster, and my jaw drops.
It is my mom. With a hairy face and a werewolf body.
She’s snarling at us, growling and fighting against the invisible barrier.
“What do we do?” I ask, just as much to myself as to Ryan.
“I…am not sure. I’ll go check on Evan.”
“And leave me here? Are you crazy? My mom’s a…uh…werewolf! And all you can think to do is check on Evan?”
“Well what am I supposed to do?” Ryan asks.
I don’t know how to answer that, but in no way do I want to let him leave the room without me. My mom may be a werewolf, and she may still be fighting against the open window, but that does not mean I have to sit here and watch. I’m getting away if I can help it.
“Help me up,” I tell Ryan. “We’re staying together until someone has a better plan.”
It takes us a while but soon enough we have left the room. I close the door, wanting to put everything possible between us and the monster. A few more minutes pass as Ryan pretty much drags me to the front room. Evan lies on one of our couches asleep.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Ryan says.
That’s when I remember the others once more.
“What are we supposed to do about everyone else?” I ask. “We cannot just leave them in the barn like that, and I’ve never even seen those poles before.”
“We have to worry about your werewolf mother,” Ryan says. “I don’t care what happens in the barn; if we leave this house, your mom will get us.”
“Even if we stay inside, my mom still could get us,” I say.
He has a good point though. What else can we do? I lie down on our other sofa. My mind races round and around but my body screams for rest. I fight.
And then I wake up. I hesitate to open my eyes, remembering the last few times I’ve looked at a clock. And yet I think it safe to bet a light is on.
I squint my eyes open and discover a light is indeed on. Evan, Ryan and I are still in the front room. The memory of my werewolf mother comes back and I almost jump from the couch. I can’t, so I look for a clock instead.
6:00.
Not midnight.
But that means I’ve been asleep for six hours! Ryan and Evan are both asleep as well. Something pounds on the front door.
“Jack?” I recognize Griffin’s voice.
“You okay?” I shout as I try to get up again.
“Yes, but let us in,” he says. I hear other voices as well, and I figure they must be the others.
Ryan wakes up because of our shouting. He’s much faster at getting to the door than I am. The werewolf hadn’t attacked him. He opens the door and the others pour in. Even as they close the door behind them, I hear a car approaching our house.
“Who is that?” I ask.
Griffin looks out. “Your parents,” he says.
“My parents?” My eyes go wide. “Close the door!”
“What?” Griffin laughs. “Why?”
“Close the door,” Ryan commands.
Griffin stops laughing and closes the door.
“Lock it,” Ryan says.
Griffin locks it. “Don’t they have keys?”
I hadn’t thought of that. Not good.
“Tell me something Griffin,” I say. “Did they look normal? Or did they look even slightly unusual?”
“No. They looked normal to me,” he says.
One of my parents fidgets at the door. “Don’t let them in,” I say.
“Why not?” Tyler asks.
“You’ll know soon enough,” I say. Through the door I shout “what’s going on? What do you want?”
My dad’s voice comes through. “It’s safe. Let us in and we’ll tell you.”
I have no reason to trust them right now. Not after last night.
“You’ll attack us,” I shout.
“We couldn’t come in if we were dangerous,” my mom shouts back.
I guess I can believe that.
“Let them in,” I tell Griffin. “But be careful. When you open the door, stay as far from them as you can.”
Griffin opens the door and lets my parents in. He is right. They do look normal.
“What’s going on?” I demand.
“It’s a full moon thing,” my dad explains. “That’s why we have the barn.”
“What do you mean?” Tyler asks. “We were stuck in there all night. I didn’t see you.”
My dad pauses for a second. I hold my breath anticipating some sort of attack. He turns to me.
“Your mother is a werewolf and so am I. The poles are there to keep everyone safe.”
“Then what happened last night?” I ask. “And what did Ryan shoot?”
“Shoot?” my mom asks. “Nothing got shot last night.”
Ryan and I both know he shot something. But what?