Blood Games

    The branches overhead were motionless. Beyond them, she could see pieces of sky and a few tiny dots of starlight.

    She closed her eyes.

    She heard birds singing, squawking, and the distant, lonely sound of an owl calling whooo. Insects chittered and hummed. She realized she hadn’t been bothered by mosquitos. That, at least, was something to be grateful about. So long as mosquitos didn’t assault her, she would be able to sleep on top of her bag.

    There were other sounds. Flutters. Furtive scurryings. Papery rustling sounds. Sometimes, soft thumps that she supposed must be something - twigs or pine cones - dropping out of the trees.

    She heard nothing that sounded like a person creeping through the woods. But that, she realized, was what she was listening for.

    Nobody will find us here, she told herself.

    In the morning, we’ll find the keys.

    Please, let us find the keys.

    If only I’d been more careful picking up the shorts.

    In her mind, she was swimming underwater. Reaching for the plaid Bermudas. This time I’ll do it right, she thought. Grab them by the waist.

    As she reached down through the murky water, she saw the crossbars covering the top of the spring.

    So very close to the shorts.

    Oh, my God.

    If the keys dropped through the bars…

    It was a long time before she fell asleep.

***

    When she woke up in the morning, Helen was gone.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

BELMORE GIRLS

    It was their junior year at Belmore.

    It was Thursday, 30 October.

    The girls, scattered about the living room of their apartment, had the television on. Abilene, slumped on the sofa with her feet resting on the coffee table, watched the eleven o’clock news anchored by Candi Delmar while Vivian fiddled with hair curlers, Finley studied TV Guide, Cora skimmed a chapter in her physiology textbook, and Helen munched nacho-flavored tortilla chips.

    ‘Parents,’ Candi reported, ‘are being encouraged to take advantage of various community activities, such as Halloween parties being hosted at local recreation centers, which provide a safe alternative to the traditional trick-or-treating.’

    ‘Oh, what fun,’ Abilene muttered. ‘Next thing you know, they’re gonna outlaw trick-or-treating.’

    ‘For those who do intend to allow their children to go from door to door, however, we at Newscene urge that several simple precautions be followed. Naturally, small children should always be accompanied by an adult. Make sure their costumes are made of flame-resistant fabrics and light in color so that they will be plainly visible to motorists. Masks should not restrict the child’s vision. Finally, take special care to inspect all the treats before you allow them to be eaten by your young ones. Be on the lookout for any signs of tampering, especially with such items as home-baked goods and fruit.’

    ‘The ol’ razor blade in the apple gag,’ Finley said, looking up from the TV Guide.

    ‘Ouch,’ Helen said.

    ‘… foreign objects in your child’s treats, you should immediately alert the police.’

    ‘Who would do something like that?’ Helen asked.

    ‘A lot of sick bastards in this world,’ Abilene said.

    ‘… these simple guidelines and have a safe and sane Halloween.’

    Cora shut her textbook. ‘Halloween was never intended to be safe and sane. The whole idea’s to get wild.’

    ‘I used to get scared silly,’ Helen said. ‘You know? You go up to some creepy old house and ring the doorbell? You never know who’s gonna open the door.’

    ‘Or what,' Finley added.

    ‘Oooo, I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I think it was my favorite holiday, besides Christmas.’

    ‘Once I got too old for trick-or-treating,’ Abilene said, ‘we’d always stay home and fix up the house. To make it look spooky. I’d hand out the goodies, but Dad’d pull stuff. Come to the door in a vampire outfit, or something. I remember this one time, he rigged up an overcoat so it covered his head. Then he hid on the porch and snuck up on the kids. Scared the hell out of them. Some of ’em actually ran off screaming. And Dad would end up laughing like crazy and Mom’d yell at him. He’d say, “Don’t be a stick-in-the-mud. They love it.” ’ Abilene shook her head. ‘It was so neat. He’ll probably be up to his same old tricks tomorrow night.’ She felt her throat tighten. ‘God, I’m making myself homesick.’

    ‘We oughta do something,’ Finley said.

    ‘Yeah,’ Abilene said. ‘Last year was a drag. We bought all that stuff and nobody showed up.’

    ‘A few did,’ Vivian pointed out.

    ‘Six or seven. Might as well not have been a Halloween.’ Cora grinned. ‘We could crash the Sig party. They’re having that Midnight Sabat thing.’

    'You got a death wish?’ Abilene asked.

    ‘Why don’t we go out trick-or-treating?’ Finley suggested.

    ‘I think we’re a little old for that,’ Vivian said, pinning a final curler into her hair.

    ‘We could go to the movies,’ Helen said. ‘They’re having a special all-night Shock Festival at the Elsinore.’

    ‘That sounds pretty lame,’ Finley said.