This is the first part of my Halloween story. All names and locations are fake, resemblences to any real individuals is purely coincidental. Warning: This story is creepy in nature and it contains some frightening imagery (about PG-13 level). No sexual content.
There comes an age when boys grow up and Halloween loses its fun, and going out seems lame unless it means going to a party and getting drunk. Unfortunately, I was not nineteen yet and I did not have the courage to sneak in. Not that it could work, since I only look about fifteen anyways and no fake ID could prove otherwise. I was in my sophomore year. I had a close group of friends who always bothered me with phone calls, but on that particular night I was too tired to do anything. They all wanted to go clubbing, with no alcohol, which defeats the purpose. As everyone knows, whenever a group of teenagers get together for a dance, they end up chatting in single-sex groups or going outside to smoke marijuana. Hanging out with other boys at a dance is lame, and I am not a smoker, so staying home playing video games seemed a more viable option.
After dinner I turned on my laptop and started a new mission on Caesar IV. It was great; having any free time was a true luxury since I held a pretty busy schedule. I have a large family, so it hardly gets quieter when I return home after a day of extracurricular activities. But tonight was perfect; although it was a weekday, I had no homework and nothing better to do until tomorrow morning. I was planning to hit a population of 3,000 before then...when suddenly somebody knocks at my door and barges in. It was my older sister.
“Hey, Alex, I’m going out with my girl friends tonight, and I’m driving so I wondered if you wanted me to take you somewhere. You know, hang out with your buddies?â€
“Uh, no thanks, sis; I’m going to stay here tonight,†I said, smiling. “I’m building London.â€
My sister was too polite and well-educated to call me a loser. Besides, she knew I had plenty of friends when I needed them. She did roll her eyes, however, and said: “Okay, suit yourself, baby brother. Just don’t get bored, because I won’t be there anymore.â€
“Don’t worry, I won’t,†I smiled again as I turned back to my game. I heard her climbing down the stairs and closing the entrance door behind her. I was now home alone with the exception of my mother, who was probably too busy watching a Tom Hanks flick on her television.
I played for about twenty minutes before I heard the first knock. I rushed down the stairs to greet a group of seven children all dressed in creepy costumes: Two skeletons, a witch, and a werewolf with fake blood on his face.
“Trick or treat!†They all screamed in my face. They must have been about eight or nine.
“Look at you guys, you almost gave me a heart attack!†I joked as I handed each one of them a large Caramilk bar. They were all extremely jovial, and they were panting as if they just had to run several miles. “Now don’t go kill anybody! I mean it.†I said a little too seriously; noticing their facial expression, I laughed good-naturedly. They cackled collectively, screamed “Happy Halloween!†and ran away. I closed the door after them. We received about ten more visitors that night; my mother and I took turns opening the door as neither one of us likes to be interrupted. This lasted for about an hour and a half before the night got exciting.
It was eight-thirty when the doorbell rang several times, and I knew it was not a child this time. Ringing the doorbell five times was definitely a sign of aggression, and none of the kids in the area were like that. It could not have been dad since he was working overnight. Wondering who on earth it could be, I opened the door slowly and peeked through the crack. I was right; these were not kids, but a group of four young adults, a little older than I. They were wearing black clothes and black masks on their faces, with openings for their eyes and mouths. I could not identify them, but I knew they were two guys and two girls. One of the guys was extremely tall and beefy, while the girls were about my height but they looked intimidating in their black outfits.
“May I help you?†I asked.
“Are you Alex P.?â€One asked in return. He sounded familiar, but he was naturally distorting his voice to the point it was unidentifiable. He spoke in a hoarse, creepy whisper. Wow, I thought, he is actually very convincing.
“Uh, yes, that’s me,†I said, “what the hell is the matter with you?â€
“Alex, be nice to your guests!†I heard my mother yelling.
“Mom! They’re wearing masks! What do you expect me to do?†I yelled back. My mother came down, still in her pyjama top and sweatpants. “Alex, let them in, they’re guests.†She said in a low voice this time.
“Okay, what is it you want exactly?†I asked the large guy in the group.
“Well, frankly, we want you, Alex.†One of the guys replied, “We came to take you with us. We cannot tell you why, though.â€
“Take me?! And do what; give me eternal life or something?†I asked incredulously.
“Alex, I suggest you do as they say. Those people are not joking.†Mom said. I searched her face for that shred of humour that always existed whenever she said ludicrous. Unfortunately I could not find it. She was not joking.
“Yeah, you could say it’s something like that,†the man answered belatedly, causing everyone except me and my mother to giggle.
“You really want me to go with you, eh? Are you going to hurt me?â€
“No, we cannot hurt you, Alex P. But we will tie you up,†said the same tall guy.
Before I could protest, the two girls pinned each of my arms, put my wrists in a pair of handcuffs, then trussed a length of rope around my body, pinning my elbows together behind my back. They wrapped it four times around my chest before tying the ends in a loop and then tying several more rounds around my stomach and waist and looping all the knots together. They were quite proficient at this bondage business, I thought as I tried uselessly to break free.
“Alex, I’m so sorry, but this must be,†said my mother as she looked genuinely sad. I was getting a little worried now; if this was part of a Halloween prank, it was really pushing the envelope. I was ambushed in my home by four older people IN MASKS, told I need to go with them somewhere without telling me where exactly, tied up and then led outside. And meanwhile, my mother just stood them, seemingly approving of the situation! What the hell is going on?!
When I thought this situation could not get any creepier, I noticed a black land rover parked in our driveway. The words “secret police†popped in my head. I wanted to scream and run away, but then one of the men whispered quietly in my ear: “We’re taking you for a ride. You get to sit on the bench, and don’t worry; we’re not going to gag or blindfold you.â€
“Wow, thanks a lot, Ghandi. I should give you a medal for your humanitarian treatment,†I snarled. He smirked underneath the mask. We were getting really close to the car when I screamed in the loudest, most ear-splitting frequency I could produce: “MOM!!!!!†I was expecting the larger man, whom I will nickname Keg Belly, to grab my mouth shut, pull me inside the van, but he just stood and observed. My mother soon came out, still in her house slippers, and said: “Alex, baby, you better do as those people are saying. I don’t want to see that kind of behaviour from you anymore. Now man up!†She was actually frowning. I still thought this was all part of a very creepy Halloween prank, but was my mother also part of it? I looked at her with big, defeated puppy eyes, turned around to the land rover and climbed in the back seat.
“Good, I’ll see you when you get back. You better be on your best behaviour!†She nodded and turned back into the house. Be on my best behaviour? There’s only so much I could do when I’m tied up like that. Screaming again would not help, so I sat on the bench, and the girls trussed a coil of rope around my legs, tying them together. That’s just great, I thought, but I did not react.
“All ready to go?†Keg Belly called out. Without waiting for a response, he turned on the ignition and drove away.
I looked out the window at my street and kept wondered what the hell just happened. Did I just get kidnapped? I asked myself. The two girls and the other guy, whom I will nickname The Badger Man, sat behind me and were not saying anything. The whole ride was surprisingly quiet. I tried not to ask any questions, thinking they would not drive too far and I could just find out the answers myself. I was right, sort of.
The ride was only twelve minutes. Keg Belly stopped at an upper-middle class neighbourhood full of crowded two-story brick houses. There were several cars parked on the driveway and around the house. Was a party happening inside? The house where we stopped was red brick with a small tower. Keg Belly slid the back doors open, grabbed me and carried me out; carried me on both hands like a bride. I was much smaller so he was not having any trouble at all. I was a little thankful as my legs were nearly immobile and even hopping would not have been possible without tripping on every step. All lights were turned on, which strengthened my idea that this was a Halloween party. Suddenly everything made sense. My sister kidnapped me and brought me to her friend Gillian’s party so I would not stay home all night playing Age of Empires III! While I suppose I appreciated the gesture, I was not genuinely lacking any sort of social life. I was alone out of my free will, unlike now.
Keg Belly carried me down the path and kicked the house door open. Pretty impressive, I thought. The house was filled with typical Halloween paraphernalia and creepy horror film music was played softly on the surround sound system. There were several life-sized skeletons, black plastic spiders on the ceiling, (hopefully) fake blood splattered on the walls and several pumpkins with candles inside decorating the entrance. What pulled my attention was the blue sleeping bag lying in the kitchen. The bag was tied with rope and there was something, or somebody moving inside. It was wriggling like an animal, trying to escape its cocoon. Wow, what I neat effect, I thought, when it suddenly dawned that perhaps this is not even an effect. Could that be a real person tied inside that bag?
To Be Continued...