October Screams: A Halloween Anthology by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kangas Kahn Publishing
Published: 2023-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

We didn’t think anything of it when Patrick didn’t show up to school the next day. Ronnie and I never saw much of him normally, anyway; we were both cemented firmly in the honors track while Patrick, on the other hand, was enrolled in an overabundance of weird electives, courses with names like Fitness for Life and Contemporary Issues that weren’t compulsory for graduation nor required any sliver of literacy or math skills. Dave attended the nearby vocational school, though none of us were clear on just which trade he was pursuing.

Ronnie and I were slumped together on the city bus headed home when he fished something out of his pocket and held it out to me. “That’s Patrick’s watch,” I said. It appeared even more gargantuan not swaddling our friend’s massive forearm. “Where did you—”

“It was wrapped around my handlebars when I passed my bike this morning,” he said. “What a goon, creeping around my yard in the middle of the night.” Ronnie rolled his eyes. “I’m guessing this is code that he’ll meet us at the house at eight o’clock.” He turned its face so I could have a better look. The stopwatch function had been turned on, its numbers paused at eight-zero-zero.

I leaned over and hit the signal for the next stop. “What are you telling your parents you’re doing?” When we’d started high school, the boys had been granted carte blanche to do whatever they wished, so long as they came home by midnight. My parents adopted the opposite approach, becoming hypervigilant about my activities. I needed a rational sounding plan to be able to go out on a school night, even if it was Halloween.

The bus slowed to a stop. “I think Ghostbusters is still playing. Gremlins, too,” Ronnie said. “Say you’re going to the movies.”

I hoisted my backpack over my shoulder and walked toward the back exit just as the doors folded open. “Yeah, okay,” I agreed. “I’ll come by your house at seven?” I hopped down the steps and onto the sidewalk.

“Make sure you wear all black,” Ronnie yelled after me.

I turned to wave my acknowledgment just as the doors slammed shut. Despite the dust-caked windows, I could still see Ronnie, but he wasn’t looking over at me. He was staring at Patrick’s watch, still clutched in his hand.

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