Halloween Story – Part two!

Henry jumped out of the van first as it made a stop at the front of a neighborhood. All around, kids with their parents were milling up and down the street, knocking on doors. Excitement filled Henry as he looked at the three other Power Rangers beside him in the fading light.

“I’ll be back in an hour,” Andy’s mom said. “Then we’ll go to the next neighborhood.”

Andy waved her off as he closed the door. “Come on guys,” he said, leading them away. “Let’s go!”

Henry followed after his friends, watching Andy’s mom turn her car around and roll slowly down the street. “Your mom’s not staying?” Henry asked, knowing his mom would have a cow if she knew.

“No bro,” Andy said, plopping his helmet over his head. “I’m not a baby.” He turned to elbow Josh beside him. “What’s the matter, Henry? Scared?”

Henry sighed and pulled his helmet over his head. “Shut up,” he said, leading the way up a path to the first door. A cheesy skeleton sat outside the front door and he rang the doorbell.

The front door, with it’s Halloween wreath, swung open, and a grandma stood there, smiling wide.

“Trick or Treat!” the boys yelled in unison.

Henry didn’t listen to her words as she plopped a couple of candies in his bucket. He wasn’t entirely happy with her offering, but it was something as they walked to the next house.

The time felt like it flew by as they reached the back of the neighborhood. Their buckets were pretty full and becoming heavy, while the sun had finally sunk down behind the houses. The streetlamps were flickering on and a light chill was beginning to fill the night.

“Hey, you guys heard about the ghost house?” Andy suddenly asked.

Henry turned to look at him, watching him and Jeremy trade candies. “Ghost house?” he asked.

Andy grinned, his helmet perched on his brow. “It’s at the back of the neighborhood,” he said confidently. “Come on, I’ll show you guys.”

Henry and Josh traded looks, but followed Andy. Sure enough, at the very end of the last street, where the neighborhood street curved and went back toward the front of the subdivision, sat a lonely house. As they came closer, Henry could see that the doors and windows were boarded. The street lamp at the curb flickered every so often. A chill went down Henry’s spine.

“Let’s check it,” Andy said, walking toward it.

Henry trailed behind the other boys, feeling more creeped out as they came closer. “Dude, won’t your mom be back soon?” he asked half-heartedly.

Andy turned around then, backpedaling toward the house. “Don’t tell me that the baby’s scared,” he said teasingly. Josh and Jeremy laughed.

“I’m not scared, asshole,” Henry quipped. He glanced at the house again. “It just looks dangerous or something.”

“Well, you know the story, right?” Josh said.

Henry shook his head.

“The family that lived there was murdered,” Jeremy said ominously, wiggling his fingers in a dramatic way. “My older sister says their ghosts haunt the place.”

“How would she know?” Henry asked weakly.

Jeremy crossed his arms and lifted his chin proudly. “She said she and her boyfriend were here fooling around and a ghost chased them.”

Henry tried to summon some bravado. “You know she was lying,” he said. “Ghosts aren’t real.”

“Then why don’t we go inside?” Andy called, scaling the porch steps.

Henry stopped at the bottom, clutching his helmet tightly under his arm. “I don’t think we should,” he said. “Your mom’s waiting for us.”

“Stop being a pussy, Robertson!” Andy snapped then. Henry recognized his tone as something he’d heard Andy’s dad say to him. His mom said Andy’s dad wasn’t a nice man, but Henry pushed the thought away.

“I’m not!” he said, climbing the steps quickly. “I’ll prove it to you!”

Andy surprised Henry when he yanked the front door. Surprisingly, it swung open noiselessly, allowing the darkness inside to peer out.

Hope you guys are enjoying so far! Part three coming next Friday!

#writing #ghosts #ghost #scary #story #halloween #writingprompt #spooky