Bright red and yellow leaves quietly swirled around her feet as she briskly walked down the cold cement sidewalk, crumbling as they hit a near by wall. As she walked, a cool breeze brushed her face and shoulders, caressing her exposed skin. She shivered slightly as goose bumps ran up her arms. Rubbing her arms, she giggled and took in a deep calming breath.

The scent of wetness and decay filled her lungs. It must've rained recently. Waves of memories, both good and bad ran over her, and a wide smile spread over her face. She loved the scent of rain. She loved this season. As she thought about it, she decided that this was her favorite season. The crispness in the air, the sound of leaves under foot, the temperature being cold enough that you wanted to stay in bed, wanted to be near someone warm, but not so cold that you dreaded waking up, everything about this time of year was perfect to her.

She stopped walking for a moment, straightened up and looked around, taking in all she could. It was a beautiful day. Sighing to herself, she continued on her way.

The sun casually drifted between dark gray clouds that hung way over head in a soft gray green sky. Even the sun felt perfect to her, soft enough to not hurt the eyes, but strong enough to warm the body when it wasn't hiding. It screamed autumn to her.

In fact everywhere she looked, it screamed Halloween, and she loved it. The houses were covered in cobwebs, spiders, and skeletons while jack'o lanters stood guard at the doors. Scurrying around the houses were dozens of small three to four foot demons, faeries, princesses, and superheroes. They screamed and giggled as they swarmed from house to house. She tried to scare the little creatures as they approached, but only a few reacted. She wondered if kids had become too smart for their own good. Did they have Halloween flowing through their veins as she did? Could they enjoy it as much as she did when she was a child? That thought didn't haunt her though. Things were too perfect for anything to haunt her now. Everything was just right, just as she remembered it.

It was good to be home again, especially for such a great holiday. This last year had been hard for her. She couldn't place any single event that was particularly hard. They all just sort of blended together. It had been her first time away from home, for such a long time, and it was lonely, but she knew it wouldn't be her last, and that she would have to get used to it. That was fine. Neither the past nor the future mattered to her right now, for she was home. In her mind, this break would never end.

Without thought, she made her way through the streets she had known since she was a child, noting how some of the houses had changed. It was a quiet town, and it always seemed to bring her peace.

As she got closer to her house, she crossed the alley she used to run down and play in when she was young. She looked down it's gravel paved path, looking at the deep shadows that seemed to make the vined and overgrown grass look infinite. She laughed at the thought and bent down to pick up a particularly shiny pebble. as she looked down at it, she saw a dark shadow dark across the edge of her site, far down the alley. She jerked her head up, looking to see what it was, but the alley was silent and empty. Just then a cold breeze cut through her, freezing her in her tracks. Her eyes widened, but there was nothing to see, nothing to hear, just a silent alley and old memories.

She shook her head, trying to clear it, and quickly turned to continue on her way. As she was passing the edge of the alley, she shot a quick glance down it, trying to see if there was anything, but there wasn't. It must've been her imagination, she thought to herself. After all she had just arrived, and she didn't really get much sleep recently. Maybe she would take a nap before the parties tonight. There were always parties on Halloween, and she was certain to run into some old friends at them. This cheered her up, and with a new spring in her step, she hurried home.

She arrived home to the smell of pumpkin seeds cooking in the oven. The smell brought back such fond memories of her as a child, cutting into pumpkins to make jack o'lanterns. Her whole family would go and buy pumpkins and then sit around, slice them open, and rip out their guts. Then they would draw out the scariest faces they could, and carve them into the hard skin of the pumpkin shell. She could still feel the slimy innards and hard seeds passing through her fingers as they would separate out the seeds to bake. These were her warmest memories. The family happy and loving. Like all families, they fought, they had their rivalries, but during holidays, they always were together, as a family.

Smiling, she rode the scent of the pumpkin seeds away from the kitchen and up the stairs. She really just wanted to go to her room, relax a little, and change for the parties. It had been a long day, and it was going to be a much longer night.

The familiar cold metal knob greeted her palm as she open the door to her room. Her room, the thought was welcoming. She fell backwards onto the bed and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep. Exhaustion took over her body and her mind floated free.

There was no concept of time to her, but eventually she began to dream. In her dream, she's standing in a crowded room, all alone. People are talking over loud music. The base of the music rips through he body, making her feel as is her heart is beating out of turn. Everyone around her is happy, but for some reason she is scared. She spins around, taking in the room. The faces blur around her, she knows them, but can't place them. An uncontrollable need to run fills her body, but she can't find an opening in the crowd to make it through. Panic starts to overcome her. She pushes and shoves, and eventually everyone moves out of her way, and she runs.

Her bare feet touch cold stone as she exits the room. She's outside. Swinging her head back and forth wildly, trying to find a direction, she starts to run straight. There's something after her, she knows there it. She can feel it in her bones. A cold wind hits her hard, her thin dress providing no protection. It snaps her back to the here and now, and she starts to run even faster.

Sharp dry leaves cut her feet as she turns into the forest. She can feel it close to her. She wants to turn and see what she's running from, but she can't. If she does, she knows it will get her. Instead she runs deeper into the forest. The cracking of branches and crushing of leaves oddly reassures her, and her heart begins to relax. Behind her, there is no sound, no music, no crunching of leaves. She slows to a jog and glances behind her. In the corner of her eye, she sees a dark shadow, but it quickly darts from site, then there is nothing but stillness and silence. The calm seems to stretch to the deepest depth of the forest that surrounds her. She stops running and turns to look behind her.

Nothing moves. The leaves are solidly fixed upon the ground. None of the trees even sway. She takes a few deep breaths, trying to relax herself. As she calms herself, she tries to remember what she was running from, but she can't. She simply remembers that she was being chased. Breathing heavily, she leans up against a nearby tree, and looks up at the sky. A thousand stars glitter its deep blue expanse. She marvels at her insignificance. Slowly her heart begins to beat at a normal pace, and her down to the tops of the trees and the deep yellow, almost orange moon that was peaking out over them.

A sharp crack of a snapping branch in front of her causes her heart to skip. She looks in front of her and sees trees. Her eyes dart over the forest looking for the cause of the sound, and then she sees it. Far in the distance, she sees a shadow, amongst all the other shadows. The difference is this once was moving, where as all the others were completely stationary, as if fixed in time. As she tries to focus on it, it jumps, closer to her, and on the other side of her vision. Terror fills her. She tries to run, but she can't get her feet to move. Her eyes again try to focus on it, and again it jumps closer. 100 feet. 80 feet. 50 feet. 10 feet. Her eyes widen. Panic fills her. She gets one leg to move. It taks a step back, and a strong gust of ice cold wind smashes into her, pushing her back. She stumbles and starts to fall backward, when two warm arms catch her.

Twisting, she closes her eyes and screams. When she opens her eyes, she sees the warm face of a handsome cut man. She knows this man. She remembers she loved him. Her heart swells and she feels safe, just before remembering about the shadow. His arms hold her close as she twists her head, looking for the shadow, but it's nowhere to be found. Eventually her eyes set on his face, and she finds herself lost in his gaze. His deep green eyes assure her everything is alright, and she holds him close. The embrace lasts forever. Her heart beats with his as she draws her head up to his. Soft lips touch warm soft lips and his hand lightly caresses her face.

Eventually she pulls her lips from his and opens her eyes. She's smiling, but he's not. There's something cold in his eyes. She tries to back away, but his embrace quickly changes to a grip she can't break. His eyes glare at her, through her, ripping into her soul. Then he smiles, a deep cold smile that sends chills through her body. There's no more warmth in the person in front of her. His lips part, bearing his teeth in the smile. She swallows hard and struggles to get away, but his grip is strong. Filled with fear, she pushes at his chest and hits him in the face with the other.

His grip releases and she turns to run, only to find herself whipped back towards him. He managed to grab hold of her right hand as she was turning away. She picks her left hand up again to strike strike him, but she stops. Tear well up in her eyes, making it hard to make out his face, but she could still clearly make out the glint of the knife in his hand, and the smile on his face.

She springs up from the bed, her body covered in a cold sweat, and her heart racing. It takes a few seconds, but eventually she remembers her room. Everything seems calm to her and her heart slows back down. She tries to remember what she was dreaming about, but it quickly becomes vague and distorted, something about being chased.

Yawning, she stands up and walks across the room to change. Her eyes catch a view of the window. It's getting late, she realizes. The sky has changed to a dark blue, and some of the start have started coming out. Only a few clouds hang in the sky. A slight shiver runs through her body as she looks into the sky, as if the sky reminds her of something. Quickly she dismisses the thought and begins to change into thin black dress that she loved to wear for Halloween. As she removed her clothes, she looked down at her young body and thinks it looks older than she remembers. Life must be getting to her, she thinks. Tomorrow she'll worry about it, but tonight, she has parties to attend.

She puts on the thin silk dress and starts to leave. As she walks past the dresser next to the door, she notices that the pictures are out of place. Mom must be on a cleaning kick again, she thinks, just before wondering what else of her stuff her mom has gone through while she was away at college. A little bit of anger sits in her chest for a second. Then she realizes that it doesn't really matter, and this was Halloween, so it wasn't going to get her annoyed. Instead, she straightened the pictures back to their original order, and left her room.

As she walked down the stairs, she noticed that all the lights were off. They must have gone out, probably at parties of their own. She thinks back to the family Halloween gatherings they used to have, like the one last year, where they took her little sister out for her last trick or treating event before she was too old to go anymore. A smile ran across her face. It was a good time, but that was last year, and this year everyone has their own thing to do. With a heavy heart, she left the house, walked down the stairs in front, and started towards the first party.

The street was surrounded by mysterious shapes and shadows. Most of them seemed to threaten her, warning her to turn back, but some of them welcomed her. A cold gust of wind forced her to embrace herself. Her arms wrapping close around her chest. She was cold and lonely. It felt as if the trees around her were enormous. It felt like she was a child again, small and vulnerable to the evils that lurked in the world. If only she had someone with her, someone to comfort her, someone to keep her warm.

As she walked, every skittering squirrel, every moving shadow, and every gust of wind made her jump. She couldn't place it, but there was something bad about this day. There was something about the way the shadows warned her that sent shivers down her spine. Normally she loved shadows, the way her mind danced with them, bringing them to life. Tonight, however, there was something ominous about them, something foreboding. It must just be her mind playing with her, she thought, as she started to walk slightly faster. There was something about them though. Her mind continued to work on it, but she could think of no reason why they bothered her.

Eventually she slowed back down, and let the worries drop. There was no impending danger, as far as she could tell. The new calm allowed her to look around, and start enjoying her favorite holiday again.

Shades of dark blue and soft yellow encompassed her. The vibrant life of day was gone, leaving the sky a deep black, and the world a mere shadow of itself. The deep void above her was speckled with tiny silver lights that twinkled a hello to her, reminding her that there was more than just the here and now. She felt herself being drawn into the expanse as she peered into the vastness above her. A smile ran across her face. There was something comforting to her, knowing that there was so much more out there, so much more for people to focus on, than her.

She noticed that she had stopped walking as she looked upwards. Laughing a little to herself, amused by her own child like wonder, she let her gaze drop. Her gaze fell and rested on a dark orange moon that peaked out just over the tops of the deep blue houses. It looked enormous on the horizon. She tilted her head, examining it, as if for the first time. Tiny strange shapes pocked its surface, slowly forming a face. A warm sense of the past filled her, as she remembered the first time she saw the face in the moon. She was six at the time, and her father pointed it out to her.

"Look, you see those craters there?" A pause. "What does that look like to you?" An answer. "Very good. Yes, it's a face. See, it's looking right at you, protecting you. If you're ever scared of the night, just remember it's there for you. Always keeping you safe."

She couldn't help but smile at the memory. She was so young and naive. If only life had remained that simple for her. Yet somehow, she still felt comforted by it. Suddenly the dark streets felt a little less frightening. Her foot took a step forward, carrying her deeper into the night.

The party was only a few more blocks away. She would be there in no time, she told herself. As she walked, she couldn't help but let her mind slip to her youth. The last time she had gotten all dressed up and gone trick or treating, she was thirteen, and she had dressed up as a goblin. She remembered it as if it was yesterday. There had been these fangs she had made, all by her self, carved from some branches she had found. They were sharp and gnarled. The perfect finishing touch to her costume. While all her friends were dressing up as princesses and movie stars, she was determined to keep Halloween for what it was meant to be. A time to dress up and scare away all the evil spirits before all saints day. Plus it was a time for her to be a demon.

Her pride still swelled at the costume she had made, such a long time ago. She had been the scariest goblin to ever walk the earth. In her heart, she knew that if there had been any spirits around, no matter how evil or scary, they would be terrified of her. They would run back to the hell they had come from, swearing never to return to a place with such frightening beasts.

Now, however, she had no disguise. She was all alone, wearing a thin dress that would scare no one. All she had to rely on for safety, was herself, and that filled her with a bit of terror. Suddenly she realized just how dark it was around her, and just how alone she truly was.
Suddenly, she was right back to jumping at every slight movement around her. A breeze ran across the street, causing all the trees to sway. Her eyes skittered across the landscape, analying all the moving shadows, looking for any that were moving different than the rest. Legs tensed, preparing to run at the slightest threat. There was something out there, she could feel it. Something evil. Something coming for her. She started to walk faster, almost running, but the shadows were every where. They surounded her. There was nowhere to go. If began to feel as if they were closing in on her. She felt as if her time was almost up.

Her eyes scanned the street. there were strange blue and black shapes everywhere. Then she saw it. A dark shadow leaped in the distance, moving against all the others. She stumbled backwards, keeping her eyes on it the whole time. One second she was looking at it, and the next it was gone. She froze. Her eyes peered into the shadows, looking for it. It was nowhere. There were only the lights, the trees, and the houses. The only thing keeping her company were deep red eyes of the jack o'lanters. She started walking again. The red eyes followed her down the street, their strange orange smiles mocking her. It wasn't like her to be this foolish, this scared. There was nothing out there, she assured herself. Just her and the night.

As she continued forward, every step felt forced and as much as she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling of fear that was festering inside her. Her steps were slow and exact, as her base instincts took control. She had only taken nine steps, when it appeared again. She felt it first, the feeling one get when attention is drawn on them. Then caught it out of the corner of her eye, just on the edge of vision. It was on her right. She spun to look at it, but it danced on her peripheral vision. She had spun 180 degrees before she could finally see it, before her eyes could catch it. It flickered, like a memory or a vision, impossible to to see clearly, there but not there. First it was two hundred feet away from her, peering into her. At this distance, it was small and menacing, but not an immediate threat.

Suddenly it disappeared again. This time it reappeared one hundred feet in front of her. She started to back away. The shadow almost looked human, but it was distorted, with long limbs and sharp edges. It was completely black, a deeper darker black than she had ever seen. Even the sky above her seemed bright and shallow in comparison. A glint of steel caught her eye. It danced in one of the shadow's long limbs. For a second, she could move.

She screamed for her limbs to take action, for her feet to take flight, but the refused. It started to move towards her, and she pleaded with her limbs. This time they reacted, and she spun, taking off in a full run towards the party.

She felt it behind her, getting closer. Her legs pumped as fast as they could. She pushed her self to her limits, but still it gained. A chill filled her, and she felt a fear greater than anything she had ever experienced before. Something brushed the back of her neck, and a whisper sounded just behind her ear.

"..I love you" the whisper said.

She turned her head to the left, straining to look behind her. Still running as fast as she could, she couldn't see it. The voice spoke again, saying the same thing. It sounded familiar. Cold metal pressed against her right arm. She spun, and it was gone. Her foot seemed to stop while her body continued, and she fell backwards. Strong warm arms caught her, stopping her fall.

"Hey, you ok? You should be more careful when running."

She looked up to see the most intense green eyes looking back down at her. She smiled, and then she remembered the shadow. Her body snapped upright her hair brushing across his face, and she looked back the way she had come. It was gone. His arms still held her. She drew them in tighter around her, and he didn't pull away. Temporarily she felt warm and safe. Her heart jumped as she felt his warm breath against her neck.

"Um. Are you OK? Is everything alright?"

She turned in his arms, pressing close to him. Blond curly hair danced about his head in the breeze, and a thin beard outlined his chiseled chin. As she looked at him, he appeared almost to glow. She embraced him, and began to cry. Suddenly she was safe, and he and saved her.

"What, what's wrong?"

She let the embrace relax, and then slowly she stepped back, composing herself.

"sorry." She said, " I just thought.. I thought that I was being... it's.. it's nothing. I'm just trying to get to the party down the block."

"Down the block? There's no party going on there, but there is a party over that way. I'm heading over to it."

She normally wasn't forward with boys, but she really wanted to be out of the street, so she asked. "Look, I don't mean to be.. that is.. would you mind if I came with you? I just don't want to be alone right now."

He looked at her, cocked a half smile, and turned his gaze towards her eyes. "Sure. It's just down this way."

He turned and started walking. She hurried after him, her thin black dress floating behind her.

The party was already in full swing by the time they arrived. Loud music pumped through the guests, making them move as one. Lights flickered over the crowd that swamped the small house, making their movements jumpy and flickering. They had just entered the door, and she stood right next to him as he turned to her.

"Well, this is it. Are you doing better now?"

"Yes. Thank you. I... I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this."

"It's not a problem. We all get scared some times. I'm just glad I was there to catch you. I'd hate for such a beauty as you to be damaged as you fell from the heavens." He grinned wickedly and extended his hand. She took it. "I'm John by the way."

"Oh, sorry, yes. I'm Jessica. Jessica Alberts, but you can call me Jessy."

"Well Jessy," he said while bowing deeply, catching the curves of her body as he did so, "it is an honor to meet such a lovely angel on a night ghouls and goblins." With that said, he gently kissed her hand. She blushed slightly, but didn't pull away.

John reminded her a lot of her ex boyfriend. He was all surface flirting flirting and overly dramatic gestures. Like her ex, he was a child, chasing anything he could find. Oddly enough, she didn't mind. At least this was something familiar, another piece of home to her. They entered the party together, and he left her to get a drink.

The music was fast and blaring, giving Jessy a hard time placing the songs, but their deep rhythms still moved her. John returned and told Jessy that he was going to go find some of his friends. She waited for him at the edge of the party, not wanting to venture into it huddled masses alone. Instead of venturing in, she watched them, carefree and moving to the music. Despite herself, she admired them. They were enjoying the moment, exactly what she should be doing.

This was exactly what she needed, large numbers of people living their lives, and a some what familiar, handsome boy to keep her company. She smiled to herself. This all felt so familiar to her now. He felt so familiar to her. Her gaze glassed over as she watched the crowd, until she felt flesh brushing gently against her shoulder. She jumped.

"Ha ha... relax. It's just me. You really are a jumpy one aren't you?"

The words rang in her head. She had heard them before, and if she hadn't recognized John's voice, the words would have terrified her. His voice was familiar, and she felt as if he wouldn't harm her. It was uncanny how his inflections were so close to Ron's, her ex boyfriend's. Only his pitch was different, a little lower than Ron's.

Calmed by his voice, she turned and smiled at him. He returned the smile and began to sit down. Before he could put all his weight onto the chair near her, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to the dance floor. The dance floor was a section of the living room that was right next to the speakers that were pumping out a heavy beat.

She pulled him tight, pressing her body against his, and slowly they began to move. As they danced, she could feel all his muscles, and his hands began to explore hers. He had the back of a farm boy. Strong muscles build up from daily use. She felt his hands slip below her waist, and pull her closer. He stood between her and the speakers, and through him, she felt the beat of the music. After the first song, she relaxed he embrace. It took a few seconds, but eventually he also relaxed his grip. The strap of her dress slid off her shoulder as she pulled away slightly to look into his eyes.

There was a hardness in his eyes, a longing, a frightful longing. She had seen it before. Suddenly she was cold again, and the world seeped back in. Dozens of flickering shapes surrounded her. All of them moving to the beat except one.

The shadow had returned. She felt it stare straight into her soul. It was hungry, and she was it's food. Its stare was lecherous, and she imagined it drooling. Her whole body stiffened. The music continued on and no one else reacted. They were all acting as if the shadow didn't exist.

She pulled away from John and tried to make it off the dance floor, but no one moved out of her way. John simply stared at her. His questioning glare filled Jessy with confusion. Was this shadow really there? She knew it was. She felt it, and it was slowly drawing nearer.

"We have to go." she said.

"What? We just got here. The party is still kicking." John replied.

She brushed her hand across his cheek, down his neck, and then rested it on his chest. "I have to go now. You can join me if you want."

She turned and made her way off the dance floor, dodging the people dancing. John stood there for a second, admiring her grace as she floated away from him. His heart was still pumping from her touch. He wanted to stay, but there were other things he wanted more. In the end, his body made his decision for him, and he followed her off the dance floor.

They left the party in a hurried pace. There was fear in Jessy's eyes. John grabbed her wrist.

"Wait up. What's wrong." he asked.

He reminded Jessy of her ex boyfriend in so many ways. She smiled and giggled.

"Nothing's wrong silly. I just wanted for us to be alone." She rushed toward him and kissed him deeply, running her hands down his back.

He returned the kiss and the embrace. She then broke away and got a mischievous look on her face.

"I bet you can't catch me." She called back to him as she turned ran down the street. As soon as it sunk in, he started off after her.

She ran fast, always just out of John's reach. The houses blurred past as they ran, slowly becoming scarcer. Jessy giggled as she bounded down the street, as if suddenly everything was ok, everything was right, just as it should be. She smiled and remembered how she used to run this way with her ex. They loved this street. It led to a forest, the one which they were rapidly approaching.

When they reached the forest's edge, John fell against a tree, breathing heavily. "Just a second. Just let me catch my breath."

She stopped and looked at him. A gust of wind pressed her dress tight against her body. John smiled an evil smile. She floated up to him and kissed him again.

"You're cute." she said, and then quickly turned and ran down one of the paths. John laughed and followed after.

This had been her favorite path. She and her ex used to come here all the time and make out. She blushed as she remembered that. He always loved the physical things.

John was running all out, just to keep Jessy in sight. He had no idea why he was doing this, but she was beautiful, and his body was telling him to run, so run he did. Branches whipped past his face as he ran, but not once did he slow down. He saw his goal, and nothing would stop him. With that thought, he caught his second wind, and he took off.

Finally he was gaining on Jessy. She had slowed a little, probably getting tired. He forced himself to go faster. In no time at all, he was close enough to reach out to her. His hand grasped her should and pulled back. Her dress ripped, and they both lost their footing, falling on top of each other.

When they stopped rolling, Jessy was on top of John, breathing heavily and gillging. John was smiling and staring into her eyes.

"Oh, the water is near, I love the sound it makes. It's so beautiful." Jessy says, closing her eyes.

"Not as beautiful as you are in the soft moon light." John replies.

Jessy laughs a little and then gazes deep into his eyes.

"So, tell me a little about yourself." Jessy said, "Are you from around here?"

"Me? No, I'm just visiting some friends from college. I basically came in for the party, and now I'm glad I did."

Jessy's dress hung off her one shoulder, now that the other strap was ripped. Her pale skin peaked out from behind the black dress. John traced her frame with his eyes.

"So, is this what you normally do? Go to parties and leave with strange women?" Jessy asked.

"Only if they're as lovely as you. I'd never miss a chance to spend time with a goddess."

Jessy blushed. The line was so cheesy, that only someone like her ex would use it. The longer this night went, the more she started to see John as her ex. So many things were the same. She was starting to have trouble remembering that he wasn't her ex.

"Oh come on. You can't expect that line to ever work." Jessy said, looking down at John.

"Well, you seem to have blushed." John said.

"No, I didn't ... "

Yes, you did. I can see it right here." He brushed his hand along her face. "and over here." His hand continued down her neck to her exposed shoulder, and the top of her chest. She felt a rush through her. Then she pulled away, getting off John, and backing away.

"oh come on. This is why you brought us here, isn't it?" John said.

"I...no I.. you just reminded me of an ex of mine.. and I just.. I don't know..." she said backing away.

"Well. Just pretend I'm your ex, and do what you want to do."

She started to back away faster. John quickly got up and closed the distance, sitting on her. He pressed her hands down, and looked at her. He smiled. One of his hands moved to her bare flesh, releasing one of Jessy's hands. She slashed at him with her free hand. He wiped the blood from his face, still smiling, and then ripped at the dress.

Jessy went limp, and her eyes filled with fear. Behind John, the shadow reappeared.

".. at least tell me, do you love me?" Jessy asked in a trembling voice.

"sure, whatever." John replied.


Back at the party, one of John's friends was looking for him.

"Hey Tom, know where John's gone? He was supposed to give me a lift back to the dorm."

"Yeah, I saw him leave here a while back, said something about a girl he had met." Tom replied.

"Really? Was she hot?"

"I don't know. She sounded hot when he described her, tall, fit, long black hair, back dress, silver bracelets, but I never saw her. You ask me, he had had a bit too much to drink and was seeing things." Tom answered.

Charlie's face dropped. "What was her name?"

"oh, I don't know, Jessy... something... Jessy Bert or something like that."

"Jessy Alberts?"

"Yeah that was it. Why you know her?"

"Tom, haven't you heard the legend around here?"

"Sorry, I only come down to this town for the parties." Tom replied.

"Right, I forgot who I was talking to. I grew up here, and Jessy Alberts is a folk tale around here. It seems something like 60 years ago, this teenager named Jessica Alberts, a tall, skinny girl with black hair, who loved Halloween, came back into town after being away at college for the year. She had broken up with her boyfriend of like 6 years while she was away. He was crushed. So, he was determined to see her, when he had heard that she was back in town. She however didn't want to see him, so instead of spending any real time at home, where he knew to find her, she went off to a party. On the way to the party, she met a guy, and they hit it off. Now her ex, looking all over for her, finally comes to the party to find her. They have a big fight, and this guy she just met stands up for her. She leads him out of the party, and up to a place in the forest that she really liked. There they start to make out. Then it seems her ex tracks them down, and furious at seeing them make out, he then proceeds to hack this new guy up, and after he's done with him, he turns on her and hacks her to pieces. Somewhere along the way, he regains some of his senses and starts to dump the pieces into the river. Someone sees this and calls the cops. Now by the time the police show up, the only thing remaining of Jessica is her hand, and most of the pieces of the other guy are still there. The police tell him to put the razor down, instead he slits his wrists and jumps into the river to be with Jessica. Now it's said that she roams the streets on Halloween looking for men to protect her. All sorts of disappearances have been blamed on her."

"You've got to be joking. She was probably just in costume. It is Halloween. Look if you need a lift back to the dorms, I'll take you."


Back in the forest, John presses into Jessy, her free hand clawing at his back. The blood stains his shirt, but he stays in control. Jessy stares into the shadow, seeing a glint of steel emerge. She screams, and John feels cold metal slice into his back.


As the sun starts to rise over running blue waters of the river, they cast a glint over a sinking severed hand. With in seconds it's lost in the murk at the bottom of the river.


End.