BOO!

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

 Hang your ghastly decorations

black lights, demon pumpkins, and witches.

You’re wasting your expectations.

Ghosts don’t exist.

 How can they haunt or harm

To be frightened, I resist.

 October, Halloween, or

All Hallows Eve.

 The dead don’t rise

and bones won’t walk or rattle

for either tricks or treats.

 So, play your games.

But I don’t buy it.

 Ghosts and ghoulies

are only a figment of your imagination.

The stroke of midnight will show

you’ve wasted your fear 

And now November 3rd is here!

Mwahahaha!!!

YES!

Halloween Fog

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

A Halloween Fog

I’ve seen all the ‘fog’ movies and watched gleefully as the victims paid for their audacity. Slashers, horrendous creatures, and hideous bugs have all hidden their evil in the murkiness of a foggy night. But that’s movie-making, the scarier, the better. In reality, a walk into the thick mist is super energizing.

It allows me to disappear, lurk, stalk, and yes, kill with delicious precision. I bet you thought I was going to talk about how I enjoy being swallowed by nature. How I become part of it and relish the experience. Well, that’s all true, but for me, it’s all about the victim.

After all, I know their fear. It’s the best part. My victim’s terror is what feeds me. I can smell it on them as they cautiously move past me, unaware and yet very aware that I’m there. As the smell of panic becomes more potent, I wonder why they come out? Is it a dare? Are they looking for a confrontation? It can’t be to prove their bravery. They exhibit none! Because no one accidentally wanders into the woods in the dark of night. Well, no one but me.

My favorite victim is the lone young woman. Although I do adore the young couples looking for a place to be alone. But tonight, I’ve hit the jackpot. A young woman is walking nonchalantly down the path. She’s not cautious or fearful, which takes a bit of the fun out the night. The bitch is on her phone and barely paying attention to the direction she’s taken. Still, she’s the perfect victim. Lost, stupid, and unaware. I can’t just let her pass. She’s mine. All mine!

I move ahead of her and get ready to pounce—my best blade at hand.

I jump in front of her, grab her with both arms, and say, “Excuse me. I didn’t see you there. The fog tonight is so thick.” Then I give her my best laugh and wait for her to realize her fate.

She rolls her eyes. “I know,” she says. It was specifically prepared for the night. My people know the perfect thickness for a Halloween cover. It’s the best way to catch predators. Like you.”

Her smile shows perfect white teeth, a lot of jagged, and terrifyingly sharp teeth. I try to shake off my shock at her response. “What?” I mumble, caught totally off guard by her words and that mouth—those teeth.

But she only smiles. “What number am I? The tenth, isn’t it?”

“You…you know me?’

“We keep track. Thought the police would take you off the street, but the cops haven’t, so we have to.”

“You? Who are you?” My knife slips from my overly moist hand.

“Your worst enemy, my dear.” Her laugh stuns, and her teeth continue to grow. Before my eyes, her body morphs into the most hideous creature I’ve ever seen.

This monster was a mixture of dark colors, red, black, purple, and flowing with green blood coursing through transparent veins. She had arms everywhere, long, powerful legs and now stood at least ten feet tall—her mouth. Oh god, that mouth and those sharp, hideous teeth that dripped with putrid saliva caused my stomach to lurch in revolt. She wrapped her arms around me, and, in a flash, we were in the middle of the forest.

Within minutes I was stripped of all clothes. My hands were tied behind my back with twine, and with a grubby potato stuffed into my mouth, her even uglier friends gingerly lowered me into a large pot of cold water. She dropped in cups full of salt, pepper, cayenne, and several bay leaves.

“Dinner will be ready in about two hours,” she announced as she lighted a fire under the pot I was in. “We want this one to simmer awhile. I like my soup thick,” she told the crowd around her as two other monsters added several large pots of navy beans.

The crowd shouted their appreciation. I watched, dumbfounded, as the monsters settled down on the grass to continue their games and conversations. I noticed that the fog had separated. It circled the area and provided a dome of protection. What I once relished as protection had betrayed me. A higher evil had assumed power.

Fear the fog! Don’t venture down an unknown or even known path on a profoundly thick night, and especially on Halloween.

Listen to what I tell you. I know, I should have heeded my own words. Remember when I said that no one accidentally wanders into the fog on a dark and lonely night, especially on Halloween! What I thought was a beautiful, young girl proves my word.

Yes, I know it’s all too funny. Especially as these are the words of a serial killer. But if folks like me don’t get you—maybe these hungry creatures will!

835 Words

 Yolanda Renée (C) 2020

*****

Join us for the WEP October Challenge

Grave Mistake

Happy Halloween!

A Haunting Challenge

Photo by Daniel Jensen on Unsplash

A Haunting Challenge

It's Halloween, the one night I roam the Earth. It was my decision to leave this world. I was sure it would solve all my problems. I was wrong. Regardless, one fateful Halloween night, I walked into the ocean. Now I rise at 12:01 a.m. and return at 11:59 p.m. every year on that same day, Halloween.

I pray for the day my soul will finally be released, the day my problems will indeed be solved, but that can only happen after I pay penance for my error.

You see, suicide is wrong. It goes against all the laws of man and God. I knew this but didn't fully believe it. So yes, I committed the ultimate sin.

Given two options, hellfire for eternity or heaven, I chose forgiveness even though I knew a penance was due.

The devil would gladly accept my soul, he's told me so, but I want to prove that I'm worthy of God's grace, and the only way I can achieve that is to keep one hundred other people from doing the deed I accomplished. Since I died on Halloween night, it's the only night I can return to Earth to save like-minded souls.

Not an easy task as I am the way death has left me. Getting folks to accept a bloated corpse, dripping with seaweed, sand, and saltwater is not an easy task even on Halloween. My skin is gray-green, and I have open wounds caused by hungry sea creatures. With hanging flesh, dripping hair, and blackened eyes along with hesitant movements as I try to remember how to walk on land vs. floating in the dark void of the sea, I frighten more than impress.

My only salvation is that most of the world is also in costume. I get numerous compliments, mostly from drunken partiers, but finding a suicidal person willing to listen to my message is nearly impossible. I've been haunting Halloween night for over seventy-five years, and I've only saved thirty people. Not surprisingly, at first, I drove just as many to madness or death. Until I learned a method to the madness that worked.

Of late, I've heard through the rumor mill that I may get amnesty if I continue to do my best and complete a hundred years of service to the cause, but I've also heard rumors of an even longer punishment.

The task is challenging, but I haunt on as I have a goal to achieve because the sea's moist, icy darkness is much more palatable than Hell's arid burning brightness!

Please, my dear sad and lost souls, consider your quest. Your penance may be much more challenging and way longer than mine.

463 words

Yolanda Renee © 2020

****

Don't forget to check out the newest challenge

from the WEP

Write...Edit...Publish.

Grave Mistake

Happy Halloween!

We Saw It Coming!

October the month of 

Halloween 

is just days away!

My favorite month of the year.

To celebrate

I've written several flash fiction shorts for your enjoyment.

This is one of the first, and although my husband told me this wasn't a Halloween tale. I beg to differ. Dystopia, a word I've been hearing almost daily on the various news shows brought me this story during a nightmare. And honestly, it frightens me more than any of the other others that I've posted.

But I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Happy Halloween!

Photo by Taylor Simpson on Unsplash

We Saw It Coming!

Exactly one year after the 2020 election, the knock at the door came at noon. We still weren’t ready. But the two men with AK-47’s who came to escort us to the waiting bus didn’t care.

“Weapons?” he asked.

“No, sir, we don’t own any.” And we didn’t. In our younger years, we’d each owned guns. We even enjoyed shooting them, but when the babies arrived, we sold them to keep the house safe. We’d never bothered to replace them.

The man grunted. “Figures. Stupid liberals,” he said and smiled. Nodding to his buddy, he shoved my husband forward. “Should’ve kept your Republican registration, you might have had a chance.” Me, he let pass with only a sneer while mumbling, “Independent, slut!”

We were being moved to new quarters. A camp for the elderly, they said—a place where we’d be taken care of. Medicare and Social Security had been done away with, and those of us that relied on it had to sell off our assets and agree to move to the ‘camps’ for continued care. The bus was full of folks in the same position, and then I saw the young mother and her child, sitting in the back seat. We took the seat in front of them.

“What are you doing here, dear?”

“I need care for my child,” she whispered. Without government assistance, I can’t provide for her special needs. I was told I could go to the camp and work there for the care we both need.”

“I see.” I gazed at my husband. He shrugged, already resigned to the future.

“I’m glad you’ll be with us. It'll be nice to have some youngsters running around," I said, trying to remain optimistic.

“Thank you,” she said. “Anny’s already missing her granny.”

“Did she go someplace else?”

“Oh no,” the young woman said. She was killed during the takeover. When the Patriots came to claim our city, she and Grandpa were on the front lines with a sign of protest. They were shot. Killed immediately.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said.

She gave a weak smile. “It’s all right. They knew what would happen. I think they welcomed death. Ever since the election, and all the changes, with COVID-19, all the unrest and violence. Neither of them wanted to live to see their free America destroyed. I would have gone with them, but I couldn’t do that to my sweet Anny. She needs me.”

I nodded and turned in my seat. My eyes filled with tears. I had wanted to do the same thing, but my husband said it couldn’t get any worse, be patient. He was wrong.

We saw it coming. The madman in the White House calling all the shots. Illegal, outrageous, unconstitutional, but everyone let him do his thing. Sure, they tried impeachment. Ha, what a joke. His own party excused his every move. After all, they were in power, and power is everything when increasing the bottom line is your only goal. Screw the people!

Most of my family voted him into office, then placed him there again, no matter what laws he broke. Even the people he wanted to destroy voted for him. It boggles the mind. Scars the soul. Now the old, the disabled, and anyone else who doesn’t bow and swear allegiance or simply doesn’t fit the mold are being forced to move into ‘camps’ for their own good.

I can't help, but wonder—do these camps have ovens, gas chambers, or were we to be poisoned during dinner?

The End

540 Words

Yolanda Renee © 2020

Please Vote!

The future of our Democracy 

depends on you!

Photo by visuals on Unsplash

Sweet Revenge - A Halloween Challenge

It's Time!

A   Blue Moon  on
Halloween
What could be better?

 October 31, 2020, at 12:49 AM.

Are you ready?

To help inspire you, 

Here is the last installment of 
Blood Moon.
It's title

Sweet Revenge

Enjoy!

If you missed the first three excerpts just click the link:
Romance & Death
Hunted
Masked

Photo by Arisa Chattasa on Unsplash

Sweet Revenge

         It took me several years to learn the secret of the mountain. Each anniversary of my death, I would get to relive the horror of that night. It took a while, but I learned that if I quit fighting the forest, I could separate myself from the event. 
          The next time Kyle brought his fun to the mountain on a Halloween, I was ready. 
           Do you see him? His bones are bleaching in the sun. He came back to me, and revenge was ever so sweet.

         The young girl he brought with him was led safely to the main road by the forest. Help came for her in the form of a couple returning home from a Halloween party. She is safe and now sharing her tale of horror with the authorities. Soon they'll be searching the woods for Kyle and his victims. They'll find most of them, and they'll find me, but Kyle is here to stay. He's mine—a plaything to help me while away the years.

           I tortured, killed, and thoroughly relished his screams. I told you revenge is sweet, and the music of it even sweeter!

         The forest, my new friend, cooperated fully. The brambles stripped him of his clothes, and using their sharp thorns, they ripped the skin from his body. His howls were a melody like no other. All the animals joined in, and I danced to the macabre tune.

         Tree roots pulled his limbs from his body, slowly, but deliberately. His shrieks were a crescendo that I still hear echoing in the loneliest hours of the night.

         Rocks and boulders covered him. Using their weight, they crushed the life out of him, slowly. His last breath was like a caress, sweet, warm—orgasmic. Heavenly.

         Before he died, I plucked his eye out and stuffed it down his throat. I left him one eye, so he could watch me dance on his grave. I did to him all that he did to me and more. The pain he experienced, the terror he felt, is like having life returned. The memory of it I relive each night. I dance in the moonlight and relish the peace of the wind in the trees. 
          My trees—my mountain—my home!

         Beware, dear friend, for if you visit my new abode with evil in mind, we'll be waiting. The forest and I have honed our skills.

The end 

or is it?

Are you ready for the challenge now?

Read the other installments of Blood Moon here

Romance & Death

Hunted

Masked

Sweet Revenge

Have I enticed you?

Is your writing muse tingling?

Then join the WEP in October for

the Halloween Challenge!

A Grave Mistake, you ask?

Well, what in the hell is that?

Well, dear friend

It’s the next WEP task.

And believe me

there’s many away

Where errors take sway

Where ghosts and ghoulies will play

and many unorthodox ideas

 rue the day.

So, get out your pens and pads.

We’ve given you

A dare for your best scare

Because Halloween is for all

And who knows?

You may take

first prize for your Grave Mistake!

Write...Edit...Publish

Masked - A Halloween Challenge

It's Time!

A beautiful  Blue Moon  on
Halloween!
 October 31, 2020, at 12:49 AM.

Are you ready?

To help inspire you, 

Here is the third installment of Blood Moon.
It's title

Masked 

Enjoy!

If you missed the first two excerpts just click the link:
Romance & Death
Hunted

Photo by Luke Southern on Unsplash

Masked 

The monster that took me wore his mask well. His deep blue eyes sparkled when he laughed. His smile was captivating and felt sincere. The dimple on his right cheek was so endearing; I even saw it on the child I imagined we'd someday have. And his physique—swoon-worthy. When he held me in his arms, I felt safe. I trusted his strength to protect me, and I imagined our lovemaking would be indescribable.

          Remember, we'd only dated a few times. Tonight was going to be the night. It was already planned, but that was before I knew I'd be fighting the devil for my life.

          And I did fight. A lot of good it did me. He won. In the end, don't they always. After all, a successful serial killer plans his task well. His victim—she never has a chance.

          But I tried, and I did leave my mark. You can still see it today, but I'm sure all the girls tell him his jagged scar just makes him look more rugged. His blood and skin under my nails would never do me any good though because I never told a soul about Kyle. I never told anyone where we were going. No one even knew I was missing until a week had passed. It wasn't until months later that a tourist found my camera near the road and gave it to the police. My prize-winning picture of the Blood Moon was identified as mine because of the selfie I took. It was my last photograph and the one my parents value most. Even now, I kick myself for not taking it with Kyle, but he was camera shy. Of course he was—the bastard!

          It was a full two years later that a hunter discovered my skull and a few gnawed bones. Dental records finally identified me.

          Kyle is still at it, and if he comes back to his cabin in the woods, I'll be waiting. I'll be ready because now I've won the forest to my side and his time has come.

To be continued…

Join me next week when

I’ll publish the final installment of 
Blood Moon! 
Titled

Sweet Revenge

Have I enticed you?

Is your writing muse tingling?

Then join the WEP in October for

the Halloween Challenge!

A Grave Mistake, you ask?

Well, what in the hell is that?

Well, dear friend

It’s the next WEP task.

And believe me

there’s many away

Where errors take sway

Where ghosts and ghoulies will play

and many unorthodox ideas

 rue the day.

So, get out your pens and pads.

We’ve given you

A dare for your best scare

Because Halloween is for all

And who knows?

You may take

first prize for your Grave Mistake!

Write...Edit...Publish

Hunted - A Halloween Challenge

It's Time!

A Blue Moon will occur on
Halloween!
 October 31, 2020, at 12:49 AM.

Are you ready?

To help inspire you, 

Here is the second installment of my short story
Blood Moon.
It's title

Hunted

Enjoy!

If you missed the first installment 
just click HERE!

Photo by Vladimir Agafonkin on Unsplash

Hunted

I knew you'd be back. No one wants to miss out on the details of my death. After all, it's almost time for Halloween. And the gorier, the better, isn't that it? That's fine. I understand. Because this couldn't possibly happen to you. You'd have been smarter, more aware, less trusting. Yeah, I'll bet.

     So okay, you're curious. You want to know how a girl like me ended up on a mountain top surrounded by nothing but the darkness and trees. Thousands of silent trees, watching and waiting. They knew where the demon hunting me was located, but they refused to tell me. I could hear them whispering, laughing, even making bets on how and when he would catch me.

     Evil. The night was filled with it. I'm just not sure if he brought the malevolence or if it already existed, and he just learned how to harness it, but it's my goal to find out. I have the time…all the time in the world!

     But back to the hunt. Naked and with my hands still tied behind my back, he unchained me from his bed. His laughter reverberated as he calmly stood there sharpening his knife.

     "Run," he said. "See how far you get before I find you and demonstrate just how loving I can be." He licked the length of his knife and smiled. "Go. I always give them one last chance." Then he turned away, and I took off.

     I ran straight into the darkness and was enveloped into a pit of horror. The brambles tore at my skin, ripped tiny holes that seeped with blood and burned like fire. Even the ground betrayed me. The dead leaves and brittle branches crunched and snapped, breaking the silence and gave away my location. But the worst was the tiny stones that tore holes in the bottoms of my soft feet and left bloody footprints my pursuer could smell. Because obviously, the monster caught me. Of course, he was familiar with the area, but with the help of the forest, how could he fail? The creep grew up here. The bastard had honed his murderous craft in these woods.

     My monster loved the hunt, relished the capture, but he cherished the kill.

To be continued…

Join me next week when

I’ll publish the third installment of Blood Moon!

Titled

Masked

Have I enticed you?

Is your writing muse tingling?

Then join the WEP in October for

the Halloween Challenge!

A Grave Mistake, you ask?

Well, what in the hell is that?

Well, dear friend

It’s the next WEP task.

And believe me

there’s many away

Where errors take sway

Where ghosts and ghoulies will play

and many unorthodox ideas

 rue the day.

So, get out your pens and pads.

We’ve given you

A dare for your best scare

Because Halloween is for all

And who knows?

You may take

first prize for your Grave Mistake!

Write...Edit...Publish