“Aren’t you a little too old for trick or treating?” Kevin asked as his little brother grabbed his hand. “All the other kids are going to laugh!”
“No they’re not. All my friends are going this year, and you said you’d take me!”
“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…”
Josh was only six. Kevin had promised him weeks earlier that he would take him out on Halloween, since he was going to be in town. The little guy was dressed in an overly ornate Hogwarts robe, and waving a wand about with his free hand. He was a bit too plump to make a convincing Harry, but Kevin naturally didn’t say a word. Part of his promise to his brother had been to wear a matching costume; he towered over the little wizard in a Dumbledore outfit, complete with beard and wig. He was a much better fit for his role, not having the rounded frame that Josh seemed to be perennially stuck with.
Kevin may have been complaining about taking his little brother out for the night, but he wasn’t serious. Josh was born when he was sixteen. Their parents had never meant to have another child, because they thought they never could have another child. In this light, Josh was a very happy accident indeed, even were they a little past the normal age to be having a new baby. The wide difference in their ages meant that Kevin wasn’t able to be around his new brother much. He left for college when Josh was barely two. Since then, they had seen each other only on Kevin’s rare vacations, and over the summer. Since he was getting married in lieu of moving back home this year, even the summer visits had come to an end. His own life may have been getting in the way, but Kevin wasn’t willing to let Josh forget he had an older brother. Sibling rivalry seems to only affect those that are closer in age.
Darkness had just settled on the neighborhood when the brothers walked out the door, leaving their parents behind on candy duty. Josh was keeping a firm grasp on Kevin’s left hand. He was still young enough to be unashamed of his fear of the dark.
“Do you want to go to the old houses first, or the new subdivision?”
“The new houses. They’ll have more candy.” Josh replied.
“Well said. Lead the way, Potter!” They descended the long hill where their house stood and went into the subdivision that had been built just a few years before. Once past the “River Crossing” sign that marked the entrance, street lights lit up the area almost completely. Public safety at the expense of excessive light pollution. Kevin spotted dozens of other groups of children going from house to house already. Many were younger than Josh, and accompanied by their parents. If one could judge by the fullness of their bags, most of these groups were about ready to head back home. One or two minivans could be seen driving children between driveways. Considering the number of people clogging the roads, and the ludicrously short distance between homes, one could only wonder as to what logic was fueling the drivers.
The sight of the sacks of candy caused a marked acceleration in Josh’s walking pace, and they were soon at their first door. “Well, ring the bell.” Kevin said.
“You do it. You’re the grownup!” Josh whined.
“But you’re the one who wants the candy.”
“You’ll get some too!”
Kevin pretended to think about this for a moment. “Hey, you’re right!” He smiled and pushed in the doorbell. So began the process of organized looting. They got dozens of fun-sized candy bars, licorice, metric tons of small fruit flavored candy, tootsie rolls, and the prerequisite apple from the old couple. Some houses were even giving out the nondescript orange and black things that slightly resembled candy that no child ever ate. Many petitions to permanently remove said “treats” from stores had failed. Josh’s bag, nearly the size of a pillow case, gained weight surprisingly quickly. Kevin placed any candy he received in the convenient pockets that the costume maker had added to the inside of his headmaster’s robe. Occasionally Kevin would stop for a moment to talk to someone he knew from high school, or their parents. This frustrated his little brother to no end, as he was of the opinion that the longer they waited, the more likely someone was to run out of the good stuff.
Calmly munching on a Kit-Kat, Kevin felt a tug on his arm. They had reached the intersection that served as the hub of the subdivision. To their right extended a long road that would eventually end in a cul-de-sac. It met the road they were already on, which also eventually reached a dead end, almost exactly at the halfway point. Tennis courts, a pool, and a small field with picnic tables and park benches had been set up here. It was a mediocre attempt at creating a small town atmosphere within the confines of rows of identical homesteads. There’s something to be said for optimism.
Josh let go of Kevin’s hand and ran over to one of the picnic tables. There were a few other groups of parents with their children at the tables. Josh sat down and started looking through his haul.
“Come on little wizard, mom’s going to want you home before too late, and we need to hurry if you want to go to the old neighborhood too.” Kevin plopped down next to his brother on a bench.
“I just want to rest for a few minutes and see what I got. Just a minute, I promise.”
“Okay, but not too long. And don’t eat too much now; you need to wait until later to make yourself sick. Trust me.”
Kevin absentmindedly adjusted his long robe and observed the others in the area. Despite his earlier assumption that many of the younger children would soon be heading home, numbers of them roaming about didn’t seem to have diminished at all. A desperate mother, dressed as cat woman, was attempting to herd what appeared to be a set of three year old (give or take a few months) twins while holding another kid that looked to have just left the infant stage of development directly in front of their table. Mentally thanking his fiancé for not dropping the birth control quite yet, Kevin glanced in the opposite direction, towards the woods. Much to his surprise he saw a middle school aged boy walking out of them. He was wearing jeans and a loose grey thermal shirt, but had a backpack on that was obviously being used to carry his accumulated loot of treats for the night. A hollow orange plastic pumpkin was filled about halfway with other candies, and slung over his left arm.
“Hey, nice costume!” Kevin called out as the kid passed closer.
The adolescent cocked a smile in his direction. “At least I’m not dressed like a faggoty school master.”
“You might want to watch the language about the children. Besides, isn’t dressing up as stupidly as possible in the spirit of the holiday?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah, right. A bunch of babies and their moronic parents dress up like ghosts and pop icons while running about grabbing as much sugar as possible. The spirit of this holiday used to be a lot different
. Ever think that you should take All Hallows more seriously?”
Ah, the arrogance of youth Kevin thought. Still, he had to admit to himself he had started this conversation when he probably shouldn’t have. “I notice that your desire to take the day seriously hasn’t prevented you from amassing quite a load of said sugar.”
“Well, if it’s there, might as well take advantage.”
“What a revolutionary.” Kevin replied. He was given another sardonic smile and the finger as a response as the young teenager joined the crowd in the direction that the brothers had been heading in.
By now Josh had eaten a few of the choicer pieces and rested his feet long enough. Having completely ignored the conversation that had just taken place, the plump seeker leapt from the bench and started pulling his brother’s hand to get him moving again. Kevin was more than happy to comply. Although he had intended to save the hillier side street for later in the night, hoping that Josh would be tired enough by that point that he wouldn’t have to actually do it, he now lead them in that direction first.
It went essentially the same it had in the first third of the evening. This was the newest section of the subdivision, completed after the original street had already been inhabited. The going was faster because of this, since Kevin had fewer acquaintances to slow their progress. Contrary to what one would think given his rotund frame, Josh didn’t seem to be bothered by the steep terrain at all. Not even the cumbersome robe seemed to hinder him in any way. Watching him made Kevin feel past his prime. They reached the cul-de-sac and did the loop, going down the opposite side on their way back. As they were nearing the intersection Kevin spotted the kid in the grey thermal he had seen earlier. Apparently he noticed Kevin at the same moment, as he called out “Having fun yet?”
“Oh, yes, loads. We got pop-tarts!” Kevin responded.
“Well, I’ll catch you two Rowlingites later. I’ve not hit the old neighborhood yet.” The youth walked on at a brisk pace.
Josh yanked on Kevin’s robe. “Do you know him?”
“Nope, I’ve never seen him before tonight.”
“How did he know we lived in the old houses?”
Kevin shrugged. “He probably lives down here. Our road is the only entrance, so they all have to drive past our house.”
Josh accepted this explanation, and the brothers took a right. It was then that Kevin noticed something that he thought was strange. All the houses on this side were dark. He wasn’t entirely sure if the lights had been on in any of them while they had been sitting at the picnic table, but was almost certain he would have noticed them all being off. Yet, he could see candy bowls sitting on the porches and groups of trick-or-treaters helping themselves from them, so they headed that direction.
The overall numbers of groups making the rounds had died down somewhat. Interestingly enough, it didn’t seem to be any particular age bracket that had given up for the night. Kevin could still see children not old enough to enter Kindergarten yet dragging about their reluctant parents, who were of course saddled with the weight of what their offspring were gathering.
Kevin did his best to prevent Josh from taking advantage of the exposed candy. Sure, he had been known to take more than the recommended amount from an unattended bowl when he was younger, but he didn’t feel right watching his brother do the same.
At some point, Kevin looked back over his shoulder and noticed something strange again. He could see most of the homes on the side street from here, and many of their windows had gone dark. It wasn’t a complete black out like where they were, but Kevin could only remember two or three houses that had had bowls left out when they had been up there. Sure, people could have just decided to go to bed, but it was just now turning nine o’clock. Unless things had changed much more than expected during this last year at school, that wasn’t normal. As he was watching, the lights in another house went out, one at a time. But he could still see trick-or-treaters moving about under the street lights.
Turning back to the matter at hand, he helped Josh finish this side of the neighborhood, and then they headed back to the intersection. The younger brother again tugged Kevin towards the picnic tables, so that he could rest up and eat a bit before the steep hill that lead back to the older sections, which Josh still insisted they had to go to before the night could end. Kevin noticed that all but two or three of the homes on the side street were dark now. He also saw his old friend the kid in the grey shirt leave that road and take a left, going towards the entrance. He didn’t notice the brothers this time, and Kevin was happy to keep it that way.
Kevin couldn’t see any other groups on the roads anymore. He looked at his watch to check the time. Far too early for everyone to turn in. He looked at his brother, diligently unwrapping star burst candies and not paying any attention to the world around him. He immediately wished he hadn’t done this. Turning his eyes towards Josh had also placed the forest directly in his field of vision. At the very edge of the woods, he saw a certain light blue something. It was unmistakable, and it hadn’t been there either time they had passed this way earlier.
It was an overturned baby carriage.
“Come on Josh, it’s getting late, let’s head home.” Did the child notice the forced tone? Kevin hoped not.
“But you promised we could do all the houses!”
“I also promised mom and dad that I would get you home at a reasonable hour. Besides, your bag is nearly full as it is, do you really need more candy?”
“Yes!” Josh screamed. Stupid question.
“Then I’ll take you out to the store tomorrow and buy you any kind you want, how’s that?”
Josh was silent in thought for a moment. “Will they really get mad at you if you don’t bring me home on time? They’re never mad at you.”
“Yes, they’ll be very angry and worried. When I was your age, they took me home at eight.” Kevin mentally hurried Josh along. He didn’t want to be having this conversation, but he didn’t want to worry his little brother, either.
“Alright, we’ll go home. But I want more Reese’s tomorrow.”
“It’s a deal.” Josh grabbed Kevin’s hand and they began to exit the subdivision at as brisk a pace as Kevin dared. Something definitely wasn’t right. Half of the lights in the houses on this street had gone out while they were at the intersection. Candy bowls sat next to the front doors of all of them. Kevin looked everywhere, and still couldn’t see another person walking. Even their lovely grey shirted friend had disappeared. His thoughts moved along at a brisk pace. Certainly this was all very strange, but was it enough to get frightened over? He was being scared by plastic dishes and middle school kids! Knowing this didn’t change anything, of course.
Kevin’s mind had just turned to what Margaret was going to say when he got back to campus on Monday when they exited the subdivision, and the range of the street lights. Now they marched on in darkness. Now Josh was scared.
“Kevin, where’d everyone else go? Did their parents make them go home, too? What about the older kids?”
“I’m sure that’s where they went Josh. Halloween is a very bad time to be out late.” They were almost home now. Josh didn’t notice, or he just might not have asked, but Kevin did. He couldn’t see any lights on through the trees that surrounded their yard. This didn’t necessarily mean anything, as none of the high-traffic areas of the house faced the street…but it didn’t make him feel much better. They walked a few more feet and Kevin reached into one of his robe’s pockets, looking for his car keys. He found them and quickly pressed the button on his keychain that unlocked all of his van’s doors and turned on the lights. At least now they would be able to see something once they got there.
When they reached the end
of their driveway, Kevin didn’t like what he saw at all. He could now definitely tell that none of the lights were on. There wasn’t even a dim glow in the windows that would mean there was a lit bulb somewhere deeper in the house, perhaps the kitchen. In his Caravan’s headlights, he could see that the green wooden front door had been shut, which his parents never did until they were ready to go to bed, and they never retired this early. And there, right next to the door, was a brilliant orange plastic bowl, filled with candy.
Another button press on the keychain and the side door to Kevin’s van opened itself. He ushered Josh towards it.
“What? I wanna go inside! Where are we going?” Josh struggled against his big brother.
“We’re not going anywhere. Not yet, at least. I have to go check something inside. Just wait here for me, okay?”
“But…”
“Hey, I took you out trick or treating all night didn’t I? Just do me a favor and stay in the van until I come back out of the house, please? Then I’ll take you wherever you want to go and get you whatever candy you want, just like I promised. Mom and dad are asleep, and I don’t want you to wake them.”
“But I won’t!” Josh whined.
“Please, just say in the van.”
“Kevin…”
“Josh! It’s only going to be five minutes, I promise!” Kevin couldn’t remember ever getting this forceful with his little brother before. He didn’t like it much.
“Fine!” Josh got inside and slammed the door. He was in a huff and pouting, but Kevin hoped he would stay. He went and opened the driver’s door and flipped on the dome lights, so that Josh wouldn’t have to worry about being afraid of the dark. He debated turning on the child safety locks, but decided against it. Without someone watching him, Josh could easily climb to the front seat and open the doors if he wanted to break his promise and get out. He did engage all of the external locks. No one was getting in unless Josh opened one of the doors.
With his little brother (hopefully) safe, Kevin walked to the front door. His shadow flared out in front of him, thanks to the backlighting of his headlights. Smarties and Sweettarts rose to the brim of the bowl that was set next to his door. The bowl looked familiar, his parents used it every year, but he was certain that all they had bought to give out this year was fun-sized Snickers and bags M&M’s. He tried the knob on the door, and found it locked. Blessing whatever random thought had made him take his keys with him earlier, he unlocked it and went inside.
The silence was deafening. No televisions or radios could be heard. Even the normally unnoticed background noise, such as ceiling fans and refrigerators, was absent from the house. The stairs that led to the second floor began directly to the right of the entrance hallway. Kevin’s mother had kept the same antique, empty vase on a table in the landing since he was ten. It was overturned and broken at his feet. Four steps up was a red house slipper that looked like one of his father’s. Kevin’s shoes crunched loudly over broken pottery as he walked to the hall closet past the stairs. He was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was dressed in a long robe and itchy beard. What a ridiculous way to face an intruder. He opened the closet door, reached inside, and pulled out an ancient wooden baseball bat that he had used in little league. It wasn’t a shotgun, but it would do.
Doubling back, Kevin began to climb to the bedrooms on the second floor. Someone or something had either come up or gone down these stairs in a great hurry. If it had gone up, and it was still here, he’d see what it was shortly enough. If it had gone downstairs, then Kevin would grab one of the hunting rifles kept in the upstairs gun cabinet, and deal with it much more effectively.
He emerged from the stairwell and saw that all four bedroom doors were closed. Just outside the door that led to Kevin’s parents’ room was the companion to the red slipper he had seen before. Sweat slicked his palms, and he tightened his grip on the bat. His beard felt loose. He walked over and put his hand on the knob, but didn’t turn it.
The door vibrated in its frame. It was too light of a hit to be something deliberately slamming it, but something heavy had definitely just been placed or fallen against it.
Clutching the bat, Kevin opened the door.