Holidays

Chapter 10: Halloween: Will

Will was terrified after he heard his cousin’s scream. Thoughts rushed through his mind, I should go down there, but what if I’m next? Maybe I should get the fuck out of here. He imagined if he tried, the door would lock and he’d be trapped. He had to warn everyone, but he didn’t want to scare them. He had to tell them.

Everyone gathered in the dining room.

“Joel and Arya were taken by the ghost and we’re the only ones left in the house. My plan is we stick together and hide in the attic? Or look around for the ghost together.” Will suggested.

“What if we — ”

The lights went out again, someone screamed, and the lights turned back on. Brittany Friedman wasn’t in her chair, she had disappeared.

“Great, now Brittany’s gone,” Will said.

The remaining party go-ers ran out of the room. A few of them tried to leave the house, but the door was locked.

Kevin, an ex of an ex, stayed. “Hey, I ain’t getting taken by the ghost.”

“Good, let’s look for the others.”

Kevin followed Will to the kitchen. One of the drawers opened on its own and a knife hovered out of it. It flew through the air and almost stabbed Kevin, but Will pulled him down to the floor. It stabbed the wall.

“Thanks, that was close,” Kevin said.

“You’re welcome, stay vigilant. Another knife or object could fly at you at any moment.”

The cabinets under the sink flew open and pots and pans shot out.

A pan hovered near Kevin and the back of it swat him in the face. The swing knocked him unconscious.

“Sorry, Kevin. I don’t know you that well and I have to find the others. I’m leaving you here, but I’ll be back for you.” Will ran out of the kitchen.

The power went out once more and an echoing maniacal laugh filled the room.

“This isn’t a haunting anymore, this is a poltergeist,” Will said to himself as he rushed into the living room.

The lights turned back on and the TV turned itself on. Todd Johnson walked into the room in a daze. He sat in front of the TV. He started talking to the static on the screen. Will only heard mumbles from Todd.

“Todd, what are you doing?”

Will walked up to Todd. The light from the lamp in the room flickered and Todd put his hands on the screen. The television sucked him in and Will shouted his name. He held him by the ankles and pulled on them as hard as he could, but the force in the TV was too strong. It almost pulled Will in too, but he let go. He had to try and save the others.

The power went out and came back on.

Will walked upstairs to Arya’s parents’ bedroom. Once he opened the door, a flash of light blinded him.

A girl, Terry Wilmos rolled out from under the bed.

“Terry, am I glad to see you. You won’t believe the night I’ve had-”

“I’m not Terrance, I’m — ”

The being possessing Terry put their hand on Will’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and they saw into his mind, he saw his worst memory on replay. The last day he saw his grandfather.

It was a beautiful Summer day, they all (Will, his parents, and his grandfather) went out for ice cream at the Ice Creamery. They got their favorite flavors and ate them in the car. But then his grandfather clasped his chest. He was having a heart attack and Will’s father called 9–1–1. He was rushed to the hospital. He was stable in the ambulance, but at the hospital, his condition declined. He died on the hospital bed. Will cried that day as he knew he’d never see his grandpa again.

The being left Terry’s body and Will collapsed onto the floor. Terry fell backward and onto the bed. She was unconscious. Will tried to shake her awake, but it was no use. He couldn’t carry her, so he left her.

“I’ll be back for you.” Will left the room and the door shut behind him. It locked, but he still tried to turn the knob. He even tried to knock the door down, but he was too weak. He heard the echoing laugh and screaming again.

Will ran downstairs. He had to get out of there or he’d be next. He rushed to the backdoor, but it was in the kitchen. Utensils and kitchenware still floated around. He decided to hide in the coat closet. When he opened the closet door, he found the missing people, Arya, Joel, Kevin, Terry, Brittany, and Todd. Their hands were tied up with rope and their mouths were constricted with cloths. He removed the cloth from Joel’s mouth.

“What happened?” Will asked.

“I don’t know. One minute I was in the basement and the next I was in the closet,” Joel replied, his voice quivering.

Then the closet door slammed shut. Joel tried to open it, but it was stuck.

“Now that I’ve got you all in one place,” a male voice said.

“Leave us alone, you’ve put us through enough,” Will told the voice.

“Will, what are you doing?” Joel asked.

“I’m telling the ghost off.”

Will untied Joel and then untied Arya.

“This is my house and my party. And you’ve ruined it,” Arya shouted.

Suddenly, the door opened and everything went back to normal. The pots, pans, and other utensils returned to their original spots. Arya helped untie his friends and they walked out of the closet.

“You should probably move to a new house,” Will said to Arya.

Arya nodded.

The party guests left through the now unlocked front door.