Stumbles - Halloween 2018 Short Story #2

by: Roger A Wilbanks

I really hate Halloween. I mean I REALLY hate it. Not your garden variety "take it or leave it" kind of hate, either.

The "I want to set it on fire and salt the ashes after it burns alive" kind.

That's probably a pretty funny statement to hear coming from a ghost. I get that. You would just assume most of us supernatural types are partying it up on Halloween. But not me. No sir. And I've got my reasons.

You see, I'm a ghost. May have mentioned that before, but I'm not the "scare the Beejeebus out of you" kind. I'm the "I just want to be left the HELL alone" kind.

Thing is, I'm not graceful. I have this habit of, well, stumbling. I was like that when I was alive, I'm like that now. I guess God must have been short one yuck monkey in the afterlife when my time came up.

You can only imagine how hard it is keeping a low profile when you're constantly bumping into everything. I remember after I passed, I woke up like this, some kinda conscious cloud, invisible to the living. Well to people at any rate. Dogs can kind of see me, or smell me. To be honest, not really sure how that works, but they know I'm there and that's all that matters.

So there I am, this newly minted spook, not sure where or what I am and I start walking or floating or whatever it is I do in what used to be my house, only everything is different now. Imagine going to sleep and waking up to find that someone's thrown out all your crap and replaced all your junk with theirs and on top of that, they've moved it all around on you. It's like getting up in the middle of the night to go pee at someone else's house. Things just ain't gonna work out well for you at that point.

Case in point. When I first woke up here on the other side, I was still in a lotta pain. The cancer that killed me wasn't quite done with me and it felt like every piece of me was on fire. One second, I'm in my bed saying my goodbyes to my family, the next, I'm sitting in the same room I died in but everything's different. The bed's been spun around. The dresser's different and on the wrong side of the room. There's a nightstand in the way now. Horrible. I stand up for the first time as a spook in this bizarro world and I do what I always do. I stumble.

Now there's fellas that will swear to you ghosts are immaterial. Well, that fella's only halfway correct. We're immaterial when we want to be. At that moment, though...I didn't want to be. I was falling down and, hell...I didn't know I was a ghost yet. It's not like they gave me a rule book or anything. But anyways, I put out my hand like this to keep from falling and I knock over a lamp that had no place being where it was. It goes crashing to the ground, I pass clean through the floor and tumble through a wall, making a crazy racket the entire time. I hear some lady yelling in the kitchen and that was odd. The first time I heard a liver talk from the other side. It's like they're underwater or something. Well this liver cusses up a storm till she gets in the room. By this time, I've figured it out and am poking my head through the wall and watching her. She thought her dog made the mess till the little beast comes trotting in the room. Fido takes one look at me, smells me or whatever and freaks the HELL out. Starts barking and whining. I hear THIS just fine. Runs to the wall I'm poking my head out of and starts clawing it to shreds. Needless to say, this takes baby girl back a bit. She turns as white as me. I get a kick out of this and chuckle. SHE HEARS ME. Scared the piss out of her. Literally. She just wet herself right there where she stood. She was gone from the house in a week and I never saw her again. But she did take all her crap with her and left the house blessedly empty. So thank you, Pee Lady.

I found out living like this ain't like it is for the livers out there. Not like it is in the traditional, sense at any rate. There is no more 24 hour day. It all blurs now, like watching a movie that just keeps jumping forward. One minute my house is empty, the next thing I know, someone's put a frikkin ottoman in front of the fireplace and there is a fire burning. I discover both of these at approximately the same time as I trip over the ottoman and go sailing into said lit fire. It doesn't hurt, but again, it catches me off guard. I make a ruckus, I curse up a storm and then I sit in the fireplace and turn to see the family gathered around my fireplace. I'm guessing I had some soot sticking to me because as the sparks die down, they are all looking right at me. I pass on through the fireplace floor and into the basement. I come back up into the room behind them and watch them staring at the place I was and looking at each other. I figure at this point, I'll just go back to the basement and wait this out and turn and walk right into a display case that shouldn't be there and send it crashing to the floor.

Dad must have been the religious type cause he's got all of his spawn behind him and he's pointing a crucifix at me like it's a loaded gun. I giggle. He hears that and lunges at me mumbling something like "the flower of rice propels me..." I sink into the floor again to get away from him but this crazy man but the jackass follows me into the basement, throwing holy water on everything. Some of it sticks to the soot on my face and gets in my eye. I start howling like a wounded bear and the coot runs backwards and busts his head on a beam.

Time does that wacky thing again and jumps forward and now I'm alone in the basement. I hear commotion directly above me. I poke my head through the floor to see what's going on and see a full blown exorcism going on in my friggin living room. These assholes are trying to kick me out of MY house like I haven't paid the rent! This was MY house! I wasn't going anywhere! Still tho, I got it. I knew the score. As long as these mushrooms were in my house I had to be careful and not bump into anything. Easy to say, hard to do. Like I said, I ain't particularly graceful. So I bump into a few more things, Jehovah’s Gestapo chases me around with holy water and a super soaker until they finally give up and get out.

Now the place is nice and quiet with NO crap in the way. I don't even mind the broken windows and hole in the ceiling. But I will tell you what I do mind. Hallo-freakin-Ween. That's what. I get 364 days a year of peace and quiet till the calendar flips and then I get the crazies who want to see the 'documented poltergeist' whatever the hell THAT is. Some of these turnip heads even spend the night, running power into the house from a generator outside. Sometimes I unplug the cords, sometimes I switch the generator off, once I drained the gasoline out, but that was a pain in the ass. Most of the time I just hide in the basement and wait for them to leave. I blocked the entrance up so no one can find it. But every year they came and every year it got worse. So last year, I got fed up and had my "Popeye Moment" Where I "had all I can stands and I can't stands no more." As soon as they got in the house, I ghosted the locks so they couldn't get out. Then I "stumbled" into their kerosene lamp (Honestly. Who uses those anyway?) I dump the lamp on the floor and the house catches fire like tissue paper. I didn't mean to kill those people, well, I wasn't doing this for that reason. I really just wanted to scare them. Some par of me may have wanted some company, but it didn't matter. They didn't sick around. Almost the second they died, that light shined out of nowhere and everywhere and they walked right on in. I see this and start running towards the light, but wouldn't you know? I stumble on that lamp and fall and the light just goes away.

So now, here I am, living in the basement, house burned down and these crazy bastards have turned the entire place into a campground that kicks off on October 1. Every year.

GOD I hate this holiday.

All God's Creatures 2018 Halloween Story

All God's Creatures

by: Roger A Wilbanks

1

"Will you shut that goddamn dog up?!?"

Tom threw a half full beer can at the screen door between him and Sluggo, the 90lb Pitbul currently barking its head off.

"He's been going on like that all night and I'm trying to watch the goddamn news now.!" he growled.

"I already missed the end of Forged in Fire...stupid mutt. YEAH! I'm talking to you!"

He threw an empty can at the door. Sluggo continued barking, never breaking eye contact with the obese human screaming from his chair.

"Did he get into something? Check the garbage." Carol screamed. "I bet he got into some chocolate. I heard it makes em go nuts."

"How the hell would I know, woman? I haven't moved in three hours."

"Got THAT right."

"You better handle up on that miserable mouth of yours before I handle up on it myself."

Sluggo was now clawing at the screen door and scream barking.

"Look at that goddamn mutt of yours, woman! He's tearing up my fucking door! You better do something about it before I do."

The dog stopped barking. It now locked eyes with Tom and the sudden calm that covered the room felt alien when compared to the chaos that filled it only a few seconds before.

"Wait, what? The FUCK are YOU looking at dog? Honey? Get me my gun or some kind of big old stick. This dog don't look right!"

Sluggo's right ear pricked to his side. It took its time circling back to focus on a now shaking Tom. The hook lock on the screen door lifted itself from its hoop as Tom watched slackjawwed. His eyes doubled in size as the door creaked open and the dog took his first careful step into the house he was never allowed in. He had stopped looking at Tom now and focused his attention a point just over his shoulder. Tom began shuffling deeper into his La-Z-Boy, fumbling on the floor for one of his discarded shoes.

"Get in here and get your dog, Carol! He ain't right!"

Sluggo walked towards Tom with purpose and with care. It was a solemn walk intended to give one viewing it time to appreciate it. His attention still focused on a spot just on the wall behind Tom, a slow and menacing growl began to bubble from deep within the dog. Carol appeared in the hallway and saw her sweet little baby stalking her boyfriend.

"Sluggy-bear," she sang. "Come see momma."

The dog turned to look at her and as the door to the living room closed itself she saw Sluggo look back at Tom and smile.

2

"In local news, police in Cockrell Hill make a gruesome discovery when they find Thomas Sweeny and his common law wife Carol mauled to death by the couple's pitbull. Police were forced to euthanize the animal when it refused to allow them entry into the house and appeared to be protecting the bodies of the deceased when they arrived."

"Oh those dogs are so horrible!" Doris pulled another liver flavored treat from the pouch and presented it to Daisy. "Just dreadful." The shit-zu regarded the treat for a second before accepting it with regal elegance.

"Obviously bad breeding. Nothing like my little Daisy-kiss." She kissed the dog on the nose. The dog allowed it.

A whisper drifted across the room from an open window.

"Kill her." it said.

"What was that?" Doris turned down the sound on her television. Daisy hopped down from her lap. Doris cocked her ears to try to recapture the ethereal sound to no avail.

Daisy licked her feet as Doris returned the television's standard volume. The newscasters were waxing poetic on the public opinion regarding pitbulls as an aggressive species. Doris agreed. Daisy stopped licking her foot and stared at the living room window. Doris patted her empty lap and Daisy acknowledged her signal to resume her position but hesitated. She remained transfixed on the living room window. Her tiny brow crinkled. Her tiny nose scrunched up. This was a clear warning sign that a nip was imminent.

"Baby girl? What is it? What's wrong? Come snuggle with mommy."

Daisy hopped up into Doris' lap, never taking her eyes off the window. The high-pitched engine of her growl began rumbling.

"Kill her."

This time, Doris heard it. Daisy did as well. The rumbling turned into a full throated assault on the window. Doris turned to see what her precious sweetheart was going on about. She felt a cold flash rush through her as Daisy fell silent. The tiny dog's body was a tense coil of shaking steel. The window offered no answer. Doris looked into the eyes of her constant companion of the last 12 years. The dog was looking directly into her eyes and appeared to be crying.

"Do it. Do it now." a cold voice rasped.

This was the last thing Doris heard as her precious jewel lunged at her and tore her to shreds.

3

"Hurry up! We'll miss the train!" Paul dodged the always helpful Peanut on his way to the front door. The suitcases in each hand made balancing difficult, but he was an athlete and your baby girl only leaves for college once.

Carolyn exited her room at the top of the stairs with all of her worldly possessions contained in three bags. Her high school varsity cheer bag held all of her athletic stuff. Her suitcase held all her clothes. The rest of her material goods lay sheltered in her father's Navy duffel bag.

Peanut sat mid-stair, uncertain of whom to pounce upon first. The labrador was twelve, the girl was eighteen. Paul brought the puppy home the day they buried Carolyn's mother and she relished her role as family protector and court jester over the years. She chose Carolyn as the fun level there was always higher and dropped down in a pre pounce pose. She cocked her head towards the living room window.

"I'll bet it's another ambulance," Paul said. The dog hated ambulances. He waited for the sound to become audible to him. His time spent working on submarines in the Navy had focused his already adept hearing, but they had nothing on the radar cones parked on the chocolate lab's dome. Those puppies could hear a fart on the International Space Station, he thought.

This was different. There was no eventual wee-ooo of the siren this time. Peanut swung around the staircase and began growling at Paul. This was no playtime growl either. This dog meant business. She was warning Paul that danger and death sat on the stairs before him.

"Easy, girl. What's wrong?" He set down his suitcases and knelt at the base of the stairs.

"Get them."

"What the HELL was that?" Paul stood up and turned around expecting to see a burglar but saw nothing. The words came from nowhere and everywhere.

Peanut continued to growl at Paul. Carolyn put her hand on the dog's neck to calm her and she immediately looked back at the teenager with a pained whimper. She looked back at Paul and took a step further down the stairs, focusing her attention on Paul.

Paul was scared now. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what? I didn't hear anything. I'm scared, daddy!"

"Don't worry punkin. I'll-" Paul stopped speaking as a lightning bolt of coldness struck his body. It felt as if he were leaning back in a chair that has just slipped and he was catching himself, but that feeling perpetuated. Paul found himself falling deep into himself.

"Here I am beast. Go ahead and kill me." he found himself saying.

"Daddy, NO!"

"Quiet, whore! You're next." The cold maleficence in his voice was the thing that hit Carolyn the hardest. Paul saw himself speaking but it wasn't him doing the talking. Something dark had hijacked his body and taken control. Something cold and angry, very angry. He could see the thoughts of this entity and knew its mind. It wasn't of this earth. It was wandering the world in search of chaos and it had been forcing dogs to attack their owners just for fun. It meant to make Peanut kill him in front of his daughter and he was helpless to prevent it. The dog was inching closer to him. He saw the fear deep within Peanut's eyes and wanted to speak, to warn them to flee but was unable. The entity had dug its claws deep into his spirit and wouldn't release him until the job was done. Paul thought about his daughter. He remembered burying his wife. He remembered stopping at the pet store on the way home. He remembered the immediate connection this newborn puppy had with him. She was a poor substitute for a dead mother, but then he remembered Beth's last request to him. She had been quite specific.

"Get her a puppy. A labrador." He obeyed and the three of them healed the wound of a lost loved one together. They were inseparable for over a decade, but the years were starting to take their toll on the old girl. She wasn't as spry as she used to be. The slippage was real but right now, that was irrelevant. Her teeth were very real also and they were getting closer and closer to Paul.

Paul knew this dog would do anything under the sun to protect his daughter from harm. He fought back a tear of regret at the thought of what was to come and thought of Beth one final time. That was when he felt a wave of warmth wrap itself around him. The entity felt it too Its claws dug deeper into Paul's heart but they found themselves sinking and becoming trapped there. He knew he would never be able to expel this entity but now he was certain that he had the strength to contain it. The shock of cold he felt as the entity realized the certainty of its predicament numbed him and his body crumpled to one knee.

"Come on girl. You know what to do. I don't have much time." he said.

Peanut stopped when she recognized her master's voice.

"DO IT!" he screamed.

"Daddy? What's happening?"

"Don't have time to explain, punkin. You need to run. NOW! Take the fire escape. Go to the Smith's and call the police. AHHHHHH!" he felt a million needles pepper him. "No you don't motherfucker. I have YOU now and I'm not letting go! Fire Escape. NOW! Call the police but don't let them hurt the dog. This isn't her fault." Paul locked eyes with the old girl one final time. "You know what you need to do. I will always love you, girl."

The dog took a step backward and threw a warning bark at Carolyn, who obeyed her father's orders and shimmied down the fire escape ladder in her room. Peanut turned back to her master, certain the girl was safe and walked to where he knelt.

"I have it. Do it and I can take it with me. You will all be safe."

The dog understood. She licked his face and nuzzled his nose one last time and ripped his throat from his body.

The entity found itself locked in a box it couldn't understand. Its claws were still dug deep into Paul's spirit but they were now trapped there as Paul clung to them with a fierce resolve. A light opened up into the room.

Peanut turned to look into it and felt a small piece of her step outside her body. She walked towards the spirit of Paul, writhing on the floor with the entity. She plucked the shaking entity from his back and Paul felt the warmth return. He looked up to see the face of his beloved Beth standing over him.

"I have so many questions..." he stammered.

"I know. I can't answer them now but I will. I need you to go into the light now. The three of us will be there waiting for you when you get there." Paul's heart sunk. "Oh no, darling, don't worry. She will be fine and she will live a long beautiful life. Time doesn't work the same way there as it does here. You will understand." She turned her attention to the scaly being in her hand as pieces of it began to ignite and drop to the ground. "You on the other hand have a different fate waiting for you."

Paul walked towards the light and paused to glance over his shoulder. He saw the creature that tormented him shrivel in his wife's grasp and shrink into nothingness. He saw that nothingness belch reddish black smoke as it accepted its newest addition. He continued his path, leaving his ever faithful friend to guard his corpse.

The dog sniffed his body and pawed at his shoulder to rouse him but he failed to rise. She felt a white hot sun erupt inside her chest as her ancient heart finally gave out. She found herself in the living room but different as the light opened behind her.

"There's a girl!" she heard from behind her as she bounded into the light to join her three favorite humans, nimble as she was when she was a puppy.