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All Hallow's Fiend

By: DarkLittleFetish



I gasped suddenly, waking to the feeling that my dream monster had been real. And not just in my sleep, but had crossed over somehow. My eyes darted wildly all around the darkened room, searching for him. In the corners, behind the recliner. Nothing could be seen. Not even a light from the outside. I really hoped I had been wrong. That there wasn't some boogie man waiting, or that something even worse maybe was waiting for me. Just then, before I could rub the exhaustion from my eyes, a terrifying sound came at me from just the other side of the bedroom door. The faint swooshing of footsteps across the rich carpet. Coming closer and closer towards the room. It was like I was was six years old again, watching my closet door come creaking open and knowing what was on the other side of that clothes rack. This isn't how I am, I thought then. I'm not supposed to be scared. I laugh at horror movies. Halloween is my favorite holiday of them all. I loved it more than Christmas. So why was I holding my breath?Wrapping my dark painted nails around the metal bed railings?

A serious and heavy knocking, shocked me into reality, and I began to tremble. Worse than I ever had in my entire life. Shivers flew up and down my spine, while the brass door handle rattled violently. I carefully reached for the tank top I'd shed during the night, and pulled it back over my head. 

"Morgan! Come on! It's almost two o'clock!"

"Fucking hell," I grumbled, falling back against the pillows and comforter. I closed my eyes and let out the panicked breath I had been holding in. It had all been a dream. I noticed that my heart was still racing, despite the calming voice that was talking to me. Peeking out from under the blankets, I saw Holly, searching through the top rack of clothes. 

"Are you joking?" I yawned, sliding my bare legs over onto the carpet. I looked down, remembering that it seemed so worn considering it was rarely tread upon. I looked back to my cousin, one hand on her hip, the other taking down a red and white dress. 

"No, crackhead. I'm serious. Listen, I gotta pick up Jada from school. You wanna go? Or are you gonna hang around here today, because..."

I nodded and waved a tired hand to her. 

"Yeah, I know. The list. You know I'll do it. Sides, I got some unfinished business with those bathrooms anyway."

Holly took the dress down and glanced out of the bedroom window. I could see what had caught her attention. The leaves on the trees out back had begun to change. of course, I smiled. For her, the school year was just getting started. For me, it meant Halloween wasn't that far away. There was only one problem. I was broke as hell. Holly looked back at me.

" I have to take something to Lana, over in Modeo. So I have to come back and change clothes. Think you'll be ready by then?"

I nodded again, my focused remained on the sky and area outside. First, would come the chill in the air that always gave the warning. No matter what part of the country you happened to live in. That had begun four days ago. And the minute I'd stepped outside that day, I could feel that electricity in the atmosphere that I waited for every year. Pure excitement was the onyl way I'd been able to describe it. Last year had been a shitty year. Sitting in a crappy house, watching less than nice horror movies. Bad B-versions. And no alcohol in sight. Not a drop of anything. This year, I was in Tennessee. A whole other world from Halloweens past. Sometimes though, I felt like I'd been here before. Did the same things I'd been doing. Even some of the people I'd met seemed so familiar to me. That classic deja-vu feeling that everyone gets now and then. 

Holly tossed the clothes over her shoulder and head out of the front door. I forced myself to my feet, and dragged my ass over to the floor length mirror. As I leaned in for a better look at myself, I barely recognized me. My brown waves of hair seemed scattered. Matted even. The dark and heavy circles under my eyes. No wonder though. I'd been stressing out twice as much lately as I had been prior to the move. I had a short story due on one of my more loved websites. A Halloween piece for their annual contest. Other than that, my only reason was money. I needed it, and fast. The little that I had saved and brought with me had been nearly used. Giving it to Holly and her little girl, and a few small pleasures that I'd allowed myself. Like the bottle of whiskey that I had opened only last night. I rubbed the corners of my tired eyes and shuffled into the living room. I took a moment to look around, then continued on into the guest bathroom. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I knew it wouldn't be long before Holly and Jada returned. 

I smudged away a space on the bathroom mirror, blinking as my reflection stared back at me. At least I looked better now. I still couldn't rid myself of the feeling that I'd gone through this before. Not just the shower, but the time of day. The circumstances, and the still blank pages of notepaper sitting atop the dining room table. That and the sensation that something very strange was about to make this day seem even better than it was. 

Outside the bathroom window, I heard the slamming of one car door, followed by another. Holly and Jada had made it back. The sounds of giggling and screaming brought a smile to my face. I had arrived in Tennessee at around the end of July. My other relatives and I couldn't get along. That was old news. Now, it was nearing the end of October. Almost a week and a half before Halloween. 

"Morgan!" I heard from just outside the bathroom. "You alive?"

"Yeah!" I shouted, reaching for my towel. Maybe today would work out better than yesterday. I quickly got dressed, pulling on a tight shirt and my favorite pair of jeans. One more quick look at myself and I tucked my hair under a black scarf. I thought I looked half-way okay. Hard to tell what Holly would say. It was always something crazy. Good enough to be hired, relaxed enough that I didn't feel like a puppet. In other words hellcat with a dash of Wall Street. As I entered the living room, Holly looked up from straightening Jada's dress. An odd grin crept upon her face. I knew something was brewing in her head. 

"Not bad," she answered. "They'll either wanna hire you on the spot, or wanna get you alone on the office copy machine."

We both snickered at the suggestion, and I slipped into my wedged sandals. Again, something in the air caught my attention. It was so peaceful, yet I still felt worried about something.

"Morg?"

I pretended to be scared and looked all around before looking down into those big hazel eyes. She grinned from ear to ear and brushed her hair away from her face. 

"What's up, little bit?"

She giggled even louder.

"M-mommy said I could play chizzles when we get back."

"Oh. She did huh?"

Jada nodded and twittered in laughter as Holly kissed her fat little cheek. 

"So," she coughed. "Where you wanna head first? Raulson's? Or we could hit the Plaza?"

I grabbed my purse from the armchair as she moved into the den. She was changing her shirt as Jada took off for a room unknown.

"We can stop by the hotel, since Lana's working today."

She nodded and flipped her hair back.

Lana was a friend of Holly's from a previous job. She seemed nice enough, then again, I barely knew anything about her. 

"Ok," she sighed. "Let's get going then. I wanna be home in time to get Jada ready for homework and bedtime."

I nodded, leading the way out of the tiny home. A slight breeze brushed past the lot of us as we got the kid settled into her booster seat. On instinct, I looked into the direction that the wind was coming from. On the horizon, a subtle wall of light gray clouds had formed. Making everything to the northeast look so depressing and foreboding. Above us, there was nothing but sunshine and blue skies. As I sat in the passenger's seat, Holly popped in one of her "road tunes" cd's. There wasn't a minute the car was going that some sort of music wasn't coming from the speakers. One more look to the massive clouds, and the tires were burning asphalt on the way into Modeo. 

The hotel drama had not gone as I'd thought. The owner of the place had seemed genuinely interested in me. Unlike most where ya go in they say they'll call, then boom. They never do. She went over my papers, my references. All the usual. And when she told me that she would be giving me a call in a few days, I actually believed her. There was something about the way she said it. Finally, I thought as I left her office and went out into the main lobby. A chance at some money. A glimmer of hope in an almost ghost town of a city. Modeo was like any other small time place on the map. Always trying to become that big name on a map. I thought I'd left places like that when I moved. I guess not. I hear familiar voices coming down the hall. Holly, Jada and Lana. All talking amongst one another. I looked back to the closed office door, trying to remember what the owner said her name had been. Jada came running at me full force, nearly taking me down to the marble floor in front of the desk. She swatted me on my butt with her backpack and took off again. 

"So," Holly asked, hefting her bag up on her shoulder. " How'd it go with Connie?"

I tried my best to look disappointed, as thought the answer had been worse than what it really had been. Before I could get two words out, The middle aged friend of Holly's spoke up. Her weathered brown eyes wide behind her frames. 

"Honey, the way you look, I doubt she'll turn you down."

I had a feeling that there was a catch to it. I laughed, realizing just what sort of catch it had been. Hell, If being sexually harassed by a fifty year old hotel owner was my biggest problem, I 'd be fine. I'd dealt with far worse things in my life than undersexed lesbians in business suits. We all filed outside, Holly dragging Jada along behind her. 

"Lana?" I asked, pulling the neck of my shirt a little higher. "You don't know of anyone around here that's looking for workers, do you?"

She looked curiously at Holly, and inhaled on the full flavor cigarette she'd lit. She was hesitating.

"Not many. There's Ozone, next town over, in New Egypt. Bar type place. Strippers are there three nights a week. Pays cash though."

Holly and I both rolled our eyes. Not that I hadn't considered it, it just wasn't what I was looking for right now. Jada tugged at Holly's jeans and grappled for her key-chain.

"Mommy? What's a stripper?"

"Grown-up women who take their clothes off for money."

I laughed at went back to Lana.

"Come on, dude. I'm not that needy."

She snickered and coughed. I took the half a menthol Holly handed me and watched the cars on the main highway pass. 

"There's the Inn. Out off the old highway. The Lizear place."

When she said those few words, it seemed like everything stopped for a moment. The air, the sounds, the wind in the trees out front of the hotel. Why did that name sound so familiar to me? How did I know it? I looked over to Holly, who'd somewhat given her friend an annoyed look. I nudged her in the ribs, drawing her attention back to me. Was it really that bad? 

"What?" I laughed. " Is it like some old whorehouse that no one talks about or something?"

"It's just some old farmhouse," she sighed, looking off to the side of the place. "A couple of other property buildings. A couple of younger guys bought it like two years ago and changed it out into a haunted house. It's got like three or four different sections to it inside.Each one worse than the one before."

I could now recall how I knew the name of it. There had been almost a full page piece in the paper earlier that week. The Devil's Inn, as it had been re-named, had been many things in it's time. A plantation, A home. A restaurant. It wasn't the suicide of the man that had owned it that gave it it's reputation. It was what happened after the place shut down , that still shook everyone who talked about it.

"And they're looking for people?"

Lana nodded quietly, taking a sip of her bottled water. She hiccuped and replaced the lid. I took a moment to myself, wondering how bad it all had been. 

"Yep," she finished. "Deadlines tomorrow, honey. Ask for either Don, or Remi. Don's a friend, but his boy is the one that owns and runs the place. "

I took a scrap piece of paper from my purse and scribbled the names on it. Holly pulled Lana off to the side as I was helping Jada back into her car seat. I watched the two other women talking, and walking around the side of the building. They had been gone only a moment when Holly had emerged. She waved to me as she crossed the asphalt, waving money in the air above her head. We both hopped in, she turned on the engine. 

"Tell ya what,"she said in an uneasy tone of voice. "I'll drive you up there. But, ou have to fill the thing out right then. It's too hot out here today, and I don't wanna have to come back out today."

I hugged her around the neck. Holly had been more help in the short time I'd been here, than most people had in years. I'd also first heard about the Devil's Inn from her. Last year sometime. Only of rumors of goings on. Live snakes and spiders freely crawling around on floor, hanging from the ceilings. Of how one woman, around the same age as I was, had to be taken to the local hospital for shock. Another was a story of a room, that closed in on you. And if you didn't make it out before the walls closed, you were stuck. However, the more she would tell me about it, the more about it I wanted to know. The more I wanted to find out for myself. Horror movies and haunted houses, were my niche'. Of course, I was like a kid at Christmas. I could barely wait to get a look at the place, and learn if the most vicious rumors about it were true. If this "incident" really did happen. 



"MORGAN! Wake up, dude."

I shook the fogginess out of my head and squinted against the earl evening sun that was trying to set behind the trees. I gawked at the seemingly abandoned and overgrown parking lot. Weeds and wildflowers of all types were pushing up through the cracks and breaks in the pavement. High standing, dead, grass bordered all of one side of the main house. Busted parking barriers on the farthest end. I forced my attention to her and smiled bravely.

"Sorry." I laughed, lighting a menthol in my mouth. She shook her head, looking back to the sleeping child in the back seat. her little head was hanging to the side. I held my breath and stepped out of the passenger's side of the Impala. The farther away I moved from the car, the more closely I watched the entire place. Everything about it screamed at me to go back to the car. To stop where I was. 

"Fuck you," I mumbled, staring it down. I flinched as a bit of the smoke floated into my eyes. This place wasn't going to scare me. It would be pointless for me to be. Even if I was trembling as I looked over the few outer buildings. All fairly small in size. All the same faded and chipped shade of pale yellow. Pieces of the original siding had fallen to the ground. Gathering to the dirt and sidewalk below. The main building, however, had a personality all it's own. I could almost hear a voice, speaking from behind one of those windows. Like I was being sized up. I had noticed several things at that time. Things about this house, and the scattered tools and props all around it. 

First, was the unmistakable sight of two old tractor trailers. Their rusted bodies sitting off in a corner. They'd once belonged to a pair of eighteen wheelers. Now, they were pushed far on to the other side of the lot, close to the treeline and thorn bushes. The ominous screeching of one door startled me as it swayed carelessly back and forth. If there had been even a hint of wind or breeze, I could have played off an excuse. But there was nothing. Not even a single bird chirping in the blue skies above. 

Secondly, the busted sidewalk that wrapped all around the back of the main house, past rotting trees and loose brick. It's rough, concrete, arms, snaking all out to the farther buildings.

Finally, The fact that not only was the wind not blowing, but there wasn't a soul in sight. Human or otherwise. Not even the crows that would've completed this macabre picture. I noticed that there were two pick up trucks out back. The driver's door of the newest one hung wide open. Like it was waiting for it's owner to return at any time. Then, there was the clunker of the old truck. Parked at an odd angle at the back corner of the dead and dried lawn. But, A real, live, person to talk to? Nope. Not here.

I took in a long breath, trying to not to think of the worst scenario. Me, alone, in the back lot of an abandoned restaurant. I quickly made up my mind to go back to the car. Almost made it too, when I caught a man coming down the peaked roof out of the corner of my eye. There was a sort of deep mischief in his smile as he walked over to greet me. I smoothed down my hair and forced my steps closer, returning my most polite smile. 

"H-Hi," I muttered, suddenly aware of an unusual nervous feeling. I blushed, realizing how scared I sounded. Good thing. Because I was really worried about this place. He watched me, and his grin widened. 

"Let me guess," he drawled in that slow, southern accent. "You're looking for an application for the Inn. right?"

I nodded uneasily, then forced myself into a more serious manner of acting. He wiped his grease smudged hands on the back of his jeans and chuckled.

"I do," I choked. " I'm sorry, but I'd rather talk to the owner about it. Or the guy in charge."

Without missing a single beat, or grin, he reached for his phone, not even acting as though he cared about my rudeness. I took a look back towards the car. Holly and Jada pranced around the car, listening to the radio. Farm boy watched me intently, speaking in a low tone to someone on the other end. Telling them that a woman was out front wanting to speak with them. I turned my attention to the backside of the house. To the old trailers, to the open truck door. To anything that would keep my mind off of the bad thoughts I was having. The worker pointed off in the distance to a taller man that was walking towards us. The closer he came, the more I noticed something about the way he walked. It was calming, somehow. Like the way he moved and acted was relaxing me. Lulling me into a serene state of mind. His hair was close cut. dark in color. From between my thighs, I felt a tingling sensation. And it only got worse as he reached out to shake my hand.I couldn't help but to think someone watched us. amused at how immature I was acting around this man. He snickered.

"Hey," he sighed, sounding out of breath.

I-I didn't interrupt you did I?" I finally squeaked. He laughed and shook his head, saying that he'd only been working on one of the inner rooms. My pulse was going crazy. Almost painful. Maybe it was the notorious reputation of the Inn. Maybe it was the feeling I had in my stomach about this whole thing. Then again, maybe I was just losing my damned mind due to lack of sleep and sex. Yeah. That had to be it. 

"So, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if I could still apply for work here. I mean I know it's only going to be temporary."

"But you really need the work?"

I nodded and wondered how many other people had given him that same story only to quit after a few short nights. He smiled, and I could'nt stop imagining things about him. About the place. Fantasizing about the two of us inside one of the old rooms. Alone.He smiled, sifting through a folder he held in his hand. In a second, he handed me a set of stapled papers. 

"Here ya go. Did you wanna take it home? Bring it back later?"

"I was actually hoping to fill it out now. Is there somewhere I can sit down?"


All Hallow's Fiend



He chuckled inside himself and pointed to an old broken down and out tractor nearby.

"That's all we got. No sneak peeks. I've got to go out to the hardware shop. Just drop it off it ya want. Don should be here."

I looked around for the farm boy-type. Gone again. And again, A cold, warning, chill crossed through me.

"Umm, okay, thanks."

"I'm Remi by the way," he said, taking my hand into his own. 

"Morgan."

He nodded and waved to me as he walked away. I watched him for a minute, then went back to my own ride. Holly looked up from her texting. 

"Well?"

I held up my application and the pen from my jeans pocket. Sitting in the passenger's seat, I filled out every line. Still shaken by Remi. It wasn't until Holly nudged me, that I noticed how much I had been dwelling on seeing him. He was just one man out of fucking millions. There'd be others. 

"I'll be right back," I yawned, and went back to return the papers. 

On the car ride home, all the things kept hitting me at one time. The absence of any workers other than farm boy. The eerie sensation of eyes on me that still wouldn't go away. Like the feeling that something is wrong, something terrifying. You wanna run, look away and get as far away from it as possible. At the same time, I was consumed by that feeling. And it wouldn't let me go no matter what I distracted myself with thinking about. It was making me think about it. Whether I wanted to or not. Kind of like a man. The woman knows he's bad for her. Sees exactly why. And she still wants him even more. Specifically because he IS bad for her. And she needs it. That night, I lounged around on the couch, watching some kind of movie with Jada. Holly was out somewhere. And all I could do was think about the day that I'd had. It had seemed to last an eternity. All that happened after the Devil's Inn was so strange. The way the two men, I had seen, looked at me when I asked for the application. The way the old guy at the office had opened the door just when I had raised my hand to knock. Every single thing about the event reminded me so much of a film script. Straight from a Hollywood horror. The way the tension was building. curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would so famously put it. Only this movie, I thought, was only beginning. And the feeling that the script was turning into reality was only making matters worse for me. I wasn't just reading the script anymore, I was turning into the main character. 

The next afternoon, I sat at the dining room table, reading over the day's newspaper. In the local section, there was an older article that had been reprinted. Devil's Inn was it's main subject. Most of it was on how Remi had brought in more revenue for the county when he bought the place and made it what it is today. The rest of it, focused on the place's violent and sadistic history. The murders at the hands of the man who had lived in the house shortly before Don and Remi had gotten a hold of it. That, in itself, was more than enough to hold my interest. I jotted down a few notes, and re-read the last paragraph.

"Holly" I said quietly. " Did you know that some guy was killing women in that house and burying them in the basement? Where they're having the haunted house?"

She appeared out of the laundry room, towels and sheets in a wicker basket. There was a look of worry in her normally happy eyes.

"Yeah. They did a, uh, raid on the house. After this girl Sasha went missing that year. Guess he knew it was either take himself out, or let them do it. he hung the girl before he sliced his own throat out. The worst part. He told the cops he wasn't done yet. Can you believe that? That sick fucker was actually threatening the cops as he was bleeding to death."

She shook her head in despair and appeared to be fighting tears. I sat back in my chair, my thoughts in one hell of a jumbled mess. So it had been true. This man had murdered and tortured those women. I felt cold, then. Those freezing cold eyes watching me again. I gasped, holding in a scream as Jada handed Holly the phone. She cleared her throat and handed it to me. 

"Yeah?" I coughed, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Morgan? Hi! It's Remi. Um, I was wanting to know if you could come by at like...seven. I wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Hell yeah," I blurted. "Yeah, I can be there."

"great. See ya then."

I laughed out loud, nervously handing the phone back to Holly. I was excited as anyone could've been. Excited and surprised at how quickly things were moving. All the thoughts of the man and his victims still lingered. Not letting me forget that easily. It drew me back to the article, convincing my hands to move and take in all that was there. The names, basics. And what details the media had given out. When things like this happened, so violently and so suddenly, They usually left some kind of supernatural mark on the property. The person. Whatever the case may have been. This wasn't just a case of me being weird, it was common knowledge. Common for anyone who knew what to look for. I forced myself away from the paper and into the bathroom. I'd shower up, run over to the library. I was going to dig up what I could on this Paul Maddox. Something about his name alone pushed me into thinking. Making me wonder exactly how messed up this person had really been in order to have caused all this carnage.

Holly never said another word to me the entire night. All the way up until the car came to a halt around back of the main building. I looked to her for a word. A sentence. Anything. She only stared blankly out of the side window, watching the sun sink down to the ground behind the mountains. Can't say I blamed her. This place was even more bizarre at sundown. Shadows of all shapes and sizes. The faint reflections of our headlights in the dusty ground floor windows. The faint smell of dead and dry leaves blew past my nose, making me check the time on the dashboard. It was now five minutes after seven o'clock. I saw Remi's blue pickup roll around the demolished driveway. He waved from inside the cab, and I followed. He hopped down, holding a plastic grocery bag in one hand. I moved my eyes up to his, catching some hint of teasing. Something was up.

"Glad you could make it, Morgan. Come on. We'll go to the side porch. You thirsty?"

"Um...N..not really."

"Sure..Listen. Go ahead, have a seat. Screen door's open. I have to get your app."

I giggled childishly and nodded, stepping into a narrow alley that ran between the buildings. The my lift, a dimly lit porch. Screened in all around it. Assorted bugs plastered at random along the seams and doorway. Two lonely bulbs hung over a makeshift table and chairs. Holding up what few ceiling tiles remained. I casually looked around, moving up the crooked steps and onto the noisy porch. Two old rocking chairs, one on either side of the crate-table. I eased myself down into the chair farthest away, looking through the research I'd collected that day, the two pages of questions I had for Remi. Though I doubted I'd get to ask them. I heard a shuffling off to my left and looked over. Remi was climbing the three steps, two huge glasses in his hands, and my application tucked underneath his arm. I took one of the glasses from him, sniffing at the majority of Whiskey he'd poured into it. Only enough to change the color I'd guessed. 

"What the hell, right?" He sipped. " I'ts an interview, not an execution, Morgan. relax."

I smiled and took a slow drink. he laughed and sat his drink down.

"Remi? How much do you really know about the Maddox incident?"

He went stone silent, his expression going blank. I handed him my folder of research and took another sip. Waiting. he took in a deep and nearly pained breath.

"Walk with me," he said quietly. "And I'll tell you."

I was all too eager to hear his answer. Wondering what it would be. I picked up my glass and the application he'd brought out with him, and followed him back down that darkened alley. He was moving back around to the rear of the house where we'd first spoken. We hadn't gone more than a few feet, when he bent down and opened a set of wooden doors. I shot a look to him, then to the gaping hole in the ground that led into what had to have been a cellar. 

"Come on," he urged me, carefully moving down the creaking and aged staircase. Before I was even halfway down, A putrid and rancid smell came up to greet me. It was coming from deep inside. It smelled, well..dead. Dead and rotting. Like maybe an animal had crawled in and died in there. 

"Remi?"

A single light bulb clicked on and he grinned wildly at me I walked up, taking another long sip from the glass. He dropped my folder on an old table and took in a deep breath. He seemed like he was hesitating to tell me anything else. I waited patiently as he gathered himself. 

"Imma be honest. Paul killed six women. Not four like all the papers and things say. There was a rumor going around for a long time that he was going to go after a seventh one. But nobody ever found any proof. And it wasn't as long ago as every says either. It was only four years back. In Jackson actually."

An icy cold feeling struck me at the base of my neck, causing me to gasp. I whirled around towards the open doors, hearing the distant rumble of oncoming thunder.

"Fucking Hollywood," I said quietly. I turned back, expecting to see that Remi had left, and I'd be alone. But he wasn't. He was standing right there. Right where we'd left off. 

"You okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine."

In that moment, my want for him had flown right out of those cellar doors. I no longer wanted to know what it would be like to be his bitch for a night. I wanted to know why Paul was being kept such a mystery to everyone. What exactly had he done that wasn't already known?I had become focused on the reason. Not the show of the place.

"They found evidence of two more victims after the fact," Remi coughed. " But only notes. There were no bodies. Nothing physical that could tie him to anything."

"And the seventh girl?," I asked, chugging down even more of the liquid. 

"Nobody knows anything about her, except Paul. It was all supposed to be in a journal he kept. Didn't find that either."

he sat his drink along side the folder and lit a cigarette. Now I knew why the place felt so strange. 

"So," he finally said. "Knowing that. Down here. We're trying to recreate a scene. Something that was a rumor about his habits. He liked to operate on them. Or carve them up and make their faces all twisted and messed up. We, or rather I, was wondering if you would be willing to play the nurse in our operating room."

I found myself taking a step back, shocked at the new things I'd learned about this man. The buzz of the alcohol was getting to me, making me confused in the midst of this crap.

"Why a nurse?"

He reached into his back pockets and pulled out a sheet of crumpled and torn notebook paper. As he unfolded it, I could see a crude drawing of a woman. Clothed in a skimpy nurse's uniform. Scrawled in the side margin was the number seven, and some things I couldn't make out. It looked like someone had drawn it in either a hurry or was drunk as hell. What the hell was Remi thinking?

"You guys are fucking insane," I laughed nervously, slamming back the rest of what he'd given me. He only smiled and kissed my cheek. His voice lowered to a creepy whisper.

"That's why you applied. That's why you went through all the shit to get the research."

He stepped back from me and stared me down like a hungry animal.

"Can we count you in, Morgan?"

I didn't know if I could answer at that time. I didn't know how. I looked over every part of the basement. It looked like it hadn't even been touched in years. Which it probably hadn't by the sound of what I was being told. For a second, I debated on making a run for the rusted staircase at the far end. No matter where it came out at. Hell, it could've ended in another dimension. As long as I got away from Remi and this place. Remi was finishing his drink, and took my application between his fingers, looking as though he were going to rip it in half. I felt my breath catch in the middle of my throat. 

"Take it or leave it, Morgan. We got a lot of people still waiting. But, if you stay, I promise you. You will have the best Halloween ever. Come on. It's only a house. You aren't afraid of a few rogue ghosts are you? Afraid of Paul?"

I closed my eyes and let his words sink in. What did i really have to be afraid of? A ghost? A ghost that couldn't even breathe anymore? What the hell was wrong with me? I felt like I was signing my own death warrant. Before I knew it, I had given my answer. And I wanted to kick myself.

"Alright," I sighed. "What do I have to do?"

He smiled sweetly, leading me and my file out to one of the farther buildings. I remained outside, terrified and panicked. What had I gotten myself into? No, I told myself, I can do this. I'm twenty eight years old, not five. I could handle something like this. It was nothing. 

Before I finished my thought, He was back outside, holding a large black shopping bag in one hand, a small purse in the other. He handed them over to me and scratched at the stubble on his chin.

"Now," he huffed. " A few questions. Can you wear cosmetic lenses? Do chains and blood bother you? And can you scream like the devil himself is after you?"

"Yes, No, and absolutely."

He slipped the drawing into the big bag and pulled me in closer.

"If you get tripped out, at any time. Just think of how much money you'll come out of this with. I'll see you, five o'clock. Opening day, love. I'm counting on you."

he pulled my face to his, and softly kissed my forehead. Something I didn't at all expect from him. I forced a smile and walked back to the car. My legs and body felt completely numb. Unaware of what time it was getting to be, or what had just happened in there. I heard Holly talking, waking me from my stupor. I only dumped my things into the back seat and got into the car. I looked over at her.

"I need a cigarette and a lot of vodka. And I'll tell you all about it."

She shrugged, put the car into gear, and headed back towards the house.

The days till opening came and went way too quickly. The quicker they went, the more my stomach ached. I tried to pretend that it wasn't unnerving going back there. Or even worse, that I was being left alone in that damned basement. He didn't come out and tell me, but I knew that's where most of it had happened. It felt like something inside was wanting me back. Begging me to stay. Not just the fact that there was money involved. But something else. Something darker and more menacing.

The day they opened, I spent most of my time staring in fear at the costume and little makeup bag that Remi had given me. The drawing of Paul's nurse lay right beside it. The makeup, I could do on my own. At least the base of it. The rest, someone else would have to do. I wondered, as I headed into the shower, exactly what they would be doing to me. And to what extent. There had also been a wig in with the clothes. Chin length, swatches of white and red all through out. The rest was a rose red. My hair was already the red. So I thought I'd just go the extra step. And dye the rest as it should be. More real. More reaction. And hell, it would be hot for awhile. And it would always grow out if need be. 

For two hours, I fought to steady my nerves. Trying my best not to freak out, or break into hysterics when I would pass by the woman on paper. Several times I'd taken it into my fingers, trying to imagine what this man, Paul, had been thinking when he drew it. Or rather, who, he was thinking of. Who the girl was that had pushed him to this point. Who she was. Why he had picked her. So many questions that I had for him. And nobody to answer them. Especially not a dead man. I didn't remember getting dressed that day. The stockings. The makeup. Any of it. I don't even remember doing my base makeup in the car on the drive over. when I had finally come to my senses, and knew what I was doing, I was standing face to face with Holly. Standing in the middle of the hotel parking lot. lana was staring intently at me, a hint of oddness in her aged voice.

"What they got you doing, Morgan?"

Like a zombie after brains, I looked over, unsure of who I was.

"I'm number seven," I replied, quiet. She nodded like she understood. Was my trembling self that obvious to those around me? Did I look that scared of a ridiculous Halloween haunt? I needed to get over it. It was work, I was going to get paid for doing what I loved to watch others do on screen. Scare the hell out of teenagers and adults alike. So why did I wanna go screaming in the other direction?

"Okay." I groaned. " Lets do this before I come off my meds and realize what I'm doing tonight." 

I waved back to Lana as Holly and I went to the Impala. Well, as fast as I could in the stilettos I was wearing. Not as fun as I'd thought. After we'd both settled in, She started the engine and cast a hushed gaze over to me. 

"Little miss dead and gone is worried about a killer ghost story?"

"Fuck you," I shot back. "I'm over it now. I just need to relax. I'll be fine. I am fine."

But, I knew I wouldn't be. Not until this was over and I had that money in my hands. She huffed, and pushed the car out onto the main highway. We began driving east. Going on for what seemed like an eternity. The road seemed to stretch for miles in front of us. At the same time that we turned onto the old road that led to the Inn, the lingering thunder from last night came to a head and light sprinkles of rain began to fall down. great. Add to the fucked up feeling. The whole car shook as another clap took over right behind the first. The open   

fields. The old gray barn across from the dirt driveway stared us down. tryign to say something. A warning. A taunt. who knew. I reached down, playing with the buttons on the stereo. When I thought that I wasn't going to be able to handle anymore of the weirdness, I heard a song start to play. One that I loved and could always count on to ease my mind and nerves. I was beginning to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I could do this. It was my thing. My own personal brand of heroin in a way. It was my drug of choice. And I was so about to O.D. I sat back in the comfort of the seat, nodding my head along with the music. Whatever had inspired the DJ to play that song at that moment, had to have been something good. 

I could see the tops of the buildings coming up over the dim horizon. There were already plenty of cars. I wasn't sure if they had been customers, or if they were working like I was going to. I grabbed the cellphone, and dialed the number Remi had given to me. I looked over, watching Holly's expression change the closer we got to the house. An old hearse was parked in the driveway, the driver laid out underneath the front tires. I laughed, hearing the music playing from inside the vehicle as I waited.

"Hey! It's my nurse. wow. I thought I'd never hear from you again. Ok. well, when you get out, come down to the last house. We need to get you finished up."

"Cool," I said, twisting a piece of my hair. "See ya in a bit."

I handed the phone back and asked her to stop. I grabbed my pack of menthol from the back and my duffel bag, and was soon out in the dense open air. before I headed over, I looked down at myself. Taking in every little detail. The whit, torn, thigh highs that fastened below the hem of my uniform. My tits nearly hung out for all to see. I adjusted them slightly and started the long walk. I fixed the simple little cap atop my head, thinking of how similar it was to the ones they used to wear in the old days. 50's, sixties maybe. My personal part of the make up had consisted of whitening my skin to a near pale quality. dark areas around my blue eyes. Looking like I'd been awake for months. Years. 




All Hallow's Fiend



"Stop stalling," I hissed aloud, steadying myself and marching the rest of the way across the dusty parking lot. I could see lights on inside that last house. More so an outbuilding. who knows what it used to be. Voices laughed out loud from in there. Joking. having fun. Taking a deep breath, I opened the heavy door and stepped into the room. Immediately after closing it behind me, all work and conversation came to a halt. All eyes became focused on me. It was like being the new kid in high school. Awkward. I saw Remi in the far end, talking to a half-demon. Half-clown. He stopped, and winked at me.

"HELLO NURSE!" he shouted, climbing over tables and people to get over to where I was. I smiled bravely and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for giving me a chance. Even if you are feeding me to Paul."

I saw the clown smile at me with his sharpened grin. he seemed to know something I didn't. I didn't like it. 

Remi laughed, forcing my attention back to him. He took me by the arm and led me over to the clown's table. The clown wrapped his hands around my upper arms and sniffed erotically at my neck, lashing out with a doubly pierced tongue. I couldn't help but to swoon, feeling light headed and hot as hell. No man had touched me like that, or caused that sort of reaction in a very long time. And as he grabbed me around my waist, the feeling only grew more intense. he trailed one of his claw like fingers over my chest and neck, tracing over my trembling lips.

"I see...scars. Puffy, fresh, infected scars.Half an hour, lovey."

His voice was something to be reckoned with. Deep. heavy, haunting. Trance-inducing. I looked over to Remi, who was fastening the buttons on his suit. he reached into his front pocket and handed me a small package.

"These are your contacts. White out. Your strength."

"Um, thanks, I-"

"Just hurry up. I got to go over some stuff. It's hella important."

I nodded and walked away in the hands of the demonic jest who had a hand planted firmly on my ass. If I would've said I didn't want it to happen, I would so be lying to myself. I wanted him to touch me more than I wanted to be here. he talked to me the entire time that he was putting the scars and make-up in place. I let my mind wander, actually dwelling on the story I'd already been obsessing over the past week or so. About Paul and the six women he destroyed. An attempt for a seventh victim. Carving, the cutting of flesh. watching them bleed and suffer, just for his own amusement. I smiled in my dreamlike state, feeling a light kiss on the back of my neck, a heavy hand brushing aside my hair. This demon had no idea of what he was doing to me. 

"What are you smoking?," came the deep voice.

"Huh?"

He chuckled and swiped a makeup brush over the scars on my face and chest.

"You acted like someone was touching you. And you were definitely liking it."

I turned my head around as he started on my arms. Expecting to see Remi, or maybe one of the others, playing a trick on the new girl. But there wasn't a person anywhere. Only The demon and I. All the rest of them had left us. Jester laughed and tended to my scars, helping me affix the contacts into my eyes. when all was said and done, he pulled a floor length mirror over to us, and showed me his work. I jumped back, fully aware of what he'd done. Everything looked so real. My eyes only made it worse.

"You look hot, sweetie. don't be nervous. There's an mp3 in the gurney. a bottle of tequila on a shelf. Just take a bit and relax. You'll do just fine tonight."

He kissed me on the lips, quietly, and pushed a button on an intercom.

"Rem, she'd ready. want me to take her down?"

"Sure. Give her the rundown on all of it. We're on in ten minutes. We got hell out here, dude."

"Aight. Later."

My nerves shot back in full force, and I was twitching more than ever. Clown helped me to my feet and over to a door in the middle of a far wall. He shoved it to the side, revealing a steep, metal staircase.

"Come on, honey, Only way down without being seen, now."

I nodded and followed him into the dark. There was a long hallway that wound in and out of corners. Around low ledges. No other doors. No windows. Only a few bare light bulbs that were spread out above us. Plain dirt walls on either side of us. Low, dingy ceilings that were flaking with dust and paint. I could feel Clown's arm settle around my middle, his fingers toying with the fastenings on my stomach and hips. I started to ask why I wasn't told about this entrance. I figured it was probably for the best, and for some strange reason, I was no longer afraid. I was excited. eager to get into that room and enjoy the place for what it was worth. and for the money I'd get from it. I wanted to give the people outside something to think about. Think about the fact that when something this violent and notorious happens in a place, an energy or feeling is always left behind to keep it company. and I still had no clue of what he had looked like when he was alive. Truth was, did I really want to know?

"Here we are Nurse Morgan," Clown hushed, opening the only other door in the corridor. The room was as it had been nights ago. Only different in a way. They had moved in equipment. Props. Lights and things. Heart monitors that they had gotten to work one final time. Oxygen machines that leaned against the earthen walls. An eerie sight for anyone passing through. Like a hospital that had been up and abandoned long ago.

"This is the way it was supposed to have looked. but the cops took it all."

I looked back to him, and clenched at his tattooed hand for a moment. he told me what my job was going to be. How to work everything. All the switches and cables. It wasn't going to be a hard thing to do. the hard part would be not losing myself in the process. My story? I was the seventh girl, left dressed as a nurse. Cut to hell by Paul and his black magic. That's all I knew. That was all I needed to hear.

"Ok," I told him. " I got this."

I closed my eyes for a second, thinking of every bad dream, every nightmare, every horror movie I had ever seen. Thinking of the worst and most terrifying moments from each of them. I felt Clown's hands lifting my fragile gaze upwards, his pierced nose against my own. one more deep breath.

"You okay?" he asked. 

I could hear the concern in his voice. And instantly, a deep and vicious laugh began in the pits of my throat. I sprang my eyes open, tilting my head to the side. Placing a finger to his lips, I smiled.

"Sssh...visiting hours...are over.HAHAHAHAHA!"

He backed away, his black eyes slightly widened as I stalked towards him. Forcing my body into almost unnatural movements. I saw the muscles in his throat tensing up. I jumped into his arms, and kissed him passionately on the lips.

"How's that, babydoll," I groaned.

He relaxed, licking at my tongue. damn him.

"You'll do just fine. Keep that up, and you'll be a nutcase just like us in no time."

I blew him a kiss as he left, sighing happily. If I could maintain that mentality this week, I'd have it made. There were only small slivers of fear now. Most of it had turned into adrenaline. I could do this. If I can scare someone who makes their living at scaring people, I could do anything. And as long as I kept myself focused, nothing would shake me. I was ready. Fuck Remi. better yet, fuck Paul and his bitches.



Hours came and hours went. Every group that passed through was more skittish than the one before. And in no time, I was sitting on a couch in the last building, watching Remi and all the others talking, having a few drinks, laughing about the night's exploits. Clown was seated beside me, smoking a cigarette, and holding onto a zombie chick with the other hand. She was saying something in his ear when Remi came up to me and kissed me on the cheek. he handed me a drink and called for everyone's attention. It took only a minute for everyone to calm down. And in another minute, he was speaking out. 

"What's up everybody! Ya'll did excellent tonight! I mean it. We pulled more than opening night last year. And this girl, right here." 

He pulled me up and squeezed me tighter.

"This girl right here, is going to make this year even better. Cuz I got an idea. We are going to have a very special guest this year. And she is going to be the one to invite him."

Hushed whispers went from person to person. All debating on what the thing was that Remi was talking about. I was a little worried. I had no idea what to think of him. I took in a deep breath and chugged at my cup. He paused for awhile. Hesitating and thinking. And when he did finally speak, everyone was on their toes. he ran his nose along the side of my neck and looked out over the crowd. I could feel Clown's dark eyes fixed on us.I could've sworn that somewhere in the room I had heard laughter. dark, hateful. Crazed.I quietly glanced around, trying to find the source of that laugh.

"Our nurse here," he said with a chilled smile. "Is going to invite Paul. The night before our last show. On his birthday."

I nearly collapsed back onto the concrete floor, my body going completely limp. Shock had taken me over, and I couldn't even breathe. What the fuck had he just said? He wanted me to do what? With who? This wasn't just anyone he was trying to bring up from the dead. It was the very man who caused all the chaos to begin with. Paul fucking Maddox.

"WHAT?!" I shouted, stumbling back into Clown and his girl of the night. He stood up beside me, putting his arm around my shoulders. He looked right at Remi, with a sinister grin.

"Don't worry, Morgan. Remi ain't got the stones to do it. That's why he wants you to."

"NO! Clown. No. I came here to make my money. Not to raise some psycho asshole from the dead."

I tried to back away from both him and Remi. Remi pulled me closer, pressing his lips against my burning ear. I whimpered, thinking of the situation. Reading Wicca books was one thing. Screwing around with a Ouija board, okay. Fine. But honestly wanting to bring a guy who raped and murdered six women back to life was asking for trouble. Anyone who was any kind of normal person could tell you that. Not only did it have the chance to work, but it could work in a way that nobody could fix. All kinds of thoughts ran through my head. One, in particular was the only one that seemed to help my anxiety. Fuck it. If Remi wanted to be an ass, and put me up to doing this, then I could be very convincing. Not for the sake of the others, but for the simple joy of giving him what he deserved. Clown Pulled me away and spoke up.

"Don't worry, Morgan. He's just mad cuz he's been trying for years and ain't got nothin."

I smiled to myself and stood upright, facing Remi and all of the rest of them. Walking up to him, I chugged the rest of my drink. He leaned in and kissed my neck.

"You want me to summon Paul?"I asked sweetly.

He mumbled an agreement and nipped at my ear.

"Fine."

Clown and his girl were heading for the drink table when he glanced back at me. Giving me a knowing wink. It was like he knew what I was up to, and would help if need be. I nodded silently and gave in to Remi's advances. We all drank the night away. And as sunrise came closer and closer, I found myself dwelling on the seance only four days away. Raising the dead, on Halloween Eve. So Hollywood.At one point I rose to my feet, and felt Remi catching me in his large arms. I giggled happily and fell against his chest.

"Whoa there," he groaned. "I think you need to go to sleep babe."

He hefted me up like a baby and began walking towards the door. 

"Where's Clown Boy?" I slurred, hanging my arms around his neck.

"He left like forever ago. Do you, wanna sleep at my place or do you wanna ride home sweetie?"

Through the haze of tequila and rum, I managed to bring two thoughts together. One, I wasn't about to explain to a five year old why I was falling all over the place. And two, If I didn't lay down now, I would definitely throw up. I had just opened my mouth to answer him when I felt something. not a rumbling in my stomach, or of Remi's free hand holding more than tightly to my ass. But something else. Hot, warm, and haunting. Like...A breath that wasn't either of ours. Right behind me, blowing across my face.

"Remi?"

And then I blacked out. I don't know how, or why. But all I remember was thinking. Thinking about what was going to happen when I did that damned spell. And the taste of a hungry kiss searching my mouth with it's own. 

A woke up late the next afternoon in a haze. I was in what looked like a makeshift bedroom. A couch off to one corner. Sheets and a blanket crumpled up all around me. A box fan was sitting on the floor, blowing full power. My body felt like I had been sick all night. I flinched as I rolled over, the afternoon sun beating in on me. Where the fuck was I? Why did I have the distinct feeling Remi had done something to me last night? I jumped to my feet nearly falling right back down to the bed. My head was pounding and my ribs ached. I heard something in the darkest corner of the room, and looked over to see a passed out version of Remi, cuddled up with a dingy pillow. My clothes were a bloody mess, literally , as I moved over to the doorway. On his dresser, was a cellphone. I reached for it and slipped outside. The chill in the afternoon air brought back everything. The talking, the drinking. The plot I had been connived into doing. I prayed that Holly would answer. And I wasn't disappointed. 

"Morgan? That you?"

"Y-Yeah. I had a bit too much fun after closing. don't worry, I'm fine. Can you come get me? I'll tell ya all about it on the way home.Then I gotta come back."

She agreed and hung up her line. I floated through the rest of my day. Hell, the rest of my days even. Remi never mentioned anything else about the first night. I never bothered to ask. I didn't really want to know. Better off that way. When I wasn't at work, I was looking up spells. Buying candles and other things that Holly's mom had recommended. Of course I told them all I wasn't really going to do it. I was only going to put on a show for them, like we did for the people night after night. A simple payback that had to be played out to the fullest. The day before I was supposed to carry it out, Clown came up to me one night after the last customer had left. he pulled me off to the side of the alley I'd come out of and grinned. 

"I don't know what ya got planned, Morgan. But, if you really wanna get Remi, you gotta do it right."

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

"If you could really make something happen. make Paul appear. Make Remi think it's actually happening. You're good, but Remi don't freak out that easy."

I lowered my head and wiped the fake blood from my mouth. what was I going to do? Clown lifted my face to his and smiled yet again. He had something.

"You really wanna do it? for real? There's a site. Has killer spells. The resurrection one has testimonials. It's never failed. Never. But just... be careful. This could really backfire."

"But it would get Remi..."

"Yeah."

"That's all I want to know," I said sweetly, kissing his cheek and taking the address he'd given me. 

I went home that night, all the excitement and adrenaline from the past week building up to my neck and then some. I read through the entire spell a few times, writing it down piece by piece. Until I was sure that I knew what to do. everything I had already bought would be needed. I stuffed it into a black bag and put it alongside my costume for the next night. The night that I felt would change everything I'd ever known about anything. When I went to lay down that night, I felt a pulsing between my legs. Whether it was coming from the anticipation of catching Remi in his own games, or from the idea, that I could very well be bringing into flesh a man that was only known for his brutality. His rage. His violent ways. The more the idea settled, the stronger the twitching and clenching in my thighs became. I wanted to see Paul. See for myself what the big bad wolf was all about. And somewhere deep in my mind, I was also hoping that it would happen. I wanted to see....I wanted...him...

My head was full of tonight's things. The incident with Clown yesterday. The dreams of people after me. A man trying to get me. Childish shit for someone like me. But I had an odd feeling in my gut that it wasn't just a thought. My mind was so damned distant on the way to the inn. Following a trail of nothings. All I could think about was Clown. The way even he seemed sort of hesitant in giving me the spell. The tension in his voice as he spoke to me. And Of Paul. Of all the things that Paul had done. All the carnage he'd caused in that damned house. All the violence in his head that he'd forced onto the women he brought there. I wondered how someone could commit such crimes. How they could become that way to start off. Was he that horrible looking that he couldn't get a woman on his own? He had to steal her away and abuse her like he did so many? The worst question of all was the one I'd been asking myself all week long. Why in the hell, did I want to see him? Why did I think of him like I did, knowing the things that I did? It was so surreal. A dream that I was floating through, hoping for the best. Expecting the worst. With every brush of the make up, every adjustment of the clothes. I felt it all around me. An energy, that didn't seem quite right. I clutched the bag closer to me as Holly drove, thinking of the contents inside. 

I inhaled deeply, pushing away all the negative thoughts, realizing that if I went into this with a bad thought, it could really hurt me. In every way possible. After tonight, there was only one night to go through. And once I had gotten Remi off my back, I'd feel a lot better. An hour went by, in a fog, and I was standing in the operating room. I looked over all of the instruments, imagining Paul's hand on each of them. Touching them, using them on the victims. Trying to comprehend exactly how he had seen things. I needed to make tonight count. Go out with a scream and a cry. I heard the almighty buzzer above the door sound off, and that mental switch I'd been toying with all week, had jumped back on once again. And once more, I was lost in myself. My time passed quicker than usual, and before I could bat an eyelash, it was all over, and I was covered in blood from head to toe. It was running down into my eyes, between my nearly exposed tits, and of course soaking through the uniform onto my thong. It oozed down my thighs, into the drain in the middle of the floor. I gasped as A door in the ceiling slid open. Remi poked his head in and smiled at me. 

"Almost time. We're gonna do it on the second floor. Last door down."

I winked playfully at him, the highs of the night begging me to play some more. I grabbed my bag from behind a cabinet and slowly moved across the room. There was a hushed whisper from above me. I couldn't make it out, but laughed and shook my head.

"Aww. remi, that's cute. You sound like a girl. Ha ha."

The smile on my face never left my mouth only widened. Even though my taunts hadn't been answered. The feeling of worry slapped me in the face when I realized I couldn't hear any of the others. I would've heard laughing, talking. Moving around the place. Something. But there was nothing. Not even a damned creaking board. I moved on into the kitchen, looking around at the different sets that I had always heard about, but had never seen. Decapitated bodies. Bloody floors and walls. Splattered carpet and furniture. A pure bloodbath. 

"Fuck," I shuttered, casting my sights on the rest of the house. The restraints and devices had been left dangling all over the place. Tapping against the walls as I walked by and disturbed them. Despite the emptiness, I didn't feel like I was alone, or by myself. Someone was there. They had to be. I traced my nails over the ripped wallpaper, drawing lines over the folds and tears. I could feel a change in the air of that house. Unlike any feeling I'd got before now. I was worried, and actually excited, in a way. Not knowing if it was all in my head, or if there was was something going on here. There had to be someone. Tech people, turning off the displays and equipment. Something.