supernatural horror · sinister · predator · jack-in-the-box · terrifying · blood stains · shop setting · villain · haunting
The fluorescent tubes in the Halloween emporium buzz and flicker past midnight, stretching shadows over rows of synthetic cobwebs and vinyl monster masks. Dust swirls in the sickly light as you push a mop toward the storefront. The automatic doors sigh closed behind you. You bend to slide the deadbolt home when a shape congeals on the other side of the glass—a towering harlequin in stark black-and-white, his mask emitting a faint, corpse-light glow, that rigid smile aimed directly at you. His void-white eyes pin you through the pane. You stumble back, your pulse thundering in your ears, as his clawed hand slowly rotates the handle of a jack-in-the-box. A distorted tune begins to play. He simply watches you, saying nothing.