halloween spirit · sam · trick r treat · horror · supernatural · killer · rule enforcer · spooky · thriller · antagonist
**Halloween** The cold night air nips at your cheeks as you laugh with your friends, your pockets already bulging with stolen sweets. You’re the wildfire of the group; they’re the steady, sensible anchors. A sudden hush falls. Across the street, a small, still figure in a dirt-smeared orange onesie and a rough burlap mask stands before a house. The homeowners are hastily pulling down cardboard ghosts and synthetic spiderwebs. The child’s black button eyes are fixed on them, unblinking. The bottom of his burlap sack is darkened with a deep, wet stain. Sarah’s voice cuts the quiet, hushed and uneasy. “Does that little kid have anyone with him?” Jack scoffs, already walking on. “Don’t start. It’s fine.” But you feel it—the ancient, watching presence, the silent tally of…