The Shape Stalks: Halloween [A SHORT STORY]

The Shape Stalks

She looked back to the tree line, where she had last felt the Shape's presence- he was gone. She looked around her, down the street- nothing. He had vanished, leaving her alone and screaming murder to the air. She sobbed, looking everywhere for him. The families around her began moving on from observing her, causing more of the road around her to become visible- and there, not ten feet away from her was the man, staring at her.

From so close, she could make him out entirely now- his face was instead a white mask, with brown, combed hair. His pitch black eyes resembled the gaping eye sockets of a skull. He wore a set of blue coveralls with an upturned collar, his masked fitted underneath it. She screamed, pointing at him, but it was too late- the families had moved on and she was alone once more. She took off again, putting everything she had left in her to keeping her legs moving. She dared not take a look behind her, but she knew he wasn't far behind. And despite the newfound sounds around her of suburban life, she could still hear the awful sound of that heavy, muffled breathing.

She approached her family's house, and prayed to God that it wasn't locked. She barged into the door and turned the handle, and was beyond relieved to feel it swing open. She slammed it behind her and hastily put on the lock, closely followed by the chain. Her parents got up from the sofa, a puzzled yet concerned look on their faces.

"Honey?" Her mother asked. "Is... everything okay?"

"The whole house almost shook with that slam, what's going on, Katie?" Her father commented. He frowned. "Is that... is that actual blood?"

"Mom, Dad, please, we've got to go, right... right now..." Katie pleaded, tears streaming down her face as she pulled her parents towards the backdoor. "I was at Hannah's, I walked away for a couple of minutes- she's dead, and the guy, he..."

"Honey, you're kinda scaring us... if this is another prank, you've really..." her mother questioned nervously.

"It isn't a prank!" She screamed. She heard the door handle move- he was attempting to get in. "There's a man, he has a knife! he's trying to kill me... he's out there!"

"A man?" Her father asked. "Trying to KILL you?"

"Yes! Please, don't do anything stupid, just leave, we need to get out of here NOW." She begged.

Suddenly, the door was slammed against- and again, and again, and again. She could hear the wood splintering inside of it as the man put more and more force into getting the door open. The awful, coarse breathing became audible once more. "What the hell..." Her father narrowed his eyes.

"That's him! Please, dad, we need to go!" The girl cried. More slams against the door. More splinters of wood falling to the floor in front of it. After a few moments, her father finally conceded.

"Sophia, get her out of here, please..."
"We're all getting out, for fuck's sake!" Her mother screamed at him. "Don't try and do some stupid heroics!"

"Dad, please!" Katie yelled, turning the handle of the back door; her eyes widened in surprise. "It's locked!"

"The key, it's..." her mother froze. "It's hung up, next to the front door."

The Shape barged against the door again, and it swung open, only being stopped by the now-weakened chain. Through the gap in the door, she could make out his mask, staring at them through it. His hand reached in, and undid the chain. Pushing the door open, he stepped into the house. He observed the three of them for a few seconds, his heavy breathing being masked by the yells of shock by her parents.

In an act of last defence of his family, her father threw himself at the Shape, who swung his knife at him in response. Before she could see the result, her mother pushed her into the door leading to the basement, and slammed it behind her. Katie took this hint, and ran down the steps and into the basement itself, taking refuge under the stairs. She huddled herself into a corner and forced herself not to make any noise.

The hardest part of this was the sound of the noises coming from above her. She heard a brief scream, and then nothing. No yells, no loud cuts from a blade- only silence. This was closely followed by a loud thud. Then another. Then all noises ceased. Nothing. The air was still, yet fragile, and completely fragile save for her panicked breathing. Then, footsteps.

They got closer. She recognised the heavy footsteps, she knew their owner. She huddled herself into the corner even further, praying that the worst hadn't happened. Then, the basement door opened, letting the light of the living room leak into the drab underbelly of the house. The light from the house leaked into the basement and the ominous silhouette of the Shape loomed over the staircase. The heavy footsteps continued, this time landing on the creaky steps- one after another they landed, each one louder than the last. Then he got far down enough that she saw the knife; stained, with a thick liquid dripping off and onto the steps.

The Shape finally reached the bottom and into the basement. His head slowly rotated around as he observed the room, the only noise being that awful, muffled breathing. He slowly turned his head to the gap between the steps, revealing her face to him completely. She widened them, and quickly shut them, cowering away into the dark.

He tilted his head.