Beneath the mask

tags: No smut, Halloween

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You know what's great to do on Halloween? Watching horror movies while you're waiting to hand out candy. Actually it's been awhile since anybody has come by, guess the house is a little out of the way. Nothing to do but focus on this movie. The one that's on now is kind of a boring one with a twist that it's all a dream at the end.

It's kind of boring, but I feel too lazy to get up and change it. Yawning I lean back and get comfortable as I settle in to watch the whole thing with little interruption.

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 The doorbell wakes me from my stupor, must have dozed off. Probably just a kid wanting some candy. Grabbing the candy bowl I head to the door and open it. I'm a little surprised by what I see. It's a woman or well was.

Where her head is supposed to be is nothing. At her neck I can see a violent mess of gore and fresh blood still flowing. My first thought is to slam the door and call the police. I take a moment to calm down and realize the fact that the body is still standing and that it's facing me (I think it is anyways) must mean it's just a costume.

I don't see her with a bucket or anything, maybe she just wants to scare people? But she's just standing there, guess I should say something.

"Pretty good costume, almost got me with it."

She doesn't really react or say anything.

"Uh, did you want some candy?"

She still just standing there. We're both just standing here not saying anything, it's starting to get a little creepy.

"Well I'm gonna just head back inside, you have a good night."

Closing the door I head back to my couch and start up a new movie. I'll try to put this to the back of my mind. This movie is mostly just jump scares with some psychological horror mixed in, it's not that bad. I'll just relax and actually watch it this time instead of drifting off. As I'm starting to get into it the doorbell rings again.

Rising up from my couch, I grab the candy bowl again and head to the door. I didn't think that last one could be topped, but here I am. The girl in front of me was dressed in a white shirt, a really long white shirt that reaches to below her knees. Her black hair is long and covers her whole face. Her skin is pale, inhumanly pale.

It was honestly pretty creepy.

"Um, did you want candy or-?

Just like the last girl she's just standing there staring at you

"actually, are you the same girl as before? Well if you're trying to pull a trick on me, it's not working"

With that I close the door and head back to my movies. At least until I hear the doorbell again. When I open it this time a girl with a hockey mask and a bloody machete is there. Before anything else happens I just close the door and start to make my way to the couch. Before I can even reach it, the doorbell rings again.

This time it's a doll with a crazed look in it's eyes that looks like it's been broken and stitched up repeatedly. I shut the door on her again and before I can even start to move, the doorbell rings again. Now it's a bloody clown. I slam the door and it rings again. Now it's a dismembered zombie. This prank has gotten old fast.

"look it's not working, find someone else to scare."

The zombie looks down at her feet and looks a little crestfallen. Before I can leave, she speaks for the first time

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to scare you."

There was a softness in her voice I wasn't expecting.

"Well if you aren't trying to scare me why do you keep coming back looking that?"

"Um...I saw the movies you were watching and they look fun. I'm kinda lonely out here, Can I watch them with you?"

"You came dressed up as those horrible things because you wanted to watch movies with me?"

"Uhh...well you seemed to really like them, so I just thought you would like to see real life versions of them. But I can be anything you want me to be. Please, it'll be fun."

Anything I want? What does that mean? whatever it is, it's probably just another trick and more trouble than it's worth finding out.

"If I'm gonna watch a movie with you, I'd prefer if you were dressed normally

The look on her face when I say that looks like I just said she was worthless

"...Well, maybe I can just look like a celebrity, or maybe a girl you have a crush on, yeah that will work! You have any pictures of girls you like?"

What is she even trying to pull here?

"Look it's weird enough that you're coming to a stranger's house to watch horror movies, I can't let you in while you're also disguised as other people while we do that"

Her eyes go back to her feet and she's starting to shake. Is she crying too? This is definitely some prank. With that thought in mind I make to shut the door.

"Wait!"

What now?

"I'll do it, but you have to promise me something."

"And that is?"

"Please don't laugh or bully me!"

What? Well whatever, anything to get whatever she's trying to pull over with.

"Fine, the bathroom is over there"

I turn around, but before I can take a step the room fills with a dark light for a second before it disappears.

Turning back I'm a bit surprised at what I see.

The girl that has been harassing me is a bit shorter than her costumes lead me to believe. She's pale, but not inhumanly so. She has long black hair that partially covers her face. She looking at me with a face that looks like she'll start crying at a moments notice.

"Oh, I knew this was a bad idea, you're gonna bully me now aren't you?"

I might be a bit gullible, but she sounds sincerely scared that I'm gonna bully her. It's a weird circumstance, but maybe she really is just a lonely kid that wants company?

"Why do you think I'm gonna bully you?"

"Because I'm not cute and people always think I'm creepy."

She's definitely cute albeit in a certain dark way, and considering what she was dressed as earlier this seemed fine.

"Well I don't think you're creepy, and you seem cute to me."

When she hears this she looks me in the face with the same look.

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better are you?"

I don't think anyone could pull an act like this. She must just be lonely like she said, what's the worse that can happen in letting her watch a movie with me?

"I'm not, come on let's watch the movie"

"umm"

"yes?"

"...Do you still have some of that candy?"

I couldn't help but smile. She really is just a kid.

"Of course."