Image created with Ideogram AI; edited in Canva
No one could have imagined such a radical change as the one that was happening. Several of the families that arrived were met with the rebirth of the town of Wisswooth. Although it was nothing more than a vague impression, or perhaps we should call it an illusion of hope.
The night used to be much lonelier than usual. It seemed like the streets were somehow built for the gloom of the atmosphere to fall upon them. Over time, the vegetation began to take over the land, as new creatures took hold of the shadows under a shining moonlight.
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The arrival of the new neighbors was not well received by those who were already there. Those looks of disdain for being in a better position were the perfect climate for something of disproportionate magnitudes to erupt. The arrival of Halloween could alleviate this, and even postpone the outcome of all that was bad. The division of the town was clear, with several blocks dark and only a trace of multicolored light with pretty decorations where smiling pumpkins could be found.
One of the few eccentric locals in the area used to collect discarded bottles from the festivities that took place on these days. It seemed that everyone avoided him, at least those who saw in him a look of fear. It was evident in how he tilted his head, avoiding trying to make eye contact with the newcomers. Alcohol seemed to be another thing to worry about. Especially after the incident from a year ago, where two families had lost their lives senselessly.
It could be said that was the beginning of the dispute to take over the town. Only that time, the police reported three murders from the dark side of town. Since then, no one else has wanted to do anything for them, and they live in the shadows as the twilight takes over their senses. They even say that there are life forms living there that have entered through a portal near one of the municipal cemeteries. Everyone suspects an old witch whom they often hear in infernal unison. At least that's what everyone thinks because those who hear her, sense that she recites languages from beyond the grave in a voice to invoke beings that should not tread the grounds of this world.
Possibly, part of the forgotten town has been blamed for all sorts of atrocities. Ranging from satanic rituals in the pagan meadows, to any kind of activity that would only occur to someone coming from mental illnesses.
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As Halloween day arrived, several children from the south area of town started getting ready to ask for some sweets. In this town, that day seemed to initiate a celebration, with decorations everywhere and a family gathering indoors denoting a unity that was seldom achieved. Usually, afternoons looked like any other. The wind brought that autumn breeze that swept dry leaves and created a particular sound.
While several parents attended to the guests, mothers finished decorating the houses and helped their children dress up for the occasion. Costumes of all kinds, some very clever and others that seemed like some sort of mockery. Either way, all these children gathered in one place; that fountain from which no water flows anymore, and time has eroded it in such a way that moss has taken over its foundations.
In the distance, you could glimpse the silhouette of those uneasy mothers, surrounded by the glow of the lights inside the houses. One of the youth looked over his shoulder, as if bidding farewell without expressing it more than with a gulp of his own saliva.
The night fell and they did not return. One of the parents went out with a gun in hand while waving his bottle of alcohol with the other. The screams of the woman who prevented her husband from entering that darkness, where any presence vanished into the dense fog, ended when the flashes of gunshots once again shook a night that seemed to be ending badly.
Several hours passed until suddenly a silhouette could be seen, carrying something that had a human form. It seemed to be hurrying, stumbling over and over between its legs until it vanished completely, without mentioning that it could not contain the forces of the underworld. The child escaped the horror he had experienced and fell exhausted into the arms of his mother, which then joined those of his family upon learning of what had happened.
— What happened? Are you okay? Explain to me! —The mother said in an agitated manner.
— We were trick-or-treating but it was very dark. An old lady was giving us some candies but suddenly someone appeared to attack us.
The frantic and fast pace of his words began to make sense with what was said about that place. Everything seemed to be confirmed.
— Who attacked you, son? —She asked with great interest.
— The old lady's son, or so we thought. He had a kitchen knife, but then we heard screams and the crunch of a body. Dad was there, shouting my name!
The morning was decorated with police lights. Yellow caution tapes crossed the street and joined the outline of the trees. Beyond the rusty bars of the last street, one of the older children was found, soaked in tears and sobs.
— Where are the others? —Asked the officer, restraining him while still trying to find out what really happened.
— We were trick-or-treating until we were attacked. Those things... Those things weren't human. The man who seemed psychiatrically ill went completely pale and tried to save us, until one of the parents arrived and they fought to the death. I think a beast devoured one of them, but I can't confirm it, I just ran in panic.
The officer stroked his chin, trying to piece together in his mind the scene that unfolded that night. The others waited several meters away, eager to hear any updates, while remaining gathered in a sort of hug circle.
— I repeat, where are the others? —the officer inquired once more.
— I think... I think they're on the other side of the magic portal. —He expressed with his hands forming the shape of the portal, entering a sudden state of stupor.
By then, with no new information forthcoming, one of the parents forcefully crossed the barrier they had set up and urged the officer to question the old woman; she should know something.
However, his state of madness erupted and he violently shook the old woman to open the portal. He had no certainties but no doubts either that they were there. Instead of preventing him from acting in such a manner, the police officer seemed to lend some credence to the matter.
If something they shared in common was that she cried for her son and refused to believe he had been devoured by those creatures. So both the police officer and one of the parents calmed their impulses and persuaded the woman to open that entrance to an unknown, yet extremely terrifying world.
The officer took the old woman's hand and let her guide him to the place where all this had started. He kept a watchful eye on the father, ensuring he wouldn't do something reckless and ruin everything. When they finally arrived, the old woman began reciting the prayer that would open the portal. Both were stunned by what their eyes conveyed.
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The elderly woman began speaking in a language known to all and hurriedly said there was little time. The police officer appeared unable to snap out of his state of astonishment, as his knees knocked together in horror at what he was witnessing. Unlike him, the father leaped without hesitation and ventured toward that circle glowing with intriguing colors.
The woman seemed to be losing her strength, continually leaning her hands on the ground in a sense of fatigue. A deep lethargy overtook her, and the portal began to lose the energetic glow it had at the beginning. The officer's attempts to awaken the woman seemed futile, until suddenly he saw the children arrive, all falling haphazardly onto their bodies.
Finally, the entrance to that inhospitable place closed completely, leaving inside that father who had tried to rescue them safely. The elderly woman rested upon his fateful body, her face consumed by years and the excessive drain of energy from such a spell.
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During the course of the morning, news vans arrived to cover the incident. The police officer had nothing to say except that it was another fight, constructing a scenario that never actually happened. But there stood the young man labeled as psychiatric, recounting absolutely everything that had occurred without even receiving a vote of confidence or belief in his account.
That Halloween day ended like any other. Except that this time, there will be one more anecdote to tell about one of the horrors that has become reality, on a night of Trick or treat.
- Story translated from spanish with Hive Translator, by
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- Story produced by me for the purpose of participating in the Hive Buzz challenge.