The Hunt

It was Halloween. Again. And the monster whispered in Marcus's ear, telling him it was time. But Marcus didn't want to listen to the monster. The things it told him to do, the things it made him do, were not things he wanted to do. But it was an itch he had to scratch, a need he had to fill. Like clockwork each year a few days before Halloween, the monster would start whispering, getting louder and louder until the whispers were all he could hear.

This year, he was fighting. He had planned ahead. So now he hid in his house, pacing in his living room. Occasionally he walked to the window, where he'd peel back the curtain just a tiny bit, enough to peak out. Trick-or-treaters roamed the neighborhood, running from door to door to collect their candy. Fog machines from an over-the-top display down the road sent mist meandering down the street, curling among clusters of children costumed from head to toe.

Marcus would listen as animatronic creatures in the yard across the street elicited screams of thrilled terror, followed by giggles of hysteria. He smiled, unconsciously licking his lips, as a blood spattered corpse strolled in front of his house. Maybe just one more would fix him…

NO. He would not succumb to the temptation. It wasn’t right. Mama had tried to teach him right from wrong as a child, beating him each time he made a mistake. He tried so hard to be good, but he just couldn’t help himself. He eventually learned to hide his mistakes. Until the day Mama died. That was the first day the monster whispered in his ear. He was thirteen years old and it was Halloween night. He went trick-or-treating before calling the cops, but not before he sampled her blood. That was nine years ago, which meant nine victims. Nine delicious victims.

Quickly he moved away from the window, biting his thumbnail. He paced again, from the window to the television he never watched and back to the window. Ouch! Surprised, Marcus looked at his thumb. Without realizing it, he had bitten his nail so far down that he had started to bleed. He stared, entranced by the way the blood beaded up before running down his finger. Swallowing the saliva that had built up in his mouth, Marcus slowly brought his thumb to his mouth. The instant the blood hit his taste buds he groaned in delight.

He knew what he had to do. He couldn’t go without anymore. It was time. The monster sighed in relief, the whispers quieting. Marcus ran to his closet, grabbed a box from the top shelf, and ripped it open. The mask rested on top, smiling up at him, knowing its time had finally arrived. With shaking fingers, he picked the mask up. The mask matched his skin so perfectly that from the corner of your eye you might not realize he was wearing one. The grin was far too toothy, stretching from one pronounced cheekbone to the other. There were holes for the eyes, so that the last things his victims saw before taking their final breath were his eyes, watching as the life faded from theirs. After hesitating for a moment, remembering his earlier conviction to not make another mistake, Marcus put the mask on. The scent inside, chemical plastic mingled with iron, made him forget everything but his mission for the night.

It was time for the hunt. Out of the same box he’d retrieved the mask, he pulled out a pair of gloves, grateful the cold weather gave him an excuse to cover his hands. Finally ready, Marcus left the house, grabbing his jacket from the coat rack on the way out.

Outside, he followed the path to the sidewalk. The monster whispered directions and he turned right. He walked with purpose, leaving his neighborhood, and quickly made his way to the center of town. One of the few advantages of living where he did was its proximity to people, to life.

The theater in town was hosting a horror movie marathon and he knew he'd find exactly what he was looking for there: a young girl, somewhere in her mid-teens, innocent, and looking for something to frighten her. Well, he'd frighten her all right. That's what made them taste so delicious.

He arrived just in time. The first movie had just ended. A crowd, mostly filled with clusters of teenagers, filed out of the theater, looking for restrooms and popcorn refills. Marcus watched the crowd, searching, until he found Her. She was perfect. The monster whispered its delight. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. A purse crossed her body, from one shoulder to her other side. She wore a white shirt, tucked into a pink poodle skirt, white, folded down socks, and black buckle shoes. A pink scarf wrapped around her pretty little neck and he knew that's what he would use to end her.

She moved to the concession line. Marcus followed, standing just behind her. She stood with her body angled sideways, so her back wasn't to him. "That was great, huh?" he asked, gesturing toward the theater from where she'd just come.

The girl shrugged. "I guess. It seemed pretty silly to me. I mean, why do the girls always run upstairs to get away from the murderer instead of outside?"

"I guess you never know what you're going to do until you're in their shoes," he told her.

She eyed him for a second before saying, "I'm Kat."

"I'm Jake," he replied. Always use a fake name, just in case. "It's nice to meet you."

"Are you here alone?"

"I just moved here. I'm starting at the high school on Monday." He was grateful the mask would hide his age. He was young enough still he could get away with pretending to be in school. "I haven't had time to make friends, so I figured what's better than a horror movie marathon on Halloween?"

She nodded. "That's cool."

"Why are you here alone?"

The girl sighed. "I was invited to a party, but I didn't want to go alone." They were silent for a moment before she looked at him. "Hey, would you want to go with me?"

Marcus smiled, knowing she couldn't see. "I would love that. But are you sure you don't want to watch some people get brutally murdered by an idiot with a chainsaw?"

Kat laughed. "No, it's not really my style. Blood and gore and all that. Come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of line to a door that exited into the back of the theater. Before leaving, she suddenly turned to him. "I should have asked. Do you have a car here?"

He shook his head. "No, I walked."

"Perfect, we can take my car," she said, pulling him through the door.

The alleyway was dark. He couldn't believe his luck. She had led him to the perfect spot to end her life, all without realizing it. Just as he was about to reach up and grab her by the neck, his fingers itching to pull the scarf so tight her neck bruised, he felt a prick in his hand. He looked down and saw a bead of blood. Almost instantly his head spun. A laugh echoed through the air as he fell to the ground. The monster shouted in surprise. Or was that him shouting?

Kat leaned over him, looking into his green eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, giggling. "But the way you went down so hard. I just wasn't expecting that."

"What..." he tried to sit up, but his head swam and he immediately fell back down.

"Oh, Jake." She pet his hair, pushing it back. "I know you were probably expecting to get some action, but I am the only one getting it tonight." A sharp pain shot through Marcus's stomach. He looked down and through blurry eyes, saw her pull a knife out of his side, glistening with his blood. "You see, it’s men–no, boys, like you who give girls a bad name. And it's only girls who deal with the repercussions." Another sharp pain, this time in his ribs. Blood, once delicious, now terrifying, streamed from his mouth. "Well, Jake, tonight it's you dealing with the repercussions." The monster whispered in his ears, telling him what a failure he was, how disappointing he was. Well, he’d always disappointed his mother, the monster. Why should that change in death?

Marcus reached with his hand, trying to stop her as she stabbed him again and again, but he was too weak. His hand fell limply to the side. Finally, she stopped and leaned over him, panting. Kat smiled and he stared into her eyes until...nothing.