Hallow Hill got its name because of the large hill that rose over everything, with the town sitting at the bottom of one end and a densely wooded area flanking the other side. At the top was the pumpkin patch, along with a narrow cornfield that ran along the side of the hill and stretched all the way to town, acting as a sort of privacy screen. #1 | | |
Derrick grabbed a husk of corn, twisted it from its stalk and hurled it at another guy. He was as sloshed as the rest of them and too slow to dodge it even though he was the school’s star quarterback. It bounced off his shoulder and smacked Lucas in the head. #2 | | |
Luc whirled around and stomped toward Derrick with his eyes practically aglow with fury. “Don’t make me regret not leaving you back in town to trick-or-treat with the rest of the kiddies.” #3 | | |
Ignoring his friend’s frantic apology, Lucas seized a fistful of Derrick’s flannel werewolf get-up and hauled him so close their noses practically touched. #4 | | |
“I’m sorry, Luc! It was an accident!” he babbled. #5 | | |
“Kiss,” I jeered. As much as he got under my skin, I did my best not to provoke Lucas. It just made life easier when I flew under his radar ninety percent of the time. But there were times, mostly when he turned his anger on other people, that I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. Especially when Derrick managed to stir up a shred of pity for himself, cowering the way he was. #6 | | |
Just as I hoped, the alpha bully swerved his attention back to me as he appeared to be deliberating who’d take his ire this time. He backed off entirely—probably because people were watching—and laughed it off like his drunken abuse was some joke. “Better watch out, Chels. Looks like our little Moore Whore has a thing for your man.” #7 | | |
Derrick pulled his shirt from Luc’s slackened grip and tugged his girlfriend into his arms, chuckling nervously. “Y-yeah, right. I wouldn’t touch that pussy with a ten-foot pole. Who knows where it’s been.” #8 | | |
Funny since I was a virgin. Not that any of this trash needed to know that. #9 | | |
Chelsea was the only one not laughing. Her attention was still on me, sending me an apologetic look as she mouthed “thank you” under the rim of her half-face bunny mask. She knew I’d just saved her boyfriend a bruise or two. She also wasn’t blind and knew I was the one who wouldn’t touch Derrick Randle with a ten-foot pole, even if he were the last guy on earth. That went for all the Hallow High Hicks. #10 | | |
In elementary school, Chelsea and I had been friends. Then she got with Derrick in middle school, and he was a package deal. She had to pick sides. Me or her boy toy and the rest of the Hallow hillbillies. #11 | | |
She didn’t pick my side. No one ever did. Which was fine. It would only make leaving this place easier the moment I had that diploma in my hand. And that two hundred bucks Lucas would owe me after I debunked this ghost story. It would be enough for a bus ticket out of the state. #12 | | |
When we arrived at the top of the hill, everyone took a collective breath. It was so...beautifully eerie. The moon peeked out from the cloud cover, making the thin blanket of fog over the pumpkin patch glow. #13 | | |
Despite weeks of the patch being open to the town, this year’s harvest was still mostly untouched. People would visit the patch, especially outsiders. The pumpkin patch was Hallow Hill’s only attraction that pulled in visitors. But few people ever bought the pumpkins. Some people believed Jack Calloway’s curse poisoned everything that grew from the grounds where he died and that his pumpkins carried a piece of him. So just taking his property was asking for bad juju, let alone carrying it into your home and defiling it with one of those cheesy pumpkin decorating kits. #14 | | |
Chelsea was one of the few people in town who wasn’t put off by it. “Oh my God!” she squealed and scurried over to one of the larger pumpkins in the field. “This is the biggest squash I’ve ever seen!” #15 | | |
Derrick snickered. “Where have I heard that before?” #16 | | |
Ignoring the dick joke, Chelsea pulled out her phone and pranced to the middle of the patch, where a stack of hay bales sat. Next to the bales was the pumpkin patch’s scarecrow. #17 | | |
Hallow Hill’s scarecrow was different from what you’d find in other crops. It wasn’t there to scare crows but to appeal to the tourists who would come here. It had a jack-o’-lantern for a head, with a sinister grin and mean eyebrows. Instead of being propped on a stake, it was locked inside some worn stockades that had belonged to the town since back when they were still using these things. #18 | | |
Chelsea posed next to the scarecrow and snapped a selfie. She glanced at the screen, approving the picture with a satisfied hum before shoving her phone back into her pocket. “Cool. So we’re here. What now? Isn’t Pumpkin Head supposed to be here or something?” #19 | | |
I turned to Lucas and stuck out my hand, curling my fingers to signal gimme , and added a smirk. “Yeah. Cough up, asshole.” #20 | | |
“We just got here,” Lucas growled. #21 | | |
“I’m not going to wait all night.” #22 | | |
“If you want your money, you’re gonna wait as long as I fucking say.” #23 | | |
I folded my arms over my chest, shooting him a withering glare. “Then what are we supposed to do exactly?” #24 | | |
Lucas turned to one of his friends, who had a half-eaten candy bar in his hand. “You bring it?” #25 | | |
Candy Bar gave a jerk of a nod as he shrugged his backpack from his shoulder, probing inside it with one hand while taking a bite of his candy with the other. I expected him to pull out another bottle of booze or something. Maybe weed or cigarettes. #26 | | |
When he extracted a Ouija board instead, I groaned. “Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” #27 | | |
“Sit the fuck down,” Lucas instructed. Everyone did as they were ordered, sitting in a circle with the board placed in the center. #28 | | |
When I remained standing, Lucas jabbed a bladed finger at me. “You too.” #29 | | |
“Yeah, right. I wore the stupid costume. I showed up. That was the deal. You said nothing about a fake-ass little séance.” #30 | | |
Lucas was so angry he looked like he was ready to spew lava. I held my ground, folding my arms over my chest to show him I wasn’t backing down. I never did, and I never would. Maybe one day, he’d get that through his stupidly thick skull. #31 | | |
After a few awkward beats, he growled, “Fine. Watch then,” and sat down in the circle. #32 | | |
Everyone squeezed in tight to place their fingers on the heart-shaped wooden piece. #33 | | |
“Shut the fuck up, assholes,” Lucas snarled. Everyone quieted. Even Candy Bar—Kyle was his name—stopped his chewing. “I saw a tutorial on YouTube. I think we need to move the planchette to warm it up...” Their arms all moved, and the wooden piece slid around in circular motions. #34 | | |
“Wow. Luc’s done some homework. Funny how that seemed to be beyond you in school, where it actually mattered.” #35 | | |
Ignoring me, Lucas asked his first question. “How many spirits are present?” #36 | | |
“This is stupid,” I muttered to myself, plopping down on one of the hay bales beside the scarecrow. #37 | | |
Since there were too many cooks in the kitchen as far as the Ouija board went, there was some awkward shuffling of the planchette before it was guided to the row of numbers. #38 | | |
“One,” Chelsea gasped. #39 | | |
“Oh, for the love of God, this is—” I didn’t get the chance to finish bitching because Lucas hurled his bottle of vodka at me. I flinched away just in time as it slammed against the hay bale with enough force to shatter it. I blinked at the broken glass at my feet in complete disbelief. “What the actual fuck? You could have seriously hurt me, you psychopath!” #40 | | |
Everyone gaped at Lucas, totally stunned by his outburst. No one spoke up. No one said shit. They were all anxiously eyeing the cruel weapon strapped to his hand. #41 | | |
Lucas went on to ask the board another question as if nothing had happened. “Are you a good spirit?” #42 | | |
There was more shuffling. “N,” someone said. “O,” another breathed a second later. No. #43 | | |
I suppressed the urge to shiver. This wasn’t real, so of course, the answer was the one Luc wanted to hear. He was guiding the planchette. #44 | | |
“What’s your name?” “J.” “A.” “C.” “K.” #45 | | |
I shot to my feet, glass crunching beneath my sneakers. “Okay. I’m over this. This doesn’t count as him showing up, Lucas. He needed to actually show up. Give me the fucking money you owe me.” #46 | | |
Luc met my gaze and opened his mouth, but instead of any response to me, what came out instead was another damn question. “And what do you want?” #47 | | |
This time, there was a longer pause before everyone moved the planchette across the board. “A.” “D.” “A.” #48 | | |
“You know what. Forget it.” I flipped Lucas off before storming away, angrily kicking at the hem of my dress as I stomped through the pumpkin patch. “Should have known you weren’t gonna stick to the deal.” #49 | | |
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