Chapter 1

A brisk breeze came into the corner store through an opened door, whistling as it sent shivers down David Hall’s spine. Five heavily-tattooed men entered through the door, scuffing their feet as they walked. The lead, Devin Isiah Williamson, donned a witch hat that was sitting on a messy shelf. As he— followed by four of his fellow gang members— continued to scuff his dusty boots across the flattened carpet, his shoulder met that of David’s. “Watch it!” came thundering towards David, who was waving his hand in the air towards an apparent friend of whom had just entered the premises.

 As Devin dropped a brown-wrapped candy bar reading “You’re not you when you’re hungry!” on the counter, he said to one of his companions, “This is the last of it. If we keep at this, we’ll be all out of it by saturday. That means no food so eat all you can get before then.” A frantic exclaim from this member called Carter responded with “but that’s in two days! I’m already out.”

The group began to exit the store, and on their way out overheard David telling his apparent friend, “Yah come tonight at eight o’clock! There’s going to be like over a hundred people. Don’t forget a costume!” An alarm rang as the group of five men, the leader a witch with candy-stuffed pockets, stomped out of the corner store, not planning to return again.

“I have an idea,” Devin confidently expressed to his companions as they piled into a white, paint-chipped chevy van. It was Halloween, and tonight the ominous atmosphere would intensify when five lives would be taken because of money-hungry brutality.

Chapter 2

As the tires of his sedan screeched to a halt in the driveway, David noticed a crouched figure between two trees in the front yard. When he walked over to examine the situation, he realized it was Randy, who was connecting the bottom of two thin birches with a thin wire.

“What are you doing? What if someone trips?”

“That’s the intention.” Randy spoke bluntly, per usual. But this time, he wasn’t quick to elaborate on his task. Usually Randy could trap any unlucky victim of whom he would explain in too-depth of detail his reasons for his often senseless missions. Today was different for Randy. 

Halloween was the one day of the year that Randy’s paranoia rose above what anyone could ever think possible. The reason was simple. Like a child, Randy quivered when he observed the costumed trick-or-treaters. A vampire strolling by, a werewolf howling in the street, and zombies scuffling down the sidewalk, often dragging a limb of some sort. Poor Randy could not discern the real from the imaginary. And what made matters worse was David’s annual Halloween bash, which brought these spooky monsters indoors so that Randy had nowhere to hide.

After an awkwardly long pause between the two, Randy began to elaborate on his thought process. “This wire is going to trip all the scary monsters who attempt to enter the house. I am not letting your immature antics threaten my safety ever again.” 

There were no hard feelings between David and Randy. They were childhood friends and neighbors. After deciding together that they longed for new opportunities and an escape from poverty, the two decided to become roommates in California. It wasn’t until a few months ago that they moved to Orinda. Afraid of a stranger finding a hiding spot in their expansive new house, Randy begged David to rent an Airbnb. David knew that Randy meant well; he was just a little more paranoid than the average person. If you let him have his way or deal with his stress on his own, Randy could manage to cool down again. So David, now well out of poverty due to his new job in financing, decided to abide by Randy’s plea and rented a massive house with an open floorplan to ensure his friend that their would be no imposters after the party ended. 

David shrugged and walked inside. Luckily, those trees were only about five feet apart and off to the side of the property. It was unlikely that anyone was to pass between them, so he let Randy be. As he walked away, David heard Randy whisper under his breath, “Something just doesn’t feel right today.”

Chapter 3

Devin observed each of his friends as he glanced around the inside of their run-down van through the rear view mirror. He gazed at each zombie-painted face: Lebraun, Jaquez, Jason, Shamron. All his closest friends, tied together by a gang name and the mutual hunger-driven desire for money. It was 10:40 now, as he parked the vehicle in front of an enormous white-brick mansion. Each man loaded a pistol and then all piled out into the lawn. “You know what to do. Shoot anyone who tries to forcibly stop you. If you have any doubts, remember that we aren’t cold blooded murderers. These people bask in money. They throw away food that hasn’t ever been opened. They ‘advocate’ for equality and fair treatment while we starve. We wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t necessary.”

The group strutted into the mansion with a confidence that they hadn’t felt in weeks. Devin motioned with his head to follow him into the kitchen, where they ate pizza and devoured chips by the bowl-full. After about ten minutes Randy nervously entered the room. As he peered at the unfamiliar zombies, he noticed the rifle in Jason’s belt. He responded with a gasp, catching the attention of Devin, who then pulled out his gun and held it to Randy’s back. “Give me all the money you have. I’m not afraid to shoot if I have to.” “I-I-I don’t h-h-have any-y. I s-swear.” A shot rang off and the entire house went silent. A pin could be heard dropping had someone done so in the torturous silence of the house. Randy dropped to the ground, gasping, begging for help. But no one moved. Blood now soaked between the cracks of the wood floors and into the soles of nearby watchers’ shoes. A tear ran down a nearby girl’s face and all the way to the collar of her shirt. She was so close to the scene that she could’ve touched Randy if she bent down.

With a few seconds of her attempting to force away any more tears, a scream erupted out of her, followed by a second gunshot into her leg. The crowd of two hundred people responded by also bursting into tears and screams. Most tried to leave the house, but the few that attempted to aid Randy and the girl were also thus shot. Twelve people now lay on the floor, most lucky enough to at least be fighting for breath. Sirens now wailed and lights shone through the ceiling-high windows.