By Stoney M. Setzer
“Come on, man!” Damon protested. “I asked off for tomorrow night!”
“I know, but Zach was supposed to be your fill-in, and nobody’s seen him for two days. Like he fell off the face of the earth. Surprised he lasted this long.” Mr. Corman smirked, his eyes inscrutable behind thick spectacles. “Besides that, I know your plans fell through.”
“Yeah.” The plan was a double date to the community college’s Halloween party. Damon and Lauren had planned to go as Fred and Daphne, and Matt and Nikki would be Shaggy and Velma. Unfortunately, the other couple found out about him and Heather and told Lauren. Then they told Heather, taking him from two girls to zero. Talk about your meddling kids.
“Come on, Damon, we need you. We’re down three guys in the past week.”
Corman usually only employed community college students and the occasional high school senior just because they worked cheap. His cheapskate ways meant that he sometimes hired flakes who quit without any notice. Three in one week was a lot, but not unthinkable.
“People walk off every year,” Damon said. How much loyalty did Corman really expect on a one-month gig, anyway? Damon had done it for the past three Octobers, easily making him the “veteran.”
“Please, Damon. You’re the best jump-scare artist we have. I need you tomorrow night. I’ll even pay you double.”
The word artist stroked Damon’s ego, and the extra money sweetened the deal. Still, Damon spied an opportunity. “Make it triple and I’m in.”
“Triple!” Corman looked ready to argue, but he sighed and nodded. “Fine, triple, but just for tomorrow night, and keep it quiet. I’ve already got the Owens family trying to squeeze money out of me because fifty feet of trail veers onto their property, and I ain’t paying it. Not for fifty feet. I don’t care what kinds of weird rumors go around about them, I’m not scared of them.”
“No worries. I won’t say a word.”
***
An annual event in Sardis County, the Trail of Terror was a pretty typical small-town Halloween attraction.
Dressed as a clown and holding a chainsaw, Damon crouched in the bushes. Something felt off about tonight. The bushes seemed to rustle a little more than usual, as if something else was hiding in them besides him.
Ignoring the thought, he sized up his next targets. The couple was dressed like Fred and Daphne, which stung him for a second. If he had played his cards right, he’d be with Lauren right now, maybe trying to convince her to “split up” from Matt and Nikki so they could “look for clues.” Heather hadn’t meant anything other than a little fun on the side and an ego boost.
He forced himself to focus. They’re obviously together. Just because I blew it with my Daphne doesn’t mean I do anything differently with them. Wait for it…
Damon jumped out directly in front of the couple, revving his chainsaw. Shrieking, the girl grabbed her boyfriend, who didn’t mind a bit. He even gave an appreciative thumbs up behind his back as they hustled past.
You’re welcome, Damon thought, returning to his hiding place. Being a jump-scare performer could be lonesome work sometimes, but he took solace any time he made a chick clutch her guy a little tighter. Solace, and maybe a little vicarious thrill now that he was single.
After three Octobers of this, he considered himself an expert. He could read people and adjusted his technique for every situation. Do it one way to push couples closer together, another for groups. Tone it down just a hair for younger kids, but pull out all the stops for the Mockers who sneered at everything.
Like this old redneck coming up the path right now. Hands in his pockets, strolling leisurely, looking more likely to laugh than shout. They were the hardest ones to scare, and most of the Trail performers only gave Mockers minimal effort, saving it for patrons who were there to have fun.
Not Damon. He saw Mockers as a challenge. Anybody could frighten little kids or make couples clutch each other tighter. It took actual skill to rattle a Mocker. Even Corman himself had said Damon was an artist.
He had to give it his best shot. Even if this guy only flinched, that would still be something—plus it would give him bragging rights. He just had to decide on his strategy quickly.
Merely jumping out at a Mocker wasn’t enough. Even a simple revving of the chainsaw would be too predictable. No, this was going to take something different.
The Mocker was coming close. Thinking quickly, Damon made his decision. Anywhere else, it would have been an old trick, but it didn’t get used out here much.
Damon jumped out from behind the bushes, brandishing his chainsaw. Just before he revved it up, he put on his best panicked expression, acting as if he had seen something terrifying. Making himself tremble, he threw the saw on the ground and pointed somewhere just behind the man. “Run, mister. Run for your life! It’s gaining on you!”
The Mocker only smirked at Damon. “Au contraire. It’s behind you.”
Caught off guard, Damon broke character and gaped at him for a moment. “What did you say?”
“The monster. It’s right behind you.”
Damon spun around and nearly jumped out of his skin. The bush rose like a man standing up from a crouch. Two red dots glistened on the top of it.
Leafy branches shot out at Damon, entangling him. One went straight into his mouth, stifling his scream.
The Mocker chuckled. “Good job, my pet. Maybe Mr. Corman will finally pay what he owes me if he loses enough employees.”
Seconds later, the vines pulled Damon back into the brush. The last thing he saw was Mr. Owens’ twisted smile.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This was creative and creepy. A fantastic ending for October.
Thank you! I was really excited that they ran it on Halloween! Glad you liked it!
Fantastic story! Such a fun idea!!
Thank you!
I love twist endings, and this was a fine one!
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
yikes! that’s a terrifyingly good story!
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!
Nice twist at the end! I have to admit I never thought about the strategy of jump-scare performers!
Thanks! I must admit, I’ve always identified more as a Mocker…but I tried to imagine what the performers must feel about people like me lol