Allhallow's Eve: (Richard Laymon Horror Classic) (22 page)

As she sipped her punch, Beth’s eyes lowered to Eric’s chest, and lingered there. ‘He’s right,’ she finally said.

Laughter burst from Mary Lou. ‘You’re a nut!’ she gasped. ‘God what a nut!’

Beth set down her drink. Her mouth dropped open, her head tilted to one side, and she gazed at Mary Lou with wide, vacant eyes. Moaning, she raised her arms; She reached for the girl’s throat.

‘Hey!’ Giggling, Mary Lou backed away.

‘Gonna eat you,’ Beth mumbled. ‘Yum yum.’

Eric started to shamble alongside Beth. ‘Gonna eat you.’

Mary Lou backed into John the vampire. She squealed as he threw his arms around her and nibbled the side of her neck.

‘Wanta get Aleshia?’ Eric asked.

Beth nodded.

They moved slowly across the room, moaning, bumping into dancers who ignored them or laughed or pushed them away. Then Aleshia was in front of them. Her head was back, her eyes half-shut and dreamy as she shrugged and flung her arms and twirled. They staggered past Eddie Ryker. He kept on dancing as if they were invisible.

‘Gonna eat you,’ Beth mumbled.

Aleshia paid no attention.

Eric saw specks of sweat on her upper lip, but her shoulders and chest looked dry. The tops of her breasts showed above her bodice. One hard downward pull would free them …

And every guy in the room would jump on Eric.

Beth grabbed Aleshia’s arm.

‘Hey!’

‘Gonna eat you,’ Beth said.

‘Oh yeah?’ Aleshia pulled free, grinning. ‘Nobody eats me but Eddie.’

Beth gasped and burst into laughter.

With a harsh laugh, Aleshia resumed her dance.

Eric watched, sick with disappointment. Why hadn’t he grabbed her? At least her arm, like Beth?

Shit!

He’d missed his chance. He’d chickened out.

‘Want to dance?’ Beth asked.

‘I guess.’

‘It’s stopping,’ Bill said.

Nate slowed down.

A block in front of them, the car containing Carlson and Miss Bennett backed into a space along the curb.

‘That’s gotta be the place,’ Nate said.

‘Yeah.’ The house was bright, its porch light on, a green spotlight on the front lawn illuminating a stiff-armed motionless figure.

‘Keep an eye on ’em,’ Nate said.

Bill watched Carlson and Miss Bennett climb from the car. They turned toward the lighted house and strolled up its walkway. The solitary figure didn’t move. A scarecrow, Bill realized as they drove slowly closer.

He saw a grinning jack-o’-lantern in the picture window. Beyond it, people in costumes were standing around, some dancing. ‘Kids,’ he said.

‘And to think we weren’t invited. What kind of asshole has a party and doesn’t invite us?’

The screen door opened. Carlson and Miss Bennett entered.

‘Pisses me off. What do they think we are, lepers? You got leprosy, dingus?’

‘Nope.’

‘Me either. The fuck-heads.’

At the end of the block, he turned the corner and parked.

‘What’re you doing?’

‘What does it look like?’

‘We’re not going in.’

‘Hey, we’re trick-or-treaters. We’ll just go up to the door and see what develops.’

‘Bullshit. You want to get in there and wipe out Carlson.’

With a wink, Nate flipped the black patch down. ‘Fuckin’-A right. We bad dudes, man. Pirates. Nobody pushes us around. We do the pushing.’ He threw open the car door and leaped out. Running up the street, he cried out, ‘Rape, plunder, pillage! Ho ho ho and a bottle of rum!’

Bill ran after him. ‘Wait up!’

‘Fuck you, slowpoke.’

‘Hey you kids!’ yelled a woman.

Bill spotted her on the sidewalk with half a dozen children.

‘Eat it, lady!’ Nate called back as he cut across the corner lot.

She was still ahead of Bill. ‘You creeps oughtta be locked up!’

‘Up your ass!’ Bill yelled.

‘Right on!’ Nate shouted from a distance.

Bill stayed on the road until he passed the woman, then he dashed over the sidewalk and across the corner yard. Nate, just ahead, jumped up and down waiting for him.

‘Come on, dipstick!’

Side by side, they ran down the block.

‘Rape pillage plunder!’ Nate shouted.

Rock music blared from the house ahead. ‘
I’m dying to be your woman, I’m dying to be your guy, we’re dying to be red-hot lovers
–
under the sunbeam sky
.’ Nate sprinted toward the scarecrow. Its head was a painted grocery bag. ‘
Under the sunbeam sky sky sky
.’

‘Yeeyah!’ He crashed into it. The post snapped, and he drove the scarecrow to the ground. It came apart at the waist. Balls of wadded newspaper spilled out of its shirt and pants.

‘
Dying to be lovers, dying to get high, dying to be your wonder-waker under the red-hot sky
.’

Rolling, he scrambled to his feet and rushed the door. The main door stood open.

‘Nate!’

‘Rape pillage plunder!’

‘Don’t!’

He flung open the screen door. A woman in an evening gown blocked his way. He smashed her aside.

Bill hesitated. He didn’t want to follow Nate inside, wanted no part of the fight and destruction sure to come.

Eric was dancing with Beth, watching her and trying to imitate her moves when he saw a pirate plow into Mrs Barnes. The woman yelped and stumbled backwards. She hit the wall hard.

‘
I’m dying to go down with you, I’m dying to feel your skin
.’

‘Rape pillage plunder!’ the pirate yelled.

Nate Houlder!

‘
We’re dying to be red-hot lovers – doing the sunbeam sin
.’

Nate charged across the room, smashing his way through startled dancers.

‘Stop him!’ someone shouted.

‘Get him!’

Eddie Ryker reached out, as Nate rushed by, and grabbed his shoulder. Nate whirled and slammed a fist into Ryker’s nose. Jerking free, he lunged at the Frankenstein monster – Mr Carlson – who’d come in with Miss Bennett only a minute ago. Carlson landed a punch on his chin, but it didn’t stop him. He threw himself against the man, grappled with him, drove a knee up into his groin. Carlson cried out and fell. Nate scurried over him. Reached the refreshment table. Elmer backed away, and Nate lifted the punch bowl.

‘No!’ Miss Bennett yelled.

He lurched toward Carlson, stumbled, and emptied the punch onto him. The red flood washed over his head and back, splashed off him and spattered those nearby.

Miss Bennett wrenched the empty bowl away from Nate. ‘You idiot!’ she snapped. ‘You stupid goddamned idiot!’

‘My
carpet
!’ shrieked Mrs Barnes.

‘Get him!’ cried Aleshia. ‘Everybody get him!’

Three of the guys from the football team – Mark Bailey the soldier, John the vampire, and an Indian – hit him at the same time. He went down in a pile of bodies.

‘Go help,’ Beth said, nudging Eric.

‘They don’t want me.’

‘Go on. They’ll think you’re chicken.’

‘Well …’ He left Beth. By the time he reached the group, six boys were on Nate. Aleshia stood over them, giving directions. Her face was red and she was breathing hard.

‘His leg,’ she gasped. ‘Get his other leg.’

Eric crouched and grabbed Nate’s left ankle – the only visible part of his body.

‘Okay, pick him up. Pick him up.’

‘Let’s call the cops,’ said John.

‘No. I’ve got a better idea. Get him outside.’

John and a cowboy climbed off Nate. The others lifted him.

‘My carpet,’ muttered Mrs Barnes.

‘He’ll pay for it,’ said Elmer.

Eric walked backwards, still holding Nate’s ankle. The foot was bare. Nate was panting, sobbing. His eyepatch hung around his neck. Blood trickled from his nostrils. The right side of his face was red and swollen. His chest bled from a dozen fingernail scratches.

‘What’re we gonna do with him?’ Ryker asked.

‘Get him outside,’ Aleshia said again.

‘I think the police should be notified,’ Miss Bennett said as she walked behind the group.

‘We’ll take care of him.’

‘He’s been hurt enough.’

‘We won’t hurt him,’ said Aleshia.

Somebody held open the screen door. They carried Nate outside, and down the porch steps.

‘Okay,’ Aleshia said. ‘Strip him.’

‘Yeah!’ said the cowboy.

‘All
right
!’ said the Indian.

‘Serve the bastard right,’ said Ryker.

‘Kids!’ snapped Miss Bennett. ‘I don’t think this is the right way to …’

A wild cry of rage stopped her voice.

Eric dropped Nate’s foot as he saw a pirate leap from behind a nearby bush.

‘Bill!’ Miss Bennett shouted.

The pirate glanced at her, but didn’t stop. He dived onto the backs of three boys, throwing them forward across Nate’s body, smashing them into those on the other side. A couple stumbled backwards and stayed on their feet, but the rest fell in a tangled mass.

‘Boys!’ Miss Bennett yelled. ‘Boys, stop it!’

‘Get him!’ Aleshia shouted, jumping up and down.

Ryker and Bailey, the ones still standing, went for Bill. They grabbed his arms and shoulders, trying to drag him off the others.

Nate, no longer held by anyone, rolled over. He got to his hands and knees. He started to crawl.

‘Boys!’

‘Oh no you don’t,’ said Beth. She leaped onto Nate’s back, driving him to the ground. She straddled him. She shoved his shoulders, trying to keep him down, but he rolled onto his back and snarled up at her.

‘You,’ he muttered. His hands flailed. Beth tried to catch them, but they clutched her breasts, squeezed and twisted. She shrieked.

Her cry of pain tore at Eric. He rushed forward and kicked. The toe of his sneaker caught Nate on the cheek. Nate cried out and grabbed his face.

He pulled Beth to her feet. She was crying softly. ‘Are you okay?’

She shook her head, and stepped into Eric’s arms. He held her. She felt soft and warm.

Bill lay on the ground, battered, keeping his eyes shut. If they realized he was conscious, they might start in again. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard voices.

Aleshia. ‘Okay, get their clothes off.’

Miss Bennett. ‘I’m calling the police.’

‘No, let’s go ahead and let them, Karen.’ Who was that? Carlson, probably. The Wretch. ‘It’s harmless.’

‘It’s not harmless, its disgusting and degrading.’

‘And appropriate. Christ, look what Houlder did to me. Not to mention the carpet.’

‘Let’s not spoil the fun,’ said a quiet, whispery voice.

‘Do what you want with them.’ The unfamiliar voice of a woman. ‘As far as I’m concerned, you can boil them in oil.’

‘Let’s take a vote,’ Aleshia said. ‘All in favor of stripping the bastards?’

Bill heard a chorus of
ayes
and
yeahs
.

‘Opposed?’

‘You’re all crazy,’ Miss Bennett said.

‘The ayes have it.’

Hands began to tug Bill’s T-shirt.

‘I’m calling the police.’

‘Not from my house. The party’s over. If you’re so eager to help these ruffians, go home and call.’

‘Mrs Barnes, I don’t think …’

‘Maybe we should leave,’ Carlson said.

‘Yes. Maybe we should.’

His shirt was off. He felt the cold, wet grass under his back.

‘Geez, look at this knife.’

‘Take it,’ Aleshia said. ‘Take everything.’

He felt hands on his rope belt, on the button of his jeans. The zipper slid down. He raised his head, opened his eyes, and the soldier crouching near his head smashed him in the face with a helmet liner.

His jeans were jerked down his legs.

‘What about his shorts?’

‘Take ’em. Take everything.’

Someone pulled his underpants off.

‘All
right
!’ Aleshia cried.

He heard giggles from several girls.

‘Tiny little crittur,’ said a boy.

‘Nothing to brag about, is it?’

‘Probably couldn’t get it up if he had to.’

‘You ever see one of these, Mary Lou?’

‘Up yours.’

‘Hey, get a load of this one.’