Unwanted Perks - 1. Chapter 1 - Unwanted Perks

“May I borrow the car for a while?” I asked my parents after we finished eating lunch on Saturday afternoon.

“Why? Where do you want to go, Connor?” asked my mom.

“I’m wanna see if I can get a part-time job somewhere, because I want to have my own money to spend on Christmas this year.”

“But it’s not even October yet.”

“I know, but if I get a job now it will give me time to save up.”

“Do you know of anyplace that’s hiring?” asked my dad.

“Yeah, one of the Haunted House’s is getting ready to open up and I think I might be able to get a job there. I know it will only last for a few weeks, but I should be able to earn enough money for what I want, and I’ll have some fun at the same time.”

“Ok, that sounds harmless enough.”

My dad said this because he and my mom used to take my sister and me to Haunted Houses when we were younger and it was mostly fun, but we got scared too. This year I was hoping to earn enough money to buy my mom, dad, and sister nice presents for Christmas while also having a good time scaring others.

I’m a 17-year-old senior in high school and I have my driver’s license, so it shouldn’t be a problem getting back and forth to work if I get hired. I wouldn’t normally be allowed to drive at night, but the state lifts that restriction if you’re going to and from a job. I’ll also be able to use one of my parents’ cars, because they should both be home before I have to leave, and my mom and dad don’t usually go out in the evening. Even if they do, they can always use the other car.

The Haunted House I’m going to apply to is a different Haunted House than the one we used to go to and it’s only been in operation for the past couple of years. It also tended to be scarier than the other one, so I was hoping they would hire me. When I got there, the construction crew was still working on setting up the various areas inside the building, so I walked around outside for a while before spotting someone I could speak with.

“Do you know if they’re hiring yet?” I asked the guy carrying some materials as he was heading toward the building.

“We have everyone we need on the construction crew, but if you want to work in the Haunted House then you’ll have to speak with Bill. He’s the one hiring people for those jobs.”

“Where can I find him?”

“Follow me inside and I’ll point out the way to his office.”

Once I got there, I knocked on the door and waited until I heard someone say, “Come in.” I walked inside and there was a heavy-set older man sitting behind a desk.

“What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping to get a job working in the Haunted House.”

“What is your name and how old are you?”

“I’m Connor Norwood and I’m seventeen.”

“Do you have transportation?”

“Yes, I’ve got my driver’s license and my dad said I could use one of the cars if I got the job.”

He looked me over carefully before he responded. “Yes, I think you’ll do quite nicely then. You’re about the right height and build for a character I want to add as an attraction this year. Have you ever heard of Howard Gaskins?”

“Yes, of course I have. He was the guy who killed a lot of kids a long time ago. My parents used to mention his name whenever they were trying to scare me or my sister out of doing something they didn’t want us involved in.”

“Yes, I’m sure they did. He was a serial killer who operated in this area during the 1950s and 60s. He would pick up young teens that were hitchhiking and give them rides, because back then it was a common thing for kids to do, since not many of them had access to a car. The thing was, the son-of-a-bitch would say that he had to make a quick stop at his house first, because he forgot to turn a burner off on the stove. When they got there, he would offer the boy a drink, but it would be drugged. As soon as the boy was unconscious, he would carry him down to the basement where he had all kinds of restraints, and after the boy was hooked up, he would rape and torture him.”

I gasped slightly, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play this sort of character. The thing was, I was gay and wouldn’t want that done to me, so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play the role of someone who did those kinds of things. However, Bill had continued talking while I was mulling this over.

“He’d keep the boys around for a couple of days, or sometimes for up to a couple of months, depending on how much trouble the boys were. He’d end up torturing those who gave him the most trouble before he killed them, and then he’d kill them slowly and make them suffer even more. He would also dispose of the cooperative ones, although more humanely, but they’d be just as dead.”

“He got caught, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he eventually slipped up and one boy escaped and went to the authorities. They found most of the bodies buried on his property, since he lived in a rural area, and he later admitted to a reporter that he’d killed more than 150 young men. He was put on trial, convicted, and put to death in the electric chair. Do you think you could handle playing a guy like that?”

“I don’t know. I guess it would depend on exactly what I would have to do?”

“I figured we’d make you look like Gaskins, because he was kind of a scary looking dude, as well as a horrible person. You won’t be raping anyone, but if you do this you’ll be in a room with blood splattered all over the place and lots of scary looking instruments scattered about. There will be another boy with you who will be secured to a table, and he’ll be screaming, because you’ll be torturing him – not really, but it will appear that way to those going through the Haunted House. Once in a while I want you to stop what you’re doing and turn toward those passing by and say something like, ‘Maybe I can stop and give you a ride sometime’.”

I swallowed hard as I thought about this, because it went against my first impulse about portraying this guy, but after Bill told me how much I’d be paid for doing it, I agreed. I needed the money and figured I could handle doing this, since I wouldn’t actually be hurting anyone. I just had to keep telling myself it wasn’t real and was only meant to scare others.

Now that I’d agreed, he showed me a black and white photo of Howard Gaskins, apparently taken after he’d been arrested and locked up. The guy was even creepier looking than Bill had led me to believe.

“We’ll have our make-up people prepare a mask for you to wear and I’ll provide the clothing so you won’t ruin your own clothes. Do you want the job?”

“Yeah, I’ll take it,” I said with more confidence than I felt about doing this.

“Great. Can you come back at 6:00? The makeup people will be here by then and they’ll need you here so they can make an impression of your face. They’ll need it so they can design a mask that will look like Gaskins, but will fit the contours of your face so it will look realistic.”

“Ok, I’ll come back at 6:00.”

After I left there, I drove over to the public library so I could do some research on Howard Gaskins. Even though my parents had used his name to keep my sister and me from doing things when we were younger, all I knew about him was that he killed kids. I didn’t know any of the details until Bill told me some of them, so I wanted to find out as much as I could about the man. If I was going to make others believe I was Gaskins, I wanted to act similar to how he might have acted, because that would be scarier than anything I could think up on my own.

Before I did that, however, I used my cell phone to call home. I let my parents know that I got the job and had to go back at 6:00 to be fitted for a costume, so I was going to run some errands in between. They said that was fine and merely reminded me to drive carefully.

When I got to the library, I told the librarian that I was writing a paper on this guy for my history class, so she helped me find a couple of books that had information about him. She also helped me use rolls of microfiche from local newspapers that had reported on his crimes and the trial. Even though the reporters and authors hadn’t reported all of the gory details about what he’d done, it was still unsettling. His youngest victims were 13, and there were three that age, and the oldest were two 22-year-olds who looked younger. The rest fell somewhere in between, meaning some of them had been my age, but it gave me a good idea of what I should do in order to depict him.

When I got back to the Haunted House at 6:00, the make-up people made a mask of my face. They put a couple of straws up my nostrils first, so I’d be able to breathe, and they had me close my eyes before they started putting some kind of plaster on my face to make the mask. After it hardened, they took it off, and then they used a cloth measuring tape to measure my head. Once all of that was taken care of, Bill asked me to come with him.

“The crew has enough done on the area where you’ll be working, so I want to show you what it’s going to look like.” He then led me to a spot within the building where I’d be setting up. “As you can see, you’ll be in this room, but the wall that the customers will walk by will only be about three feet high so they can look in and see what you’re doing.”

“I didn’t think there would be any wall at all.”

“We decided to do it this way so no one would wander in there with you, because of the different items that will be lying around. Follow me, because I want to show you the table that your ‘victim’ will by lying on. There will be pairs of different size metal hoops fastened to the top of the table in two places that will simulate the restraints that Gaskins used on his victims. The first pair will go around his wrists and secure his arms beside his body, and the other pair will be used to secure his legs just above his knees, but neither set will be what they appear.”

“What do you mean?”

“They won’t actually restrain your ‘victim’ and will only appear to do that. The boy playing your ‘victim’ has already been measured and the crew made this table to fit his dimensions and the restraints will merely be a mirage. As the boy slips his wrists into the first set of restraints, there will be an opening that he’ll actually insert his hands into so they can’t be seen.”

“Won’t it look strange that he doesn’t have any hands?”

“No, and let me explain. The table top will appear to be six inches thick so his hands won’t be visible, but the makeup team is producing fake hands that will be attached to the other side of the restraining hoops. They will appear to be his hands, and with the limited amount of light and everything else that will be going on, I doubt anyone will notice the difference.”

“Ok, I think I understand now.”

“Something similar will also be happening with his legs. It will appear as if his knees are hooked into the larger rings, but he’ll insert his lower legs through other openings. His leg will dangle under the table and behind what appears to be a storage cabinet what has been built in to one end of the table. Fake legs will extend from the other end of the rings, and it’s the fake body parts that you’ll be using while you’re torturing the boy.”

“So, I won’t actually be doing anything to him?”

“Not when you’re torturing him while using his hands and lower legs. We’ll have you chop off one of his fingers, or possibly two, and you’ll also be slashing and stabbing his legs, but you’ll be doing that to the fake appendages. There will be plastic bags with simulated blood that the makeup crew will have rigged inside those items to make what you’re doing appear to be actually happening.”

“But then we won’t be able to do that again the next night.”

“That’s why I’m having them make multiple sets of hands and legs, so we can replace them as needed, and then the makeup people can repair those items for the following weekend.”

“Oh, ok,” I replied knowing that I’d have to mentally prepare myself for doing something like this. “So will the legs be covered with the same type of clothing that he’ll be wearing?”

“No. Gaskins would have kept the boys naked, but we’ll have your ‘victim’ wearing a swimsuit from that period, so his legs will be bare. We’ll open the Haunted House for the first time next Friday, but I want you to show up on Thursday so you can see how your area looks once everything is in place. You’ll also get to meet your ‘victim’ and the other employees.”

“Ok, I can do that.”

“I’ll also want you to get here by 6:00 on Friday so you can put on the clothes I’ll provide for you and the makeup team will have time to help you put on your mask. We’ll be open from 7:00 to midnight on Friday and Saturday, but we’ll close at 10:00 on Sunday, and we’ll be doing this over the four weekends until Halloween.”

“Ok, that will work out great,” I said, and then we shook hands and I left.

After I returned home, my parents congratulated me on getting the job, but I didn’t tell them exactly what I’d be doing. In fact, I wasn’t sure if I wanted anyone to know what my role was there, other than those I’d be working with. I wasn’t sure if there might be a backlash about me portraying a serial rapist and killer, especially since his victims were all boys and young men.

When I arrived at the Haunted House on Thursday, we all stood around outside as Bill introduced the security personnel so we’d be able to recognize them. They would also be wearing special tee-shirts and jackets to further identify themselves, and then he introduced the rest of us and hooked us up with those we’d be working with. My ‘victim’, Andrew, was a good-looking guy the same age as me, but he went to a different school so we didn’t know each other. After we had chatted briefly and were paired up with the makeup people who were assigned to us, we would try on our costumes and have our makeup applied, including my mask.

We were both told to use the same small room next to where we’d be setting up to change. I was given a pair of bib overalls, a flannel shirt, and rubber boots to wear, while Andrew was given a swimsuit from that era. His swimsuit more closely resembled a pair of colored briefs that were made from a thicker material and didn’t have the ‘Y’ front.

After we went in the room, we both started getting undressed at the same time, although I didn’t take off my underwear, but Andrew didn’t hesitate in stripping down completely in order to slip on the swimsuit. Seeing him naked caused me to bone up immediately, so I hurriedly slipped on the bib overalls, even before I’d put on the flannel shirt and buttoned it up.

I quickly finished getting ready, and then I looked over at Andrew again. Even though he was wearing the swimsuit this time, his bulge was clearly visible so I knew this was going to be a real challenge for me to control myself. However, I thought my initial reaction to him was probably appropriate, since I was portraying Gaskins.

When we went back out to where the makeup people were waiting, one of them worked on Andrew while the other one helped me put on the mask. It fit like a glove and the makeup person made certain I could breathe through the openings for the nostrils. She also blended the mask to my face around my mouth, because they’d merely left a large circular opening there, because my mouth and lips would appear to the public. This meant she had to blend the edges of the opening to my face so it would appear realistic.

“Damn, that looks awesome,” Andrew gasped when she finished.

“I hope you feel that way when you’re lying on the table and I’m torturing you,” I sneered, which caused him to chuckle.

“Hey, at least I get to lay down and rest while you’re doing all that other stuff. All I have to do is wiggle around once in a while like I’m in pain.”

After he said that, we were taken out so Andrew could arrange himself on the table. He slipped his legs into the openings first and then laid back before sliding his hands into the second set of openings. Now that his hands and legs were out of sight below the table top, he looked up at me and spoke.

“You’ll have to help me out if I get an itch,” he said with a grin, and all I could think about was that he might ask me to scratch his nuts.

The makeup person then attached the fake hands and legs to the restraints and explained how they worked. I was impressed that they looked more realistic than I’d imagined, and then she showed me another tool of my trade.

“Don’t get this knife confused with the one you’ll be using on the hands and legs. That one will actually cut, while this one will merely make it appear that you’re cutting him. This blade will leave a black mark on his body that will appear as if it’s leaving behind an open gash that will quickly be covered in simulated blood at the same time. The blood will come out of a tube located in the tip of the knife, and the pressure of the blade against his chest will make both things happen at the same time. Go ahead and try it out.”

As I was drawing the blade across Andrew’s chest, he giggled. “You’d better not do that when there are customers going by or it won’t seem very scary.”

“I know, but it tickled.”

“I can fix that,” the makeup person responded. “I’ll work with the crew to hook up a small device that will give him a slight shock whenever you’re using the knife on his chest. Andrew will be able to control the device with his left hand, because we’ll provide him with a button he can press if he thinks he’s going to laugh. The shock should make him appear as if he’s actually in pain instead.”

“Great! I get to shock myself,” Andrew responded sarcastically.

“I can always have them hook it up so Connor can give you the shock instead,” she offered.

“That might be fun, but I’ll do it,” he replied as he looked at me, grinned, and winked.

‘Whoa, what was that all about,’ I wondered. ‘He seemed to be indicating that he wouldn’t mind having some fun with me, but were we both thinking about the same type of fun?’

After we finished up, Andrew and I went back to the same room to clean off the makeup first, including me removing the mask. He was done cleaning up first, and then he began talking to me while I was finishing up. Once I’d taken off my mask, he took off the swimsuit, but then he stopped. I wondered what he was doing, until I saw him grab the towel again so he could wipe off the mark on his chest that he hadn’t completely removed before.

“I know we don’t go to the same school,” Andrew said as he stood naked while I was removing the clothes Bill had given me, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t get together once in a while. I thought we could do that after the Haunted House ends.”

“Uh, yeah,” I replied somewhat incoherently, since I wasn’t expecting him to say anything like this. “I guess we could do that, but don’t you have other friends you hang out with?”

“Yeah, I do, but I can make new friends too, can’t I? I think we’ll get along really well, because I noticed your reaction when we were changing earlier, as well as now.”

“What reaction?” I challenged somewhat embarrassed. I hoped he wasn’t referring to the fact that I had sprouted wood again.

“I noticed that you got an erection when you saw me naked earlier, and it happened again now,” he responded, which caused me to blush. “Don’t be embarrassed. I thought it was cute that it happened, because it let me know that we’re both gay. Are you out?”

I was gob smacked and I didn’t reply right away. “Uh, my parents know, and a few of my closest friends, but I’m not out to everyone. How about you?”

“My family knows, but I go to a catholic high school and haven’t told anyone there. That’s why I thought it would be great to hang out with someone more like me for a change. Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No, and I think it would be neat to hang out with you too.”

We chatted for a little longer and compared likes and dislikes, and while we were doing that Andrew finally started getting dressed. He was apparently an exhibitionist, although he told me that he’d never gone to this extreme before. He said he didn’t mind if others saw him naked when he was changing, like in P.E. class, but he assured me that I was the first one he’d ever done it for this long. He admitted that he thought it would be a good way to see how I’d react so he could determine if I was also gay.

The following night we went live for the first time and we elicited a lot of screams, and a couple of them came from Andrew. It happened when he held onto the ‘shock’ button for too long a couple of times while I was torturing him, but it helped to make what we were doing seem more real. For that reason, he did it again over the rest of the weekend, and Bill gave us a compliment when we were finishing up on Sunday night.

“You two are doing a great job! I’ve heard more comments and compliments about the two of you than any other attractions in the Haunted House. People said that you two scared them worse than anything else when you cut off his fingers and stabbed his legs.”

“Great! I like getting a rise out of people,” Andrew stated, and then he turned toward me and winked.

Things started off smoothly the following night as well, at least for the first hour, and then I started feeling unexpected pains in various parts of my body. It was like I was being punched and pinched, but I had no idea what was causing it. I tried not to show I was in pain or think about it while we were in front of the customers, but when we were changing Andrew made a comment.

“Hey, where did you get those bruises from? Were you in a fight today?”

“No. What bruises are you talking about?”

“The ones on your back, arms, and legs.”

“I didn’t have any bruises when I got here, but I was feeling pains in those areas while we were out there tonight.”

“Did someone reach over the wall and hit you?”

“I don’t think anyone is able to get close enough to do that, unless they’ve got arms like a gorilla.”

“Then what do you think caused them?”

“I have no idea.”

This continued on Sunday night as well, but I was thinking it might be a medical problem. I’d heard about people winding up with bruises caused by different types of medical conditions, so I need to keep an eye on the situation to see if it continues. If it does, I’ll have my parents make a doctor’s appointment for me.

When we started up again the following Friday, I not only felt like I was being punched and pinched again, but I also began to feel a burning sensation on my back and legs. I didn’t mention anything about it while it was happening, but while we were changing I asked Andrew to check my back for me.

“Damn, you’ve got more bruises and three ugly scratch marks that go across your back.”

“And I’ve got scratch marks and bruises on my legs too,” I announced as I showed him those areas as well.

“What’s happening?” he demanded.

“I have no idea. I haven’t been close enough to anyone else for them to be doing these things to me, and it’s only happening while I’m here at the Haunted House.”

“Are you saying ghosts are doing this?”

“I’m not sure, but what else could it be?”

“I don’t know, but why would a bunch of ghosts be doing these things to you and not to me?”

“Maybe it’s because I’m supposed to be a serial killer and it’s the ghosts of the boys Gaskins killed who are doing it.”

“I guess. I suppose that’s as much a possibility as anything else, but I don’t really believe in ghosts.”

“So, what do you think is doing this to me then?”

“I have no idea.”

Before we finished our weekend shifts, I wound up with more bruises and scratches on my body and it was beginning to look like I’d been mugged while being attacked by a hoard of stray cats. Some of the scratches were bleeding, so after I got home I would put an antibiotic cream on the areas that I could reach before covering them with a bandage. I didn’t tell my parents about what was happening to me, because I didn’t want them to freak out and possibly make me quit my job.

The following weekend the attacks continued, but in addition to feeling as if I was being pummeled and scratched, it also felt as if someone was biting my arms. I even had dental impressions from those attacks on my skin, so Andrew was finally willing to concede that it had to be ghosts that were responsible for these attacks.

“So, how do I get them to stop?”

“Maybe before we get started tomorrow night you could tell them you’re sorry about what happened to them, but you’re not really this Gaskins guy.”

“Ok, I’ll try that then.”

The next night I made the announcement before we started and I was hopeful, because nothing happened for the first hour. I was thinking I might even make it through the night unscathed, but eventually I felt someone biting me again. It happened to the little finger on my left hand and I thought whoever was doing it was going to bite it completely off. I couldn’t take it any longer and began waving my arms about as I screamed.

“Leave me alone. I can’t take any more of this.”

“Look, he must be hearing voices,” someone passing by said. “He’s acting like a total psycho.”

I’m glad he thought that’s what I was doing and it was only an act, and even though it fit in with the actions of the serial killer I was portraying, I was totally serious in my request. I wanted the attacks to stop and the spirits to leave me alone.

That, however, was only the first thing that happened to me this time, because the punching and scratching started again as well. Luckily, I managed to make it through the rest of the weekend without losing any body parts or getting marred beyond recognition, but I didn’t know how much more of this I could take. I definitely wasn’t looking forward to the next, and final, weekend of the Haunted House.

When I showed up the following Friday night, I was concerned about what I might be facing this time. Something different had been added to the attacks each weekend and it seemed as if the spirits were trying to find an activity that would hurt me the most, while continuing the other attacks at the same time. I could only imagine what they might try this time, and I told Andrew about my fears as soon as we met up.

“Then go out there and tell the spirits that you’re not Gaskins again and that you don’t want them attacking you any longer. Maybe they’ll listen to you tonight.”

“Ok, I’ll try it, but I want you to come out with me so you can tell the spirits that I’m not really hurting you.”

“Ok, I can do that.”

“I just hope you’re right about this and it works this time.”

We walked out to the area before the Haunted House opened and I worked up the courage to make the announcement. I stated that I wasn’t Gaskins and was only dressing up like him for the Haunted House. Andrew then followed and told the spirits that I wasn’t really harming him in any way and it was all an act that was meant to scare the others when they came by. After we finished saying this, we went back to the changing room to get ready for the night’s activities.

The evening started off ok, but then I felt a sharp pain in my head. It wasn’t exactly a headache, although it was more painful than a migraine. Instead, it felt as if something had penetrated my head, kind of like I’d been stabbed or someone was reaching inside my skull and squeezing my brain. That wasn’t the only thing that was happening to me, though, because I felt as if I was being punched, scratched, and bitten as well. I managed to hold out until the Haunted House closed for the night, and then I took off my mask and screamed at whatever was doing these things to me.

“I’m not Gaskins, so leave me alone! This is only an act and I’m not hurting anyone, so stop hurting me.”

I then walked back to the changing room with Andrew following close behind.

“What was that all about?”

“I was having really sharp pains in my head tonight, in addition to everything else. I’m not sure what they were doing, but it was worse than any of the other things that have been happening to me, and they were still doing the other stuff as well.”

“Do you think they’ll stop now?”

“I hope so, because that’s why I took the mask off, so they could see I wasn’t really Gaskins.”

My hopes were misplaced, though, because all of those same things began happening on Saturday night as well, along with something else. At one point I saw the sharp knife I used to pretend torturing Andrew start to lift off the table by itself, but then it dropped back onto the table top. It appeared as if someone was trying to pick it up but couldn’t quite manage to do it, and that scared me worse than any of the other things taking place. If this spirit actually was able to pick up the knife, would it try to stab me next or throw the knife at me? I was terrified that might happen.

Once again, I held out until the Haunted House closed, but then I couldn’t contain my fear any longer. Desperate to convince the spirits that I wasn’t Gaskins, I repeated what I’d done the night before, but this time I took off the mask and held it up next to my face so the spirits could see both at the same time.

“See, this is a mask and I’m not really Gaskins! I’m only wearing the mask to make me look like him so we can scare the people going by. I didn’t do any of that stuff to you and I’m sorry that Gaskins did all those horrible things to you guys, but we’re only acting and doing this to scare others for Halloween.”

“Yeah, and he’s not hurting me either. We’re friends and I don’t want you to hurt him any more.”

Andrew’s comment surprised me, although I was grateful for his support. When we got back to the room to change, Andrew pressed me about why I’d done that again.

“Did something else happen tonight?”

“Didn’t you see what they were trying to do? One of them lifted the knife off the table, but was only able to lift it a few inches before he dropped it. I don’t think he was able to control what he was doing, but I was scared that if he was finally able to do it that he was going to try to stab me or throw the knife at me.”

“I didn’t see it, but I heard the knife hit the table. I just thought you’d dropped it.”

“No! One of the spirits was trying to pick it up and I think it was doing that so it could use the knife on me.”

“Maybe they’ll stop now.”

“I hope so, but we’ll have to wait until tomorrow night to see if my rant did any good. I don’t know what I’ll do if one of them tries to use the knife on me.”

“Even though it will destroy the illusion of what we’re doing, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

To my surprise and utter delight, I made it through Sunday night’s performance, the last one we were scheduled to do, without incident. The spirits left me alone the entire night, so maybe I finally convinced them that I wasn’t Gaskins, but just as we were getting ready to go to the room to change, Bill showed up to speak with us.

“You guys were absolutely terrific. I had a bunch of people tell me that they’d showed up to watch you guys after their friends told them about you. I had others tell me they showed up multiple times just so they could watch you guys again. In fact, I had to place a security guy outside your area so he could keep the line moving, and that’s why I’m giving each of you a little bonus.”

He then handed us an envelope containing our pay for the final weekend, along with the bonus.

“I hope you’ll consider doing this again next year, and I’ll even increase what I pay you.”

“I appreciate that, but I hope to be in college next year. I’m also not sure you’ll want anyone else to do this either.”

“Why not? It was a big hit.”

“Follow me into the changing room and I’ll show you why not.”

Bill followed Andrew and me inside and I slowly took off my costume. Once I was standing in just my underwear, I tried to show him what I was talking about. Many of the bruises had faded, along with some of the scratches and bite marks, but Andrew helped me explain what had been happening and the marks he’d seen on my body.

“So, you’re telling me this happened because of what you were doing out there?”

“Yes, I feel that I was being attacked by the spirits of some of Gaskins’ victims. I think they believed I was really him and that I was doing the same things to Andrew that he’d done to them.”

“So, it caused them to attack you?”

“Yes, and I couldn’t convince them this was all an act and I wasn’t really Gaskins. Tonight was the first time that nothing has happened to me since the first night, so maybe I convinced them last night when I took off my mask and explained things to them again.”

“Why didn’t you do that before?”

“I did, but it didn’t seem to help, but last night I was really scared because one of the ghosts tried to pick up the knife. I was scared that it wanted to use it on me, so after we finished, I took the mask off and held it up next to my head so they could see both the mask and my face at the same time.”

“Good, then they shouldn’t attack you or whoever else is doing this next year.”

“I wouldn’t count on that!”

I knew I wouldn’t be able to convince Bill that doing this next year was dangerous, but at least I wouldn’t be the one suffering the abuse next time. I hoped he’d reconsider his decision before next Halloween, or at least be willing to advise the guy doing this about the dangers he’d be facing before he took the job. Otherwise, the attacks might escalate to the point where someone could get seriously injured, possibly even killed. If the spirits thought the next performer was actually Gaskins, they might be able pick up the knife and use it by next year. I was terrified of the extremes they might go to in an effort to seek revenge for what Gaskins had done to them and I can only pray it doesn’t happen.