A Scream for Halloween!
written by: Sharon Wilson
The night was thick and dark as Karen and Becca made their way through the dense woods.
Branches snapped and foliage crunched underfoot, the sound echoing into the dark night.
‘I hope this flick is worth the trouble,’ Karen moaned, rubbing her hands together, ‘it’s chilly and horrible out here.’
‘Stop moaning,’ Becca said, feigning irritation, ‘you’re gonna love it! Don’t I always come through for you one way or the other. You said you needed money, now here’s your chance to make some.’
Karen nodded into the darkness before speaking. When she thought about that scumbag Derek and all the years of mistreatment she had put up with, she was glad to be finally away from him. ‘Yes, you do come through, Becca,’ she said at length, ‘but an extra in some low-rent horror film, is a bit of a stretch!’
‘Yeah, but it’s better than nothing,’ Becca responded cheerily. ‘You never know, if you get this right, who knows – Hollywood could beckon.’
‘Yeah, right!’
At that, the best friends laughed loudly as they pressed on through the woodland, chatting and joking until they saw the first glimmer of light.
‘At last,’ Karen sighed, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck. The sooner we can finish the shoot…’
‘Is the quicker we can get back to your place for a nice big glass of brandy,’ Becca continued, ‘can you put marshmallows in brandy, do you think?’
‘I don’t know, but there’s only one way to find out,’ Karen said, ‘tell me again why it’s me who has to be doing the running?’
‘Because Karen, you were always the faster runner at school, remember?’
‘But we left school years ago.’
‘I know, but between the two of us, you’re easily the fittest.’
Karen was silent for a moment, thinking about her early morning runs and her weekly swimming sessions at the local sports centre. It was all she could do during her volatile marriage to Derek. She shuddered thinking about the acrimonious divorce and his threats. He had even stalked her for a time until she moved out of the area, finally freeing herself from him.
Karen reflected back on how nice he seemed when they first met at the supermarket six years ago, where she worked. He had a steady local government job, and she was thrilled and excited when he proposed after only nine months of dating.
Within months of them being married, Derek changed from being a doting husband to a living nightmare. She filed for divorce six years later. Karen was grateful there were no kids involved, as she dreaded the thought of having to see him again.
Karen and Becca approached the film set and walked up to the director’s chair.
‘Ahh! You must be Karen,’ Jake announced, ‘Tim here is going to be chasing you through the woods.’ Karen suppressed a snicker. Tim was dressed in a black Halloween costume, together with the skull headgear.
‘Hi Karen,’ Tim said now, ‘don’t worry, I’ll give you a head start.’
‘Sure,’ Karen replied more brightly than she felt.
‘This is going to be fun,’ Becca whispered to Karen as they stood by watching the cameramen preparing for the take.
‘If you say so,’ Karen replied uncertainly.
‘Right, Karen love,’ Jake instructed, ‘we want to get this in as few takes as possible. All you have to do is run through the woods like a bat out of hell, and when Tim catches up with you, give us your best scream. It’s Halloween for goodness’ sake, so give it your best shot. Got it?’
‘Meet you back here later,’ Becca said with a big grin.
The breath jetted from Karen’s lips as she pushed through the dense thicket. Her eyes were blurry as she struggled to focus through the dimness. The crackle and crunch of the forest floor told her that Tim was not far behind. She pelted on. Then she heard a thud.
Ignoring it, Karen ran on, hearing footsteps gaining on her every move. She glanced backwards and saw Tim with his arms outstretched, pushing away the foliage, his black costume catching the light of the camera menacingly. His head looked positively scary, the hollows of his eyes were whirlpools of darkness.
And then in a few more steps, he was on her. She spun around and knew instinctively that something wasn’t right. This wasn’t Tim. She struggled, and then a bloodcurdling scream seared through the darkness as Karen realised what was happening. Derek’s grip grew tighter and tighter as he squeezed her neck until she fell, limp.
‘Cut! Excellent scream!’ Jake shouted from somewhere in the misty distance.
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