The Wicked Within

2. Inside The Store

You don't expect it, but it's there. You are weak and powerless. It feeds on people like you.

******

Finn pulled on a solid black t-shirt and jeans. He grabbed a gray hoodie from a coat rack on his way out of the room. In the hall, his sister was dressed as a Slytherin student from Harry Potter. Two of her friends were there, one another girl in a cowgirl costume and the other a boy dressed as Luke Skywalker. Finn smiled at them and waved before running down the stairs.

His dad was laying on the couch, watching some cartoon. He looked tired. It made sense, he worked extremely long hours at the hospital as a nurse. He looked away from the TV as Finn opened the front door.

"Where are you going? Aren't you a little old for trick or treating?"

"I'm just going out with some friends."

Finn knew his dad didn't like them. He'd threatened to make him completely stop hanging out with them after they had ditched school a few weeks back. He knew they were a bad influence, but he'd given his son one more chance.

He frowned. "Be back by 9:00."

Finn nodded and closed the door as he walked out. Nine. Way too early. The others would want to stay out until midnight.

Or longer. It depended on what the surprise was.

Apparently, Eddie and Allison had been planning something for weeks. Something special. Something that they had worked so hard not to tell the other three about. Something memorable, just for Halloween. They'd all meet at Allison's house, then get going. Finn had been excited and nervous about it at the same time. The way they talked about it, it was a really big deal. Something that could easily get them all in big trouble.

So Finn didn't really know what to do. He'd gone along with it up until this point. Skipped classes to hang out with them, things like that, just so he wouldn't lose the only friends he had. I mean, sure, he'd have occasional conversations with other unpopular people, but he loved actually having real friends, a group, to hang out with all the time.

But now, with his dad's little threat, it seemed like he could lose them no matter what he did. But he supposed he'd just go- what was there to lose?

Allison lived in the same neighborhood as him, just a few streets away. As he walked closer to the house, he noticed Eddie and Allison in the driveway, along with Travis and Elaine. Travis, being his usual animated self, seemed to be telling a story with vivid hand motions. Elaine was wearing a shirt with characters from some horror movie on it.
She was the first one to notice Finn, and waved him on. He broke into a jog, finally joining them.

Eddie smiled from ear to ear. "Oh, this is gonna be great." He seemed to be studying each one of them, excitedly.

Elaine twirled her golden blonde hair around her finger. "Yeah. You've been saying that for weeks. Will you please tell us what it is?"

"Get in," Allison pointed to a beat up ford, her car. It was like her house: old and small.

"Your parents are cool about this?" Finn knew it was a stupid question. Even if they weren't, Allison would still go.

"Yeah. They're fine with it." She rolled her eyes. It was a completed honest answer. Her parents- exactly the opposite of role models- wouldn't care if she was smoking weed in a dark city alleyway.

The group of five crowded together in the vehicle. Finn, Allison, and Elaine in the back, Travis in the passenger seat, and Eddie at the wheel.

They pulled out of the driveway, out of the neighborhood, onto the highway.