The Haunted Mask Part 3

Prologue: Disbelief

Sirens blare in the distance as six very distressed kids stand on the street, one of them pacing back and forth underneath a tree that had a few scraggly leaves left from the autumn season and was decorated with sheets for the creepiest holiday of the year. The sheets billowed gently in the wind, to give the "scary" impression that ghosts were hovering above them on the backdrop of a nearly full moon. The fake illusion would make any child giggle and pause a moment to gaze upwards to admire the effort put into them.

However, none of the children were giggling or paying attention to the decorations; what was happening to them was much scarier and very real.

"They have to find her, right? We called in enough time. Won't they?" Adriana says, still pacing back and forth. The long robe of her costume flows with the wind and the direction its owner paces. The rest of the group watch her, leaning against the picket fence of the nearest house, the place where everything happened so quickly.

"It's the police's job to find her and would you please stop pacing, you're making me nervous," Sabrina says, wiping a few tears from her eyes.

The two youngest of the group children whimpers, sitting on the damp grass, one watching her older sister go back and forth and the other curled up into a ball.

"This is all my fault," Adi says.

"How could it be your fault?" Steve asks. "We were all taken by surprise."

"But I'm the one who found it in the first place."

"That thing was causing problems before you found it," Chuck points out.

"Well, it was hidden and not meant to be found and I did just that!" she kicks the dirt as two police cars pull up to the location.

One of the officers gets out. The red lights reflect in the children's frightened eyes and he approaches the children.

"Alright, kids where's the fire?" he asks, clearly not in the mood for prank calls, especially on Devil's Night, he had vandalism calls to heed.

"Someone in a mask took my friend," Sabrina says.

"Was it a burglar?"

"No,he was wearing a Halloween mask," Chuck explains.

"Everyone's wearing masks kid, it's almost Halloween."

"But this mask is evil," Steve says. "It's made of real skin and it possesses the wearer. It makes them do horrible things. And this one wants the guy to perform a ritual tomorrow using our friend."

The officer rolls his eyes. "Come on kids, that sounds like the plot for a really bad horror movie or a mildly popular horror anthology show for children."

"It's real, Sir," Adi says. "And if we don't find her before midnight tomorrow night, she'll be one of them."

The police officer scoffs at the claims. "Look, kids, I have many other calls to make tonight, all of them much more important than wild campfire stories. I want the truth now or I'm calling all your parents and having you do community service for obstructing an officer in the force of his duty."

The youngest boy of the group stands up and holds Sabrina's hand for support.

"A bad man took my sister and he drove away."

"What is your sister's name?"

"Carly Beth."