Halloween News

There is something I need to tell you.

I have been lost, I am not sure for how long. If I think really hard I can remember the red and blue lights of the ambulance, the sirens that blared as they took my body from the side of the road to the hospital. Then it all goes blank. I woke up in a white fog.

***

Josh winced as his cell phone rang. What time is it? The room was dark, but that was unsurprising since he installed blackout curtains. He was hungover, his head pounded rejecting the sound of the infernal device. It was early October and had been seven months since she left him. His dependence on alcohol had only grown. Fumbling he looked at the screen, Unknown caller, he silenced it and turned back over trying to escape back into fitful sleep.

He gave up. Twenty minutes later he was shuffling into the kitchen, on auto-pilot Josh started the coffee maker, took two aspirin, a shot of Jameson and settled in behind his computer. One of the greatest perks of being a game software tester and developer was that no one ever had to see your face. He probably hadn’t touched a razor in months. For the first time in a while he let his mind wander to the night Catherine left. They had the worst fight of their lives. He had a hard time remembering even why, but he did remember the redness of her cheeks as tears of frustration leaked from her eyes, her brown hair tangled in the back as she walked down the driveway. She never even looked back.

The hairs on his arms suddenly stood up and he whipped around to the empty room, certain he was being watched. He wasn’t a suspicious person by nature but he felt eerie and alert. He had a sudden inkling to check his phone, vaguely remembering the call he had received that woke him from slumber. Sauntering to his room he tried to shake the feeling that he was not alone in the house.

12 missed calls. 2 voicemails. Josh reeled, since Catherine left the only person that ever called was his mother. Shaking, feeling off, he unlocked his phone and opened the first voicemail.   

“Good Morning Mr. Post. This is Detective Bergbauer with the Colorado State Patrol. It is urgent that you give us a call back at 720-555-0134.”

“Mr. Post. Bergbauer again. Please call me.”

Josh’s blood turned to ice.

***

I’ve been trying to reach out since it happened, but there’s no air. No space for me to get through.

***

An hour later Josh found himself in the interrogation room at the local CSP office. He can’t imagine what he is supposed to have done. He hasn’t left the house in ages. These days you can get everything delivered, including groceries. Of course, he has been living in a semi-state of drunkenness, maybe he blacked out one night and lost himself completely.

“Mr. Post, thank you for coming in on your own.” The detective was unassuming and spoke as if Josh was on his deathbed, as opposed to in an interrogation room.

“Did I have a choice?”

The detective shrugged and sat down, placing a manila folder on the table between them. He opened it slowly sighing as he assessed Josh.

“Do you recognize this woman, Mr. Post?”

Josh suddenly couldn’t breathe. He dropped his head in his hands and started to shake. He felt a hand on his shoulder, for a second he thought it was the detective, but no Bergbauer hadn’t moved. Besides why would he comfort Josh, he probably thinks Josh did it. Josh felt several things at once, shock, sorrow and fear, overwhelming fear. 

“Mr. Post?”

“Yes,” he said shakily, “that’s Catherine.” Tears started flowing, he was cold and shaking. The picture was Catherine, but she was pale and unmoving. Her eyes were closed her body posed in a grotesque fashion. Her clothes were in tatters and there was blood everywhere. Detective Bergbauer was speaking again, Josh had little recollection of the remainder of the interview. He guesses that Bergbauer eliminated him as a suspect because he was eventually allowed to go home. He wasn’t given many details either, just that her body was found off Highway 40, south of Tabernash. Her car was missing but her cell phone was found nearby and listed Josh as her emergency contact.

And he called her last night. Just two hours before the time of death. He doesn’t remember the phone call.

***

I can feel myself getting stronger, I can touch you now. I am trying to be a comfort, but I fear that I am just scaring you. I need you to hear me.

***

 “……keep coming back it works if you work it, and you’re worth it!” Josh felt chills down his spine, every time he hears that at the end of a meeting it is the same reaction. At first he thought it was his ghost, but maybe it’s just a reaction to finally doing the right thing.

A couple weeks ago, the day after he was called in for questioning about Catherine’s murder he woke up in the bathtub, not remembering how he got there. He was freezing, but it was quite warm in the house. Josh felt an overwhelming sense of dread and decided as he sat in the tub to end his life. He slowly got up and started the shower, I may as well be clean when they find me.

Clean and clean shaven, Josh pulled back the curtains and promptly slipped forward pulling the curtain down with him as he fell out onto the floor. He barely missed hitting his head on the sink. In the fog on the mirror, were the words “you aren’t guilty, I need you, always”. He jumped so badly that now he lay sprawled out on the bathroom floor, shower curtains wrapped impossibly around him. It took him a minute to get his bearings, he slowly lifted himself off the floor to look at the mirror, it was blank.

Josh made a second decision that day. He needed help, not death. He was seeing things, and he was frightened.

“Josh?” Josh was pulled out of his reverie as a familiar voice said his name. “There you are, I’ve been trying to get your attention for like ten minutes!”

“Sorry,” Josh said politely, “how are you Daniel?”

“I’m great, man! I wanted to see what you were doing for Halloween? A bunch of us were going to dress up, and pass out candy to the little monsters, maybe order a pizza?” Daniel said all this very fast, he was the consummate socialite. Thank goodness for Daniel. “You know some good clean fun, maybe we can do it at your house, if what you’ve been saying in the meetings is true, it’s already haunted.”

“Sure, yea, maybe, can I let you know tomorrow?” Josh replied to the invite.

 ***

Oh, Halloween is coming! I barely have sense of time passing, that must be the reason I can see more clearly, hear more clearly. If only I could tell you. It is really important that you know. Especially now that you are getting help. I think I am the only person that knows. Well me and my killer.

I couldn’t tell you when I left. I was so angry and knew it wasn’t right for you to know. I didn’t mean to hurt you so profoundly. I guess it is true what they say, that the dead awaken on All Hallows Eve, I don’t think I ever believed that before.

***

Josh must be a pushover, because on the morning of October 31^st, he found himself pulling out all of Catherine’s old Halloween decorations and putting them up. Josh had gotten used to his ‘ghost’ now. He had a strong suspicion that it was his mind still playing tricks on him. Surely Catherine wasn’t actually haunting him. She had left him. End of story. But…. But, whenever he put some ceramic pumpkin in the wrong place the lights would dim until he made it right, when he put the spider webbing backwards the music would turn up so loud until he turned it right side front. He couldn’t help but think it was her, she always liked things just so.  

***

“….Josh…. Can you hear me?... Josh.” Your head turned! I think you might have heard me that time! You’re staring at the spot I’m occupying. You look away, you still think I’m in your head. What more can I do? Now that all the Halloween decorations are correct, I can finally try to get you to understand, get you to hear.

When you almost killed yourself I lost it! You need to know first, you never would have entertained the idea if you knew. I blinked out after writing the message on the mirror, not sure where I went. I can stick around now, though, I am so much stronger.  “Josh!” I screamed, desperate. Bad timing, the doorbell rang.

***

The “party” was well underway when Josh’s phone buzzed. He looked at the caller ID, it was Detective Bergbauer. Josh excused himself from bustle of the room.

“Detective?”

“Mr. Post, I apologize for bothering you on Halloween and all, but there has been a recent development in Catherine’s case. Would you mind coming down to the station?”

“I’m sort of hosting a party,” Josh debated, “can you just tell me over the phone?”

“I’ll come over.” Before Josh could protest the phone went silent, Detective Bergbauer had hung up.

Josh returned to the party as the lights begun to flicker again.

“Dude, your house really is haunted!” Daniel exclaimed as he spotted Josh re-entering the space.

“I’m sure it’s just faulty wiring.” Rebecca said, a little timidly like she didn’t really believe it. Then several things happened at once that made everyone in the room pause.

The doorbell rang (this was the least eerie as kids had been trick-or-treating all evening), the vase on the table shattered spontaneously, the lights went out completely, the wind started howling, a child screamed and an eerie familiar voice said, “Josh, I need you.”

***

You heard me that time.

***

“Mr. Post? Where are you?” There was complete silence for a minute or two, broken when Detective Bergbauer cautiously stepped over the threshold, pulling out his flashlight and turning it on. Then chaos. All the party guests pulled out their phones, turned on the flashlights and started gathering their things.

“Sorry, Josh man, this is too real for me.” Daniel pulled Rebecca by her hand and they left, the other party guests following mumbling apologies, “great party!” and “see you next week.”

Eventually it was just Josh, the detective and, Josh knew it for certain now, for there she was not quite solid but no longer just an apparition of his mind, Catherine.

***

“I’m sorry I’ve been scaring you, I don’t mean to.” I said to you, I turned to the man on your left, he still had his flashlight on even though I let the lights come back on, his eyes were wide and his breath was held. “I’m Catherine,” I told the man, “well, what is left of me I suppose.”

“You… you’re… but…” he stammered.

“Look, Josh, I don’t think I have much time the night is coming to a close. I just need to tell you.” I said turning back to you, allowing the stuttering man to work it out.

“I was pregnant” The words hung in the air.

***

Josh stared at the apparition. What?! He took his time processing what ghost Catherine was telling him. That’s why she left, he realized, because he would make a terrible father and she knew it. He felt tears start to pool in his eyes. Detective Bergbauer was coming to speed and turned out the flashlight. Josh knew now why Catherine had come back, he needed this information. He needed to find help and get better, Catherine haunted him to it…. Because, why?

***

I watched you carefully as you processed the information. The stuttering man seemed to finally come to his senses.

***

“That is what I came here to tell you, Catherine, you,” Bergbauer looked at Catherine’s misty form, “were pregnant. Josh she was… was pregnant and we think… we think… the baby….”

***

“The baby is still alive.” Catherine interrupted, then blinked out, along with the lights and the sound of the clock hitting midnight.