Author: Pattie

 

Feedback: patfiler@hotmail.com

 

Disclaimer:  Mulder and Scully are not mine.  They belong to
Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and Fox Studios. However,
everyone else belong to me.

 

A Hallowe'en Challenge story written for the 2009
Hallowe'en Challenge at The Nursery Files. 

 

 

 

Tommy Smithers, age 11, and his three best buddies were merrily
trick-or-treating as they usually did every Hallowe'en.

 

"Hey, guys, let's go to that old house over there. I see a
lit up Jack O'Lantern in that window."

 

"Let's not and say we did," Johnny James said, rolling his
eyes.  "I've heard stories about that house and anyway, my bag is
full. It's eight thirty and I'm gettin' tired."

 

"Well, we may as well do one last house," Amy Jones suggested.
"Then we can go home."

 

So, the four dressed as a monster from space, Superman, a princess
and a striped uniformed jailbird (that was Tommy) made their way
up the walk, hesitated a moment, then yelled,"Trick of treat!!!"

 

"Do come in," a voice replied. "The door's open."

 

The moment the children ventured into the old, run down house,
they screamed and ran with still blood-curdling screams echoing
throughout the street.

 

Tommy ran immediately to his mother. "Mom, you'll never guess what
we saw in the old Hedows mansion."

 

"Honey,it's been abandoned for years. Now get that costume off
while I go through your candy."

 

"But Mom,you have to listen. There were these real live dead-looking
people, or whatever they were, a couple with heads missing and
we have to call Daddy about this."  Daddy was a policeman.

 

"Tommy, I'll humor you then, but he'll just laugh his head off
at his station and tell me to say "Good night" for him.  Now scoot."

 

"Aww, okay. But we really did see these horrible looking things or
people or whatever..."

 

Tommy's mother called his father and relayed the story to him, and
he said to his felow officers, "Hey you wanna hear something funny
about that Hedows house and what the kids thought they saw?"

 

When he told of these whatever they were in an abandoned old house
on Hallowe'en night, one officer got onto the phone to
Fox Mulder.

 

"Hey, old pal, want to hear something that's right up your alley but
probably part of four kids' vivid imaginations?"

 

Mulder clicked the remote to mute an old horror film. "Okay, I'm
game,Chuck, but this had better be good. They saw WHAT? You're
kidding.Okay,since is just in Washington anyway, I'll give it a
look-see. But I'm missing a great horror marathon here.  You know me, I'm
into almost anything unusual, paranormal or even alien.  I've heard
about that house. Let me just get out there, satisfy the kids
so they won't have nightmares and come home for the last feature."

 

As he hung up, he felt something WAS going on, because in his career
at the X-Files, he had encountered some strange things, such as the
haunting on Christmas Eve.  He and Scully had been scared poopless
and he could use a new oddity to wonder whether it was imaginary
or not.

 

So, without further ado, he clicked off the "idiot box" as his father
used to call it, and headed out the door in his leather jacket, cell
phone in his pocket -- just in case.

 
He was just out of Alexandria when his cell phone beeped. "Mulder."

 

"Mulder, I tried to reach you at home and you didn't pick up." It
was Scully.

 

"I'm out for a drive." he replied.

 

"You're not going to the office are you? Oh, maybe you're going
trick or treating."

 

"No, I'm not going to the office, but I am going to Washington."

 

Scully laughed. "They do have better candy there, from what I hear."

 

"Actually, I'm going to see a haunted house."

 

"But you were talking all day about how you wanted to see that
horror movie marathon! Okay, it's a homemade haunted house, right?"

 

"Well... not exactly."

 

"Well. have fun. I have a movie I want to watch. I just wanted to
make sure you didn't call me while I'm watching it. IT had better
be an emergency, but... never mind. The operator can get hold of
me if you get your ass in a sling." Click.

 

All right, so he was going to a well-known place in Washington
that everyone had been told about and remembered all the
legends and myths that surrounded it.She didn't need to know that.
Mulder kept driving until he found the Hedows mansion.

At the same time, Mrs. Smithers had finished up her last call
and all the children's stories had been the same. Amy was having
a nightmare and her mother had to cut the call short.

 

Tommy Smithers was tossing and turning,images of grey looking people
dressed in clothing from several decades, their eyes with dark
circles and their horrible black fingernails. "Mom!!!"

 

His mother quickly ran into his room to comfort him. "Did you have
a nightmare, Honey?"

 

"Uh, yeah," the bleary eyed boy replied. "It was those people
or whatever they were."

 

"Maybe it was all that candy you ate and the costumes you saw.
Some were pretty scary."

 

"No, Mom. I really did see those things, and so did my friends."

 

"Well, their mothers DID say they told them the same things you
told me. Maybe somebody was just having a party. It could be
someone has just moved in there. Now, go to sleep and dream
about the fun you had before you went to that house, okay?"

 

Tommy was reluctant to agree, but he uttered  "Okay" and put his
head back on his pillow as his mother kissed him.

 

"Sweet dreams, Honey."

 

Mulder perred in through the window of the Hedows mansion and saw
what looked like zombies, but what the heack, it was Hallowe'en,
peopledid party, occasionally encroachihg on abandoned parties, and
he'd seen so many zombie movies anyway. However, he had checked on
the children'sstories and they were all quite similar.  Still,
should he go in?

 

He decided to contact Scully.

 

"Scully.  This had better be good."

 

"Okay," Mulder reluctantly tried to explain.  "I see zombies."

 

"I see a candy-filled Mulder with some Brandy and beer."

 

"Laugh, laugh.  You know those things they portrayed in that
movie bout us?  They look even MORE real."

 

"Uh huh." Rolling here eyes, she muted the TV again.

 

"Anyway, I think I need you out here."

 

"Scared?"

 

"Oh, NOT.  Just get out here.  I need back-up anyway, even if it's
only a home invasion."

 

"Okay. I just hope Ifficer Smithers isn't laughing his butt off."

 

"Doubt it.  He's on a homicide case at this very hour."

 

"Zombie murders?"

 

"Knock it off.  At least two of the kids have nightmares, and this
party is still going on."

 

So, Scully made her way to Washington, met Mulder at the door,
and the door was found open.

 

It seemed as though there was more partying than ghoulism, and the
ever skeptic Scully proclaimed, "I ain't afraid of no zombies. I'm
going to snap the latex off of these clowns' faces."

 

"You always did like to snap the latex."

 

"I'll snap some on your nose. Believe me, I know a farce when I
see it. I ain't afraid of no zombies."

 

Well, it was true.  The costume party was a college prank.

Tommy and his friends were told the next day that it had been
a joke. A very sick joke.

 

"Very immature," Amy declared.

 

"I agree," Tommy said with a grin. "Weren't we silly?"

 

Jimmy nodded and shook his head.  "I'm going to read up on
"Foolishness in American College Kids."

 

"So should my partner," Scully agreed.

 

So, the next time you pass by a costumer store, leave it to
the kids.  The little kids.

                                 

                                   END