Compiled and edited by @Deodand. Minor changes have been made to satisfy the forum’s aggressive word filter.
The air is quiet, perhaps cold enough to feel a small pinch upon the skin. A faint smell of gunpowder still hangs in the air from earlier fireworks. Kingsmouth now rests. It has been good day; the children are full of candy with enough still to last them throughout the week and they now sleep, their parents grateful that they were able to get back indoors before night really took over. They sit in the dark, unable to sleep themselves, listening, not even daring to peer through the gaps in the curtains to check the streets, hopeful that by not seeing it does not happen. Hopeful that this year it does not happen again.
Years ago the fog came to Kingsmouth, and within it creatures. The fog, the creatures and the evil that drove them on were all beaten back but at a terrible price. Each year on this day, however, that price must be paid.
A thick mist descends from nowhere over Solomon Island and on the edge of Kingsmouth Town a gnarled, ancient tree casts shadows over a patch of pumpkins. A sparrow perches atop one of the squashes and pecks at the hardened skin. It hears a rustle and pauses, head twitching at inclines, its vision scanning the area seeing nothing. The sparrow pecks again.
A tendril hooks itself around the sparrow and squeezes in a single motion, the bird unable to make a sound before its tiny heart explodes under the sudden pressure. The tendril releases the corpse and moces to the sodden earth, pushing against it. The ground creaks and makes a sucking noise as if something, as if many things are being pulled from it.
Figures, headless, animated uniforms almost, the materials a reinforced fibre, overcoat trousers and boots. rise from the mud. These uniforms were blue once but are now streaked with mud across the material that once could withstand gunfire and sharpened blades, but are now unable to withstand time.
The headless stand as if gaining their balance before reaching down to extract a pumpkin from the ground. With a roughness ignorant of ceremony they ram the pumpkins upon their shoulders and twist in a fashion that would snap a person’s neck but which in this case grants a flare of life that is epitomised from the glow behind their carves eyes and maws.
The Kingsmouth Patrol have awoken.
One of the figures gurgles like a man drowning in a pool of mud. It perseveres and after a few moments the unintelligible noises evolve into something that sound like a parody of speech.
merrygandering: “Greeetingss… brethren…”
Sev nods in silence
Weebeeched checks her surroundings before uttering, in a croaky voice. “Hhhhass it been a year already?”
merrygandering: A sound not unlike inhalation emanates “Smell that air… The decay of nature begins… The leavesss… fall from the treess… and rot upon the ground… Much like the stench of humanity that clings… to this… land…”
calamoda: “At least there is still the breeze of this dense fog around that fills your lungs”
merrygandering: “The fog is a herald of our return… Are we ready to walk this… land…? Patrol… the streetss… and keep them ssafe from the living…?”
Weebeeched audibly cracks her neck, then knuckles. “Can we finish off this wretched place once and for all?”
pamvyra: The highest time to do so.
merrygandering: “Come… Let usss trick or treat…”
The patrol moves from the patch beneath the tree towards the road. Their limbs shakey at first like an person rising from a hard chair, but their movements become more fluid as they move on. They scan the streets as they walk, seeking out life in its many forms. Ahead the road is blocked with a combination of several cars and what looks like a postal van. There is a hiss of frustration.
merrygandering: “The path iss… blocked… They are prepared for our arrival…?”
sobel: “They have never been before…”
pamvyra: Not very thought out, this blockade though…
[Weebeeched]: “They are but human. They don’t learn from their mistakes.”
merrygandering: “We will adapt…”
pamvyra: Their attempts at adaptation are pathetic…
merrygandering: “I hear human voices…”
A man clad in dark combat gear runs close, his hand upon a lare sword. He stops at the sight of the group and appears to make some mental calculations.
sobel: “There’s one.”
merrygandering: “Trick… or treat…!”
The man thinks better of attacking the group and casting about quickly turns and runs towards an alleyway.
[raid] [*merrygandering]: “Thisss… way…”
The patrol follow after the man and enter the alley coming to a house wih a sign bearing the legend “Raven’s Knock”. Pumpkins and Halloween paraphenalia ecorates the porchway. They attempt to enter, however an invisible force prevents them from moving further.
MerryGandering hisses
Weebeeched sniffs the air. “The ■■■■■… she is still doing business. I can smell it!”
Sobel slowly turns to look at her.
merrygandering: “And she taunts usss with the collected headsss of our fallen…”
sobel: “If we cannot pass, perhaps something else can.”
merrygandering: “Speak on, brother…”
calamoda: “Like grenades?”
sobel: “The building is made of wood. wood burns with the correct treatment.”
sobel: “As do witches.”
Weebeeched chuckles with glee. “We’re good at burning thingsss, ain’t we?”
pamvyra: Mmmm the smell of burning human flesh…
[sev]: “And ssseersss…”
sobel: “And PRIESTSSS!” His voice rises, a harsh rasp lurking underneath.
merrygandering: “Will you do the honoursss…?”
sobel: “Gladly Sssister.”
Sobel lifts his jacket and pulls out a grenade. Removing the pin, he tosses it underhand into the room, the spoon flying off to rattle agaisnt the sign. “Quoth the Raven, nevermore will she taunt us. Nevermore will she trick us.”
There is a clatter of metal against mature wood as the grenade bounces into the building and then down the steps.
Weebeeched 's eyes flare up. “Burn, little ■■■■■. Burn, burn for your sssinsss!”
sobel: “Nevermore will she and the priest treat us as profane relics of a bygone era.”
calamoda: “Dance with the fire now”
A distant female voice calls out “What the—?” before the inside of the building erupts with a sudden heat and phosphoresence that warms the hardened skin of the squashes that rest upon the patrols shoulders
MerryGandering emits a rasping crackle that might be laughter
merrygandering: “Ssshe… sshe did not sssee that coming…”
Sobel inhales. “Seared seer.”
pamvyra: Mmm that is a lovely sound.
calamoda: grin That’ss the thingsss i like
merrygandering: “Ssshall we continue…?”
sobel: “The Priesst!”
merrygandering: “The priest…!”
calamoda: “Let’sss take his eyesss out, they are too bright”
merrygandering: “The argyle sssweater…”
sobel: “Drown him in his water of life.”
[Weebeeched]: “Yes! Drown!” She hisses in response.
merrygandering: “let us continue…”
pamvyra: Can we eat his eyes first?
merrygandering: “Those blue blue eyesss…?”
calamoda: “Blue is bad…”
merrygandering: “They are yours…”
Crossing the road they move between two houses and along another alleyway[/i]
merrygandering: “Sssss… sssshortcut…”
Afigure. Human. Female steps into the street ahead of them and raises her shotgun.
[*milliways]: “Y’all stop, you hear me? Go back to where you came from! This town has gone to hell and back. We’re still here, and we’re not afraid of you!”
merrygandering: “Trick… or treat…”
Sobel fingers his rifle.
pamvyra: “Silly, little girl.”
merrygandering: “Tonight… this town issss oursssss…”
calamoda: hisses slightly
[*milliways]: “This town will never be yours. Begone! Your kind has already lost. You’re nothing but an echo!”
sobel: “And where’ss the resst of you? You’re all alone…”
[*milliways]: “You may have the others running scared, but you can’t fool me.”
pamvyra: “I can eat your eyes too.”
MerryGandering reaches a ruined hand towards the girl.
Milliways spins around. “Please. You’re already dead. You just haven’t realized it yet!”
[*milliways]: “Clinging to this one day a year where the veil is thin, thinking you can still turn the tides?”
sobel: “It’s Samhain. You’re on our sside of the veil now.”
merrygandering: “What care we of tidesss…? We rise for one night… We take what is around around and return to the earth for another year…”
pamvyra: “She is an insolent one and should be punished!”
[Weebeeched]: “Yesss… thisss is our time…”
merrygandering: “But tonight…? Tonight we are immortal…”
*Milliways aims at the creature’s head. “You really think so?”
**The light from the pumpkin head illuminates the girls face, showing the beads of fear upon her forehead
merrygandering: “We know… ssso…”
Sobel fingers his rifle, the glow from his head brightening like a twisted smile.
*Milliways “We’ll see, won’t we?” The young woman raises an eyebrow before pulling the double triggers.
merrygandering: “Reach for her… she cannot harm usss…” Her pumpkin head tilts at a light angle looking almost curious as her hands reach towards the girl
Sobel fires, bullets spraying in the damp air.
*Milliways 's eyes widen as her shot seems to pass right through the creature’s head.
*Milliways turns, but find herself surrounded.
Sobel reaches for her, rancid hand outstretched.
Sev hisses
Weebeeched laughs loudly. “Lady… you’re done for!”
MerryGandering’s hand reaches over the top of the woman’s head and pulls it back, the other hand reaching for the barrel of the shotgun
*Milliways struggles, to no avail. Her spent shotgun dropping to the ground.
Sobel hisses.
[Weebeeched]: “Any lasssst wordsss, before you meet your maker?”
*Milliways squirms. “This island will beat you yet. You just watch!”
sobel: “It seems to have beaten you. We remember when this island was filled with you and your vile brethren.”
MerryGandering’s hands encircle the woman’s throat and begin to squeeze…
*Milliways croaks. “You’ll have to… try harder… than that…!”
sobel: “As you wish.”
[milliways]: “Do your worst. I’m not afraid of death!”
Sobel holds the rifle to her head and holds the trigger down."
A piercing shriek echoes through the street as the woman drops to the ground.
merrygandering: **Lets go of the now lifeless body
merrygandering: “Trick… or treat…”
Calamoda grins maliciously
As the body lies still, blood trails and begins to seep downhill. Its path reach a shaft of light as the early rays of the dawn begin to light town.
MerryGandering hisses. “The morning comes apace… we are undone…”
Sobel looks down and then looks up the hill at the white church, glowing like a beacon in the night.
[Weebeeched]: “Our time here isss almosst up.”
sobel: “The Priest!”
merrygandering: “We will have to leave him and the pollution of his existence for another year…”
merrygandering: “We must return to our resting place…”
Sobel snaps his rifle to his shoulder and fires at the Church in the distance.
pamvyra: “Ohh no…”
calamoda: “I wanted the eyes…”
pamvyra: I wanted the eyes too!
[Weebeeched]: “What isss a year when you have an eternity. We’ll have our vengeance yet!”
Birds scatter, maybe some parts of the architecture are broken and fall
merrygandering: “The blue of that argyle sweater will feel the stains of the priest’sss red blood in time…”
merrygandering: “We must return to the patch…”
sobel: “The cars will not stand in our way.”
sobel: “Burn the church like a heretic.”
sobel: “A Samhain bonfire.”
merrygandering: “Next time…”
pamvyra: A shame.
Another person in combat gear, a rifle strapped to their back runs past rather rudely.
merrygandering: Trick… or treat…
They are ignored.
merrygandering: “Templar… hasss to be…”
The patrol takes a right and comes pumpkin to face with another roadblock of cars.
merrygandering: “Ohh… come… on…ssss”
sobel: “Another one.”
merrygandering: “I bet this never happensss to… Krampusssss…”
calamoda: “He’s a looser, we are way superior than him”
[Weebeeched]: “Can you imagine? Handing out coal to insolent children?”
The patrol takes a route along the docks attemting to rejoin the road near the gas station. Three members of the patrol clamber up the sea wall.
merrygandering: “Ssss… I need… a… leg up…”
Sobel stretches out a hand.
They arrive back at the patch as dawn’s rosy fingers caress the morning sky.
merrygandering: “Ssss… thanksss for attending this eve… I think… we made a real differensss tonight…”
merrygandering: “Sss certainly the town will feel a lot… lesssss safer…”
[Weebeeched]: “The town will be oursss in due time.”
calamoda: “we did really bad things yessss”
sobel: “As you sssay every year.”
merrygandering: “Well… every year itsss true…”
pamvyra: This year will pass fast hopefully.
calamoda: “Next year eyes right? right?!”
sobel: “The PRIEST!”
merrygandering: “Yes… yess… and the priest…”
Weebeeched melts into the ground. “Go for the eyesss!”
merrygandering: “Now… we must allow our forms to fade and putrefy, but know this… my brethren… we sshall
return… we sshall… be stronger… we sshall… make this town ours again…”
pamvyra: The priest must die.
Calamoda buries himself under the tree “until next year”
merrygandering: “Until next year…”
Pamvyra goes under the big branch. “Until next year, brethren.”
merrygandering: “Until next year…”
Sobel putrifies into the ground. “Priesst…”