A True Scary Halloween Story

I have loved Halloween my entire life. I think I came out of the womb asking for candy and a scary movie. When I was a kid it did not matter how harsh the weather was, nothing would out of my thin, store bought costume, freezing my legs off. I am originally from Wisconsin, and I can remember a few Halloweens when I had to trudge though a foot of snow in order to fill my basket full of chocolate vampires and marshmallow ghosts.

The most memorable Halloween of my teenage years was, unfortunately, not so idyllic. It was my 16th experience with the holiday, and I was set for a night of fun, and a few scares, with my friends. I don't quite remember what was going through my head, but at the time this all seemed like a good idea. I'm not sure if it was me or one of my cohorts, who dreamed up this idea, but I guess time has given me a reprieve of sorts.

The night began as any other. I put on my costume, which was a zombie prom queen, and headed out the door. I arrived at my best friend's house around 7pm. We had no idea what our plans for the evening would be, but we both had trouble on our minds. After a few minutes of brainstorming, we came up with the brilliant idea to break into a vacant house across the street. My friend began telling me stories of strange noises in the night that she claimed originated from this unassuming ranch style bungalow.

We crossed the darkened street, and knocked on the door. Of course no one answered, so we jiggled the handle. To our surprise, the door was not locked. So, arm in arm, we crept into the front parlor. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the room. A few dusty window sills and a tragically outdated lamp. We took a few steps forward, and heard a generic banging noise coming from the next room. We both clutched each other a little tighter, and for some inexplicable reason, neither one of us bolted for the door.

The next few moments were a blur, and thank goodness for small favors, because I know that if I were plagued with vivid memories of these events, it would have haunted me far worse than the goriest of Halloween horror movies. We were not alone in that house. Two men were squatting there, and apparently had been for some time. A heavier set, older man grabbed my friend, and the younger of the two reached for me. We both screamed, and fought them off as best we could. I vaguely remember kicking, screaming, and biting; doing anything to get this disgusting excuse for a man off of me. Miraculously, a neighbor heard the commotion, and ran through the door just in time. The two men escaped out the back door, but were never found.

This experience caused me to have many sleepless nights, and I still wake up and search the house for the two men who attempted to invade my body that Halloween. So the next time you are your best friend decide to do a little snooping, why not spend a quiet evening at home, or take your little brother trick or treating instead.