The Halloween Store
(c) 2016 Chris Calderon
THE NEXT DAY
The red and blue lights flickered on the cobwebbed pained glass door. Gary and Allen opened the door to greet the officers. John, Andre and the rest of the girls stood inside watching the two managers talk to the men in blue. They looked like two young kids trying to explain where their younger brother or sister went. Allen waved both arms and hands above his head in a Y. This always reminded John and a few others of Richard Nixon when he would put up his arms with two peace signs in both hands. Instead of peace, Allen’s gesture always signaled frustration. The girls whispered to each other wondering who was to blame.
Allen came back into the store and waving his arms once more, “Everybody, get back to work, c’mon!” He tossed out costumes to everyone, “C’mon, let’s get movin’.”
* * *
As it was getting closer to Halloween they gave the reps a chance to promote the store by recieving a free costume to wear while working. It was good for the store because the customers would see how the costumes fit on a real person as opposed to a picture. John wore a Ghostbuster costume. He had been an immense fan of the film ever since he was a kid. He knew just about every line from the comedy. He used this eccentricity to his advantage by always quoting various dialog from the movie. He donned an inflatable proton pack complete with the particle thrower.
Campy Halloween music played on repeat for the rest of the night. Campy kids, Halloween music to Micheal Jackson’s Thriller. To the crew, Thriller was definitely the best some of the bunch.
John put some of the cavemen costumes together. Andre donned a viking horned helmet and nudged John on the shoulder.
“Hey, take a look at those!” Said Andre pointing at Stacy donning a leopard spotted almost-a-bikini top. She also wore a matching headband around her dark black hair. Her brunette hair seemed to frame her huge round breasts. Their gaze fell upon her as she bent forward vacuuming back and forth. Andre chuckled as John continued to watch.
Andre hit him on the head with his squeaky rubber club and laughed. John shook his head and walked around the store.
* * *
More and more people started to file in. John, Andre, Stacy, Star and Jen kept helping the wandering customers. John couldn’t take his eyes off a beautiful brown-haired girl. She stood next to her mom. She was dressed in the popular Cinderella costume. The long curly brown hair fell down to her bare neck. He felt the urge to go and chat her up but the mother was a major obstacle to him.
* * *
Jennifer had to go into the back of the store wearing tons and piles of brown boxes which contained lots of back-up costumes for the front, most of them were not priced yet. Allen told her to check in the piles of boxes for a vampire costume. After opening several boxes and not finding any costume that even came close, she started checking the boxes in the back. She tripped and fell over the mound of brown cubes in the middle.
Soon, she found herself swimming in them. She couldn’t find her balance and footing. The boxes fell on top of her and became heavy almost to her as if they were pushing her down on purpose. Her body was fell towards the floor in a quicksand of large brown boxes. The only thing she could get out of the cardboard was her right hand. She seemed to descend for an absurd thirty seconds. This depth was way beyond the actual store floor. Time seem to slow like Alice falling through the rabbit hole.
As she slowed her hands and legs shot out in an inverted Y. Below her was a very old black wooden coffin. She panted as the door creaked open. There was nothing but darkness. Then a pale, finely clothed man opened his eyes, smiled, showing his long two-inch fangs. Jen screamed in terror.
Outside the mound of boxes just a mere muffle could be heard if someone was near that area.
“I heard you were looking for my clothes.” Said the ghoulish, red-eyed, vampire. Her scream slowly died into a whimper as she stared into his hypnotic eyes. Her mouth stayed open as she slowly descended into the pale man’s arms. His fangs plunged deep into her soft neck and the coffin lid fell over her. The coffin knocked just once at the last bit of struggle. The boxes fell back on top.
Meanwhile, Allen was still getting grief from an impatient customer. “Andre! I need you to check up on Jennifer and see if she found that Dracula costume yet, it’s been about five minutes.” He glanced at his watch.
“Yes sir,” Andre said saluting and smiling at him. He strutted down to the back of the store and to the storage room.
Allen raised his hands in the air and waved his hands. “Hurry up! Got customers waiting!”
Andre turned his head slowly, smiled, walked backwards, turned and kept strutting at his usual pace. When he finally arrived he opened the curtain to reveal the usual mountain of boxes, but to his surprise they had been perfectly stacked on top of each other so that they took up almost half of the room. Only one box remained on the top layer. Flabbergasted at the organization, since he only measured five foot three he took the top box just above his shoulders, and opened it using his box cutter. He saw the word Dracula and instantly snatched the first one without thinking to look at the rest of tge package. He jogged forward just a few seconds then went back into his usual slow strut. “Man, you were so quick!” Said Allen. “Lightning quick! I tell ya.”
Andre only cracked half a smile and held out the bagged plastic costume. The angry woman rapidly grabbed it from his hand. She gave it a glance and quickly slammed it on the counter “forget it!” She snapped and promptly left. Allen picked up the costume, shook his head. “Y’know you might want to read the whole title.” Said Allen as he held and showed Andre the costume. It read, “Bride of Dracula.” He threw the costume on the glass cashier table with plastic vampire teeth memorabilia under it. “Now go put it back were you found it and go get Jennifer. Wherever she is.”
“Right boss,” Andre replied.
* * *
The second time the police showed they thoroughly searched the store from front to back. No trace of blood was found to back room. No trace of blood was found or piece of clothing. They searched throughout the room throwing all the boxes aside only to reveal a regular light blue carpeted floor.
John and Megan watched Gary and Allen talk to the police once again with Gary cross armed and shaking his head while Allen hands predictably shot up into the air again. Megan was dressed as a clown with a huge round waist as big as a trampoline.
The yellow striped pants were followed by huge red shoes. “It’s so weird what’s been happenin’.”
“I know, it’s like their here one minute and then they’re gone.” John said while watching the police officers.
Andre had been looking around trying to stay busy. He grabbed the rejected costume from the glass display desk.
He looked down at the cover and gave a second look.
He walked up to John and Megan and handed them the costume. Megan looked down at it and screamed instantly dropping the plastic package to the ground. John picked it up instantly and turned pale.
The title was The Bride of Dracula. Jennifer pale and with two blood holes in the side of her neck stood in a long black outfit. They thought, either she had a twin as a model or somehow it was her.
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