Mike’s heart leapt with joy when the doorbell rang. He adored everything about Halloween. He hurried to the door and yanked it open. Two young girls, obviously sisters dressed as pirates looked up at him.

“What do you want?” He used his loudest, cranky-old-man voice. The trees rattled and shed dried leaves.

The youngest girl burst into tears.

“Don’t be such a baby,” Mike growled. “There’s no crying on Halloween.”

“Trick or treat!” The older child held out a plastic pumpkin and dared Mike to ignore her.

A squirrel chittered on the porch railing, and several rodents scurried across the roof. Mike ignored the irritating fluffy-tailed rats. He could always poison the creatures in the morning.

“I choose trick. I don’t do Halloween, so get off my lawn!” He waited a second for the girls to start moving then yelled “Boo!”

The older girl grabbed her sister’s hand and gave Mike a glare so hot he thought his beard might catch fire.

“You don’t have to like Halloween, mister. Not everyone does. But if you leave your porch-light on, kids will ring the doorbell. That’s the way it works. You don’t have to be a jerk.”

Mike’s joy dimmed, but he quickly shook off the criticism.

“I love Halloween, little girl. It’s my favorite night of the year.”

“You have a funny way to show it.”

“There’s more to Halloween than begging for candy.”

The girls walked down the sidewalk without a response.

He sighed, unsatisfied with their reaction. Dozens of squirrels peered at him from the shadows of the porch. He eyed the unblinking creatures warily, hoping they were all squirrels, then slammed the door.

He wished some of his childhood friends were still alive so they could sneak around and steal all the carved pumpkins in the neighborhood as they had done when he was young. There was nothing as satisfying as the moist splat of a stolen pumpkin exploding against the asphalt.

Muffled giggles sounded in the house behind him. He whirled to peer into the shadowy hallway, but he was alone as always. He shook his head.

Maybe it was time to get his hearing checked.

The doorbell rang again and he bounded forward with joy. Maybe it would be a bunch of toddlers this time. If he was lucky, he could have the whole group and their worthless parents reduced to tears.

He paused with one hand on the doorknob to put his cranky face on. This time would be the best ever. He could imagine the kids in stupid costumes running from him before he could even say anything. A snicker of joy tried to escape, but he stuffed the laughter down and yanked the door open.

“What do you want?”

The chirping of crickets and angry squirrels was his only response. Lightning crawled across the dark sky, followed by a crack of lightning that rattled in his chest. Looked like his fun was going to be cut short. No one went out in a thunderstorm. He squashed the memory of his friends doing just that.

Light flared and the ground rumbled as the lightning hit the huge water puddle just as his best friends raised their arms to throw stolen pumpkins.

He was doing these youngsters a favor by discouraging them from going out on Halloween.

The doorbell rang. He grinned. Something slammed against the door with a wet thud.

Footsteps pounded across the porch, followed by a wave of giggles that seemed to fill the room around him.

Mike looked behind him and saw a line of damp footprints far too small to be his. He took a step to follow the trail when the doorbell rang again. Fists pounded on the door and a grin stretched his lips. These kids were going down.

With a snarl, he yanked the door open, already yelling out a curse. The porch was empty. A pumpkin crashed into the wall beside him, spattering him with damp chunks of frigid pumpkin flesh.

“What in the?” Anger stole his words and he stomped to the edge of the porch to peer into the unnatural darkness. A streak of lightning briefly lit the night and he gasped at the massacred pumpkins strewn all over his yard. He’d have to clean up before morning. He had enough problems with his neighbors without giving them a reason to think he was stupid enough to steal pumpkins and destroy them in his own yard. He hadn’t been that dumb as a child.

A squirrel chattered and he looked up just in time to duck as a small, glowing jack-o-lantern flew at his head.

“Who’s there?” His voice shook. Dozens of bright eyes stared at him. Bats fluttered in the faint porch-light. Time crashed to a halt. His heart tried to beat its way out of his chest. His lungs refused to bring in enough oxygen.

Suddenly his yard was filled with jack-o-lanterns, flickering candlelight lighting the leering, carved faces.

One large pumpkin rose into the air as if lifted by a huge body, slowing unfolding from a crouch.

Mike tripped over his feet, scrambling back into the house and throwing the deadbolt. He leaned against the door panting as sweat poured down his back.

He was dreaming. Had to be. Maybe the sushi had been bad and he would wake up in the morning and it would be Halloween all over again and he could enjoy his favorite day for real.

BAM!

The door shook as something heavy pounded on it. Mike’s feet were moving before his brain engaged and he threw himself into his bedroom, locking the door and shoving the dresser in front of it.

His lungs ached for air. His chest heaved as he panted. Maybe he shouldn’t have destroyed so many pumpkins in his life?

Laughter floated down the hall. Mike backed away from the door, stopping when his back hit the wall. The dresser slid across the room. The door flew open.

A flood of squirrels and bats poured into the room followed by a skeletal, shadowy creature so tall it had to crouch to get through the door.

Mike screamed as the invader straightened and looked directly at him. A green light flicked on, revealing the fanged face of a giant jack-o-lantern. The creature moved toward him and Mike felt his chest grow tight with agony.

He tried to escape, but the squirrels swarmed over him like a living blanket. Then giant hands wrapped around his chest and squeezed.

A ghostly voice whispered in his ear. “You always knew Karma was a bitch. Pretty dumb to push her so hard.”

Mike collapsed to the floor in a broken heap, each breath a white-hot stab of agony. He was alone. There were no squirrels or creatures. His vision narrowed as his pounding pulse shook his body.

He tried to draw a deep breath and drag his phone from his pocket. He was so cold. His fingers brushed something damp and he shifted his head to look.

A grinning jack-o-lantern stared back at him. His gaze shifted to see his room was filled with the carved pumpkins staring at him.

His final breath left his body as a sob.

The END