Charlie gulped breaths of fresh air as he watched the undulating crowd of zombies, ghosts and ghouls. He scanned the throng, looking for black capes, white-painted faces and bloody fangs. He spotted twelve different Draculas before giving up. I’ll wait here, he thought, sitting down on the stoop of a shop.

“Are you lost?” asked a voice that sounded like crunching gravel.

Charlie looked up, only to see the man from before. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Before he even knew he was going to do it, Charlie had jumped up and was running.

The man followed.

This is part nine of a larger story for Halloween. All sections are in the form of a 99-word story. Check back tomorrow for part ten!

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8