“Oh no! Not again! Oh no, oh no!”

Charlie was frozen to the spot, staring at the thing in front of him. He’d gone mad. Surely, he had, for this… thing couldn’t exist.

It was a skeleton. With eyes. They rolled in their sockets as the bone-man strode back and forth, muttering.

“You can’t be here!” hissed the skeleton. “They’ll—oh, no!”

Screeeeee! Charlie knew that sound: the gate.

Somehow, the skeleton’s eyes widened. “The Collector! He’s here! Quickly, my boy! This way! Follow me!”

Charlie didn’t budge.

“Didn’t you hear? He collects their souls!”

That got him moving.

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

Previous parts: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12