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TVTranscript
00:10my dad died of cancer in August and by October I needed something to do besides go to work and
00:16come home to think about it my friends Zach and Kyle had been checking on me constantly
00:21and one night I brought up doing a haunted house fundraiser we talked about making one for years
00:28usually while complaining about attractions we'd paid to visit this time I wanted to actually do it
00:34with the proceeds going to an organization that helped cancer patients with expenses during
00:39treatment Zach's dad owned an empty house about 15 minutes from where we lived he bought it intending
00:46to renovate it but it sat untouched for a couple of years people called it abandoned although it
00:52wasn't falling apart he offered to let us use the downstairs after getting it checked and sorting
00:58out the approvals for the event the upstairs would stay closed we were all 23 and none of us had
01:06organized anything like this before Kyle handled the advertising Zach recruited people to help
01:12and I spent most of my free time planning the route through the house we rented props curtains and
01:18costumes from a local event company it cost more than we expected but some relatives contributed
01:25and the company gave us a discount when we explained what we were doing we scheduled it for Halloween
01:31night the first evening we had everything delivered the three of us stayed late unpacking
01:37we brought portable work lights because several rooms had no functioning overhead fixtures
01:43with black curtains hanging between doorways the lights mostly illuminated whatever room we were
01:47standing in the hallway and corners stayed dark Zach brought a speaker and Kyle brought beer
01:55we drank while setting up which made a tedious job more enjoyable but didn't help us get much done
02:00I was trying to position a hanging body in the dining room when we heard a thump overhead
02:06Kyle stopped holding the ladder and looked up Zach said the upstairs ghosts were upset about our
02:12decorating we laughed and kept working a few minutes later there were two more bumps spaced apart directly
02:19above us I asked whether a window might be open upstairs nobody knew we took a work light up and
02:27checked there were three empty bedrooms a bathroom and a small linen cupboard no furniture boxes or anything
02:35that looked like it could have fallen we checked the windows and found them closed Kyle stomped on a loose
02:41floorboard trying to reproduce the noise we eventually went downstairs turn the music back up and finished
02:47what we could I didn't think much about it afterward four nights later I went there alone after work
02:55Zach and Kyle were busy and I wanted to finish hanging the curtains before the weekend I parked around the
03:01back and let myself in with the keys Zach's dad had given me for about an hour I worked without
03:07anything
03:07happening then I heard a scraping noise from the front room I called out thinking one of the guys had
03:13arrived but nobody answered I walked through with my light and found the room empty the front door was
03:21locked I checked the kitchen and went back to what I was doing maybe 10 minutes later something fell hard
03:27enough to make me jump before I could move I heard several quick footsteps on the wooden floor
03:34they sounded like someone hurrying away from the room where the crash had come from I shouted Zach's
03:40name then Kyle's I was certain one of them was messing with me I walked to the doorway but stopped
03:46there
03:48beyond the light I couldn't see down the hall I said come out I'm serious I'm leaving if you don't
03:55I waited listening so hard I could hear myself breathing nobody answered I grabbed my keys and
04:02left through the kitchen outside I checked their locations on my phone both were at home I called
04:10them together and told them someone was in the house neither of them laughed Zach said to stay in my
04:16car
04:16and about 20 minutes later they arrived with his dad we went through every room checking cupboards
04:22behind curtains and anywhere a person could fit a freestanding skeleton had fallen in front of the
04:29room and some empty packaging was scattered near the hallway but we found nobody Zach's dad checked the
04:36basement and the exterior doors he said someone might have gotten in earlier but there was no obvious sign
04:42of break-ins we locked up and I told the others I wasn't working there alone again honestly it freaked
04:49me the out the next evening Zach came with me we kept the music on and worked in separate rooms
04:56I was
04:57fastening fabric around a doorway when I caught movement at the far end of the hall someone walked
05:03across the opening where the hallway met the front room it was outside the reach of the work lights and
05:08I
05:08only saw it from the side of my eye I assumed it was Zach until I heard him knock something
05:13over in the
05:14room behind me I turned around he held out shit then asked me if I could bring him some tape
05:21I went
05:22straight down the hall carrying my light nobody was there when I came back Zach was kneeling beside a box
05:29of
05:29decorations I asked if he just walked through the front room and he said no I asked again and he
05:36looked
05:37annoyed don't start doing that he said I'm not staying here if you're gonna try to scare me
05:42I told him I wasn't joking he got up and looked down the hallway with me then he paused the
05:49music
05:50we stood there for several seconds before a floorboard creaked somewhere beyond the front room
05:55another small noise followed like a shoe dragging across the floor
05:59Zach looked at me we didn't call out or go looking we took our phones and left
06:06that night the three of us seriously considered cancelling I was the one who brought it up yes we'd
06:12spent money and advertised it but I didn't want to put people in a house someone might be entering
06:18Zach's dad offered to search it again in the daylight the next afternoon all four of us went back we
06:25checked downstairs upstairs the basement and the accessible space under the roof we moved the props and pulled
06:31back every curtain nothing his dad checked the locks and made sure all the windows were secured
06:38in the daylight with traffic passing outside and people working in neighboring yards the house felt
06:43different eventually we agreed to proceed there would be volunteers throughout the downstairs
06:49Zach's dad would be there and nobody would work alone Halloween night started better than I expected
06:56people were already waiting when we opened we had eight volunteers acting in the rooms while Kyle
07:02handled tickets and Zach moved people through in small groups I stayed near the entrance answering
07:08questions and dealing with whatever stopped working the staircase was blocked by a folding barrier
07:14and a sign saying it wasn't part of the attraction a little after eight a woman came outside holding her
07:20son's hand and asked who was in charge I stepped over expecting a complaint about something scaring
07:26him too much she said one of our actors had tried to take him upstairs he told the boy there
07:32was
07:32candy up there or something like that then kept encouraging him after she said they weren't going
07:37she seemed angry rather than frightened I apologized and asked what he was wearing she described a dark
07:45coat and rubber mask with a long pale face I knew the costume it was one we'd rented but decided
07:52against using because the mask was difficult to see through I'd left it in a box with spare supplies
07:58I asked where this happened she pointed toward the staircase and said he'd been standing beside the
08:04barrier I found Zach and asked whether he'd given someone that costume and he said no we checked with the
08:11volunteers everyone was in their assigned costume and nobody knew who the woman had spoken to
08:17one volunteer remembered seeing him and assumed Zach brought in someone extra
08:22Zach stopped the next group at the door while I called the police we turned off the sound effects
08:28switched on every light we had and brought the remaining visitors outside the woman stayed with
08:33her son while we searched the downstairs together there was no one beside the stairs no one upstairs either
08:41we counted the volunteers twice police arrived and searched the property but by then people had
08:47been leaving for several minutes nobody had watched every person coming through the exit the coat and
08:53mask were missing from the supply box we closed for the night I gave the police an account of what
08:59happened during the preparations included the noises and the figure I thought was Zach I couldn't give
09:05them a face a name or even say with certainty that it had all been the same person we still
09:11donated the
09:11money we raised the following weekend we packed the decorations in daylight with Zach's dad there
09:18I kept expecting to find the costume stuffed behind something but we never did I've gone over that
09:24mother's complaint plenty of times since her son had believed he was supposed to follow the masked person
09:31the only reason he hadn't gone upstairs was that she stayed close enough to hear what was being told
09:46this story I'm sharing happened to me and a few friends nine years ago on Halloween night
09:51it was me my girlfriend and six of our friends since we all loved Halloween we decided to have our
09:57own
09:58little Halloween gathering nothing crazy we made some snacks and planned on playing some games all
10:03night we decided not to get together until about 9 p.m that way all the trick-or-treaters would
10:09be home
10:10the night started out exactly as planned everyone got there on time and we all just caught up and
10:16snacked for about an hour then we thought that we got our Halloween miracle without any notice the
10:23power in my house went out a nice creepy coincidence for the holiday we all screamed at first it wasn't
10:31a real scream it was more ironic than anything after 10 minutes we started to plan that the power
10:37probably wasn't going to turn back on so we went and gathered a bunch of candles we all got together
10:43in the living room with the lit candles and started to share scary stories this was honestly one of the
10:48most satisfying nights I'd had in a long time it just felt great to unplug from all the technology and
10:54share
10:54stories it felt almost primal at midnight is when things started to get weird I don't know if it was
11:02just
11:02because it was Halloween night and we've been sharing scary stories for the last couple of hours or if
11:07something was genuinely off it started when I got up to use the bathroom I didn't bother to take a
11:14candle or
11:14anything like that with me because I knew exactly where I was going I walk around the house in the
11:19dark every morning when I'm getting ready I walked down the dark hall and smashed right into the closed
11:25bathroom door at first that didn't freak me out it just annoyed me everyone was still in the living
11:31room so the door should have been open when I got into the bathroom I finally pulled my phone out
11:37of
11:37my pocket to use the flashlight the medicine cabinet in the bathroom was open and so was the shower curtain
11:43which I thought was weird that one of our close friends would do that I looked inside the shower
11:48and saw what looked like a pair of muddy footprints I thought all this was weird but it didn't scare
11:54me
11:55I went back to the group after using the bathroom and asked which one of them went inside our shower
11:59with muddy shoes none of them admitted it but at the same time none of them were wearing shoes they
12:06had
12:06all taken off their muddy shoes when they got to the house earlier in the evening my girlfriend was
12:11convinced that I was messing with everyone even though I was going out of my way to convince them that
12:16I
12:16wasn't after a few minutes of being accused of making all this up I started to get mildly angry that's
12:23when
12:23some of the group started to believe I was telling the truth during this conversation we were able to
12:29pinpoint that our friend Natalie was the last one to use the bathroom about 30 minutes prior she said that
12:35the
12:35shower curtain was a hundred percent not open when she was in the bathroom she claimed that she would have
12:40noticed that and I
12:41believe she's right she also said that she knew for a fact she left the bathroom door open when she
12:46left
12:46the bathroom according to Natalie she never shuts the bathroom door if nobody's in there this strange
12:53argument continued for several minutes we kept going back to the same two conclusions either I was truly
12:59messing with everyone which I wasn't or someone was in the house this is all when we started to get
13:06a
13:06little freaked out I suggested maybe looking around the house to see if anyone was inside and that was
13:12shot down immediately you would have thought I suggested burning down a house or something by the
13:17way they all reacted to my suggestion as everyone became more scared tempers started to get a little
13:22more heated my girlfriend grabbed a flashlight that we had brought into the room earlier and started
13:28to shine it all over the room to see if there was anyone hiding in plain sight I admit my
13:33heart was
13:33pounding around this time I expected to see some strange person standing in the corner of the room
13:38but thankfully the light didn't reveal anything except the illuminated room since everyone was
13:44freaking out I tried to lighten the tension by suggesting that maybe it was a ghost this time
13:49I was joking but apparently it wasn't the correct time to joke about this some of my friends had
13:55already arrived at the conclusion that it was a Halloween spirit terrorizing us when I laughed at that
14:00suggestion I became the main culprit again if I was laughing at this then I must have made all this
14:06up from the beginning we all started to bicker with each other loudly we only stopped when we heard a
14:13loud noise come from the other side of the house it sounded like something falling in another room
14:19for the first time in a while we all sat there completely silent nobody could explain what that loud
14:25noise was my girlfriend started to cry as dramatic as that may seem I can't stress enough how off the
14:33rails this night had gotten emotions had flared up so many times at this point that crying out of fear
14:38was the only thing she could do everyone was too scared to get up and look we just sat there
14:44terrified
14:45of something we didn't even know for sure was there I tried to convince the group that there must have
14:50been an explanation for the loud sound I started listing every theory I could think of everything from the
14:56pipes of the house to something falling off a shelf things just happen all the time and I tried to
15:02convince
15:02my friends of that but they weren't going for it I could tell that the fun was long gone and
15:08a couple of my
15:08friends said that they were gonna leave before something terrible happened which I thought was insane but I guess when
15:14you're terrified nothing's insane as they stood up from the couch we all heard several knocks coming
15:21from the front door nobody moved a muscle I was barely breathing a few seconds passed and then again
15:30several loud knocks at the door from where we were sitting in the living room the front door was only
15:35about four feet away it was after midnight so clearly it wasn't a child looking for candy I whispered to
15:42the
15:43group that it could have just been some teenagers playing a Halloween prank but almost as soon as I
15:48got the words out four more loud and deliberate knocks came from the door it took me a few seconds
15:54to work up the courage but I finally got up and walked to the front door even though everyone was
15:59telling me not to I looked out of a window that sat next to the door and I couldn't believe
16:05what I was
16:05looking at I couldn't believe it because there was nobody there anymore I slowly opened the front door
16:12and made sure the screen door in front was still locked just in case I put my face right up
16:17to the
16:17screen and tried to look around the front yard to see if I could see anyone nobody was out there
16:23I shut the door and locked it I told everyone that no one was out there and that it was
16:29clearly some
16:29kids messing around then Natalie screamed from the other side of the living room saying that she could
16:36see someone walking in the backyard from the window I ran over there and looked out the window but I
16:42couldn't see anyone all of our friends looks and they all agreed nobody was out there Natalie was
16:49almost crying and she was insistent that someone was out there I truly believed that she thought
16:54someone was out there but that it was her mind playing tricks on her a few minutes passed and she
17:00finally calmed down my girlfriend was rubbing her back to soothe her this was also the longest
17:06amount of time that had passed in a while where nothing weird happened and we weren't freaking out
17:10about something it was like cooler heads were finally starting to prevail it was a weird and scary night
17:17but at the end of the day it had to be some sort of weird coincidence at least that's the
17:22pitch I was
17:23giving everyone they were all slow to accept this but they finally came around however I still couldn't
17:30explain the muddy footprints in the shower but it seemed like everyone had forgotten about that so
17:35I didn't want to open that can of worms and get everyone freaked out again once everyone was calm and
17:40even laughing again I went into the kitchen to grab some cookies to bring into the living room
17:45when I got into the kitchen I screamed a few of my friends got up and ran into the doorway
17:51where I was
17:52still standing the door on the side of the house which is located in the kitchen was wide open
17:57we never used this door so there's no reason it should have been opened I started to panic more
18:03than I had all night I didn't know why it was open and even more terrifying I didn't know if
18:08that meant
18:09somebody was in my house I grabbed my car keys and told everyone that I was leaving even though it
18:14was
18:14my house the fear I felt in that moment is indescribable maybe because it was Halloween night and the power
18:21was out but I didn't care we all left and my girlfriend and I just drove around all night
18:28we went back in the morning and checked the entire house we had power again which was good
18:33with the lights on I was able to fully inspect the bathroom the muddy footprints were clearly from a
18:39man's boot there was also mud all through the tub I searched every nook of the house and I couldn't
18:45find the source of the loud noise I may be crazy but I never reported this I just felt like
18:52at the
18:52time nothing would have been done so I would have been wasting my time and that of the authorities
18:58that day I checked every lock in the house both on the windows and doors and just made sure
19:03everything was locked I don't know what happened that night it felt like somebody was in the house
19:08but I guess I don't know for sure every Halloween I'm always reminded of that year and I still get
19:14chills even to this day a few years back I lived with one of my best friends Scotty we were
19:30in our
19:30early 20s and both of us were single and home bodies we weren't the type of guys who liked to
19:35go out
19:36drinking or partying it just wasn't our scene it's one of the reasons why we got along so well
19:42it was about to be Halloween and all our friends were going to a local university for a massive party
19:47we couldn't think of anything we wanted to do less so instead of just partying with our friends
19:52we decided that we were going to stay home and just eat pizza the day before Halloween Scotty asked
19:59if I wanted to check out the local bookstore that was in town it's one of those used bookstores where
20:04everything is wicked cheap I've gotten old science textbooks that cost a small fortune for like 10
20:09bucks I even found the missing original goosebumps books that I was missing to complete my collection
20:15it was a great spot and a lot bigger than you would expect we visited this bookstore so often
20:21that the owner knew us by name whenever we would go we usually split up and explore the sections we
20:27liked Scotty loved non-fictions so he would spend a lot of time going up and down the aisles until
20:32he found
20:32something random to sink his teeth into I didn't spend a lot of time in the non-fiction section
20:38unless I was looking at the science textbooks I loved a lot of fiction but mainly science fiction
20:43too so I spent most of my time in the sci-fi section the one area of the stores where
20:49we would rarely
20:49visit is the basement we had visited the store a dozen times before we even knew the basement was
20:55fair game but the reason we didn't go down there a lot was that it was mostly religious books
21:00old magazines and just the random garbage that no one wanted it was also objectively just kind of spooky
21:06down there it smelled horrible all the time and it had extremely bad lighting it was one of those rooms
21:13where it always felt like someone was in there with you even when there wasn't it's one of those spaces
21:18that gives both of us a bad feeling but since Halloween was the next day I guess I was feeling
21:23adventurous
21:24this was the perfect time to check out the creepy bookstore basement I wanted to explore the
21:30basement and actually look around down there to see if there was a hidden treasure of a book
21:34I got down there and it was exactly how I remembered it it smelled terrible as always and you could
21:40barely see I started going through these boxes of books that were all over the ground and it wasn't
21:46going well my hands were covered with dust and nothing seemed even remotely interesting just as I was
21:53getting ready to head back upstairs something caught my eye there was a book that was stuck between the
21:58stairs and the wall I tried to grab it but it was really wedged in there I spent about a
22:04minute trying
22:05and then I finally was able to get it out it was a leather bound book at least I think
22:11it was leather
22:12there was no title on the front or the side of the book it almost looked like a journal except
22:17the words
22:18inside were for sure printed I started to lean on the wall at the bottom of the stairs as I
22:23flipped through the
22:23book trying to figure out what it was it was definitely old the pages were stained yellow I tried to
22:30find a
22:30publication date or even just a publisher but there was no page to give that information there wasn't even a
22:37title
22:38page the book just started as I started flipping through the pages I was fascinated with what I was reading
22:45I know this is going to sound disturbing but it was a book all about demons how to keep demons
22:50away
22:51and a bunch of other wild demonic stuff I promise I'm not a freak for whatever reason I was fascinated
22:58with this book I couldn't put it down I remember having the thought that this is how every demonic
23:04story starts the character finds a cursed item and takes it when they shouldn't I started to chuckle to
23:10myself but then abruptly stopped standing only two or three feet away from me was an old very creepy
23:16looking man I basically shouted in the man's face because of how badly he scared me I had been down
23:23here for several minutes and I didn't hear or see this man come down and if he was already down
23:28there
23:28somehow I missed him I made a joke to the man that he scared me and I was laughing clearly
23:35I was joking
23:35around but the man didn't react he continued to stand there looking at me he didn't say or do
23:42anything so I shrugged him off and went back to flipping through my book I couldn't concentrate
23:47because I could see out of the corner of my eye that the old man was inching closer to where
23:51I was
23:52standing when he was about a foot away I told him to back off he stopped but still just stood
23:58there
23:58like a creep I said okay waved to the creepy man and walked back upstairs with a book I didn't
24:05feel
24:05like getting stabbed by some creepy old guy in a bookstore basement as I walked upstairs I looked
24:11at the man one last time and he continued staring at me until I was out of sight it was
24:17one of the
24:17creepiest interactions I think I've ever had when I got upstairs Scotty looked like he was ready to
24:23leave as well he asked what I had and as I showed up he looked like he was gonna cry
24:28he hates anything
24:30that has to do with demons it scares the hell out of him he told me I shouldn't buy it
24:35and that almost
24:36made me want to buy it more as we cashed out the owner of the bookstore was talking to us
24:41I told him
24:43about the creepy guy in the basement and he said he would go check it out to make sure the
24:46guy was
24:47harmless because of where the bookstore is located he's unfortunately had some rough characters
24:52come through the door but before he did that as he was ringing me up he seemed confused about the
24:58book I had he asked where I found it and when I told him he looked genuinely confused every book
25:06that
25:06comes through those doors he writes a price on the inside of the book there was no price on this
25:11book
25:12as he was flipping through the pages he looked disgusted and said that it looked messed up he ended
25:18up handing me the book and told me to just take it he said consider it a Halloween present I
25:25thanked
25:25him and we went on our way on the drive home Scotty was angry and nervous he was actually scared
25:32about
25:32the book and the fact that the owner gave it to me for free freaked him out even more instead
25:37of being
25:38sympathetic I started to antagonize him just a little bit I know that's wrong but I couldn't resist
25:44I spent the evening just opening to random pages and reading excerpts from the book eventually he
25:50just slammed his bedroom door in my face I had my fun and decided to give it a rest I
25:56put the book on
25:57my shelf and got ready for bed the next day was Halloween and Scotty and I both left for work
26:02in
26:02the morning he got home around 2 in the afternoon and when he walked by the bedroom he saw that
26:08the
26:08book was on the ground he freaked out and slammed my bedroom door shut he thought I was messing around
26:14with him he sent me several strongly worded text messages and I had no idea what he was even talking
26:20about I just assumed he was exaggerating when I got home I opened my bedroom door and there on the
26:28ground was the book just like Scotty said I picked it up and put it back on the shelf I
26:34was laughing
26:35the bookshelf in my room was not anchored to the wall and it wasn't uncommon for books to fall off
26:40the shelf especially thicker books I didn't tease him anymore with the physical book but I did bust
26:46his chops for a little longer once it was old news we got on with the evening I ordered the
26:52pizza and
26:53we watched the original Halloween and the third Halloween which is an underrated classic we went to bed
26:59after the movie at some point in the middle of the night I woke up to Scotty standing at the
27:05bottom of
27:05my bed it scared the crap out of me he's a big dude so seeing his giant frame standing there
27:12made me jump
27:13a little bit when I asked him what he was doing he told me that he heard something in his
27:17closet
27:19this grown man who's also a giant just woke me up in the middle of the night like a child
27:24would do
27:24with their parents because he thought he heard something in the closet I couldn't believe this was the
27:29reality I was living in Scotty's convinced that I brought an evil spirit into the house with the
27:33book and the spirit was in his closet I was ready to explode I was legitimately angry I felt like
27:41I
27:41was tending to a small child I got out of bed and went into his room I turned the light
27:47on and walked
27:48over to the closet the door was slightly open just as I was about to fully open the closet door
27:54it swung open nearly hit me in the face running out of the closet was the creepy old man from
28:00the
28:01bookstore basement Scotty and I both just sat there he was scared out of his mind and I was still
28:07trying
28:07to process what was happening just a few seconds later we heard the front door slam whoever this
28:14old guy was he ran out of the house in a hurry we obviously called the police and told them
28:19what
28:19happened I told them that I had seen the man the day before at the bookstore but I had no
28:24idea who
28:25he was other than that they were confident that the man had followed us home and for some reason
28:31he had been squatting in the house after a very brief investigation the police assumed the man was just
28:37homeless and looking for a warm place to stay they don't think he was dangerous maybe he wasn't but the
28:44weird look he gave me in the basement made me feel otherwise after all this happened Scotty was
28:49convinced that the book was the reason this happened obviously I don't think a book caused a man to follow
28:55us home and break into the house but just to get Scotty to leave it alone I ended up getting
29:00rid of the
29:00book I wish I had kept the book though it was definitely creepy but still very cool it would have
29:07been an
29:07awesome book to show people every Halloween it's now nine years later and Scotty still text me about
29:14that damn book once in a while
29:27I was 10 when this happened and my brother Matt was 16 that Halloween was the first time our parents
29:33let me stay home after trick-or-treating without either of them in the house they were next door at
29:38our neighbor's place helping them put away tables from a Halloween party my mom told me to call if
29:44I needed anything and said Matt would be home soon anyway he was at his friend Ryan's house a few
29:49streets
29:49over I was sitting on the living room floor sorting candy when somebody knocked our porch light was still
29:57on so I figured it was another trick-or-treater I picked up the candy bowl and looked through the
30:03narrow
30:03window beside the door there was one person outside a teenager wearing a white plastic mask with black
30:10fabric over the eye holes he had on a gray sweatshirt with blood smeared across the front and down one
30:15sleeve I
30:17had seen much worse costumes that night I opened the door with the chain still attached and held up the
30:22bowl he
30:24didn't reach for any candy he asked me if Matt is home his voice was shaky I remember hearing a
30:31little clicking sound as he spoke
30:33like his teeth were chattering it was cold outside and he wasn't wearing a jacket so I assumed that's why
30:39I
30:40told him Matt was at Ryan's but should be back soon then I asked if he wanted to wait inside
30:45my brother had
30:46friends over all the time and I didn't know all of them this person knew his name which was enough
30:51for me
30:52I shut the door unhooked the chain and let him in he stepped past me without saying anything else and
30:59went
30:59straight to the couch I closed the door and put the bowl back on the little table beside it when
31:05I turned
31:05around he was sitting on the edge of the cushion with his knees together and both hands pushed down
31:10between them his mask was still on I asked his name but he didn't answer I thought maybe he hadn't
31:17heard me
31:18over the TV I asked again louder and he moved his head slightly in my direction without saying anything
31:25that made me feel awkward so I went back to my candy there was a Halloween movie playing something
31:31I'd already seen and I tried watching it instead of looking at him every so often though I checked
31:37to see if he'd taken his mask off but he hadn't he wasn't really watching the TV either his head
31:43was
31:44pointed toward the doorway leading into the kitchen where we usually came in from the driveway
31:48I figured he was waiting for Matt after a minute I offered him a candy bar he didn't respond to
31:55that either I put it on the coffee table near him and said he could have it if he wanted
32:00his legs started bouncing making his shoe knock lightly against the table up close I could see
32:06there was blood on the back of his hands too I remember thinking he'd probably gotten it everywhere
32:12while putting it on his sweatshirt my brother used fake blood almost every Halloween and our
32:17bathroom sink always ended up stained pink I asked if he'd been at Ryan's party his shoes stopped
32:23moving for a few seconds he sat completely still and then he nodded once I wanted Matt to come home
32:32I wasn't afraid yet but sitting with someone who wouldn't talk was definitely uncomfortable
32:36and I didn't know what else to say I was considering going next door to get my mom when our
32:41house phone rang
32:44the cordless handset was on the kitchen counter I got up and answered it still able to see part of
32:50the
32:50couch through the doorway a woman asked if she was speaking to Matt's family I said I was his brother
32:57she asked where our parents were and I told her they were next door she said she was Ryan's mom
33:03Mrs. Keller and needed me to listen carefully her voice sounded strained and there were people talking
33:09loudly behind her she told me Matt had been hurt at a party I asked what she meant she paused
33:17then said
33:17another boy had attacked him but an ambulance was there and he was getting help I started crying and
33:23asked if he was gonna die she told me he was awake and talking she needed me to go get
33:28my parents but
33:30first she asked if anyone had come to our house I looked toward the living room the boy was still
33:36sitting exactly where I'd left him I told her one of Matt's friends was waiting on the couch she
33:42immediately asked what he looked like I said he had a white mask and a gray sweatshirt with fake blood
33:47on it the talking on her end became muffled like she covered the phone then she came back and asked
33:53is he there with you right now I said yes her voice changed completely take the phone with you go
34:02into a
34:02room you can lock don't talk to him she said I asked why even though by then I understood something
34:09was
34:09badly wrong she said the boy who hurt Matt had left the party wearing that costume police were
34:15already coming to our house I stood there looking at the smear on his sleeve I'd been sitting a few
34:22feet away from it offering him candy Mrs. Keller told me again to move the downstairs bathroom was
34:28past the living room so I had to walk through it I held the phone against my chest and tried
34:33to act
34:34like I was just using the bathroom or something as I passed the couch his mask turned toward me
34:41I kept walking I don't remember taking my eyes off of him until I reached the bathroom door
34:46he stayed seated I shut the door turned the lock and put the phone back to my ear Mrs. Keller
34:54asked if
34:54I was inside and I said yes and she told me to stay there until the police came I crouched
35:00beside the
35:00toilet because it was the farthest I could get from the door I listened for his shoes but all I
35:05heard
35:05was the movie I didn't know whether he'd followed me and was standing outside or not a minute or two
35:12later light flashed through the bathroom window someone knocked hard on the front door and called
35:17out that they were the police I heard the door open followed by several voices telling someone to show his
35:22hands Mrs. Keller stayed on the phone until an officer came to the bathroom and asked me to unlock it
35:29by then my parents were outside through the front window I saw two officers walking the boy toward a car
35:36his mask was now off he looked younger than I was expecting and he was crying he wasn't fighting them
35:44or trying to get away Matt survived he'd been stabbed in his side and needed surgery but he eventually came
35:51home the boy went to his school according to Matt they'd had problems before including a few times
35:58Matt and his friends had picked on him he attacked Matt outside Ryan's house then walked two hours
36:05nobody ever gave me a clear explanation for why my parents said he might have been confused or looking
36:11for somewhere to hide for years I accepted that because I wanted to but he hadn't asked to hide when
36:18I
36:18I opened the door he simply asked if my brother were home
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