The Devil's Demeanor

by Hart, Jerry

  “Her room,” Ethan responded between bites. “She keeps calling people.”

  Don made his way back to her room, which was directly across from his. He knocked on the door and waited, only to get no reply. “Mom, I’m going to Sym’s house.”

  He waited. No response. Shrugging, he went to the front door. When he opened it, Nick Platt was standing there, his finger on the doorbell, ready to press it.

  “Yo,” Nick greeted. “I would’ve called but I didn’t have your new number.”

  “Hey,” Don said, not knowing what else to do. He hadn’t seen Nick in a while, now that they went to different schools. The phones hadn’t been set up for a while after they’d moved into the new house. “Sorry we haven’t hung out in a while. I’ve been busy.”

  “It’s okay,” Nick said, “even though we live five minutes away from each other.” He shrugged.

  “Did your mom drive you over?”

  “I walked.”

  “You walked?” Don was impressed. That had to be a half-hour walk. “Well, uh...”

  “Wanna hang out?” Nick suddenly asked.

  “I was heading to a friend’s house down the street. You wanna come?”

  Nick shrugged again.

  Don shut the front door and Nick followed him to Sym’s house. When Sym answered the door, he glared unhappily at Nick but said nothing. Don and Nick removed their shoes and followed Sym to his room, where a videogame was paused on the TV.

  “This game is so awesome. You’re going to love it,” Sym promised.

  It was a two-player fighting game, so one of them had to sit out and play the winner. Sym lost the first round but didn’t argue about it. Don was grateful he didn’t freak out the way Clark had long ago. Nick gave Sym a few helpful hints when his turn came around again.

  “Do you have this game?” Don asked Nick.

  “Yes. You would know if we hung out more.”

  Don grinned as he watched his two best friends get along.

  Chapter 9

  Halloween was Don’s favorite holiday, and he had planned a week before to do something special. As he sat on his front porch in a lawn chair, a group of kids ran up to the door. The kids stood next to Don without giving him much thought as Mom gave them candy. Only one kid glanced at him. Don stared back through his monster mask, trying to slow his breathing. He hoped the kids thought of him as merely a stuffed scarecrow instead of a living being. Many of the houses on this street alone had stuffed scarecrows decorating their yards.

  The moment the kids turned their backs to Don to go to the next house, Don leaped from his chair and roared. The kids screamed without even looking behind them as they ran for their lives. Don laughed as he sat back down on the chair.

  “When are Nick and Sym coming over?” Mom asked him, laughing as well.

  “In a few minutes.”

  “And Sym’s mom will be with you, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, because I want you to take your little brother with you.”

  Don jumped from his chair. “Mom!”

  “Don’t give me that; he’s a kid and he has just as much right to go trick-or-treating as the rest of you.”

  The last thing Don wanted was to look after his brother. Even with Sym’s mom, he knew Ethan was really his responsibility. Instead of arguing, Don waited for the next group of kids to approach the house. Out of pure spite, he scared the kids off before they were even halfway to the porch.

  Nick was dropped off by his mom minutes after Sym and his mom arrived at the Scott house. Don was holding Ethan’s hand as the group of five started up the winding, barely lit street. Don tried not to let his brother dampen his spirits, but as they reached the corner at the top of a hill, a familiar motorcycle drove past. Don watched it pull into his driveway, and he saw Adrian jump off and dance up to the front door. Mom was waiting there for him.

  As the night wore on, Don wished he’d chosen a different costume because the straw from his scarecrow outfit was irritating his skin. Nick was dressed as Batman and Sym was a ninja. But Don knew the order of things: Monstrous scarecrows were scarier than ninjas and Caped Crusaders.

  At least he wasn’t Ethan, who was wearing a cheap knockoff of a Power Ranger. Mom had bought it from a toy store and Ethan looked miserable; he’d wanted to be a real Power Ranger. His mask rested on top of his head as he walked with his gaze down.

  “I hope we don’t see that dog again,” Sym said as he looked around.

  “What dog?” his mom asked.

  “Me and Don ran into a scary dog before school last month.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked heatedly. “That’s one thing I hate about this neighborhood: Everyone lets their pets run loose. Don, did you tell your mother?”

  “Yes,” he lied.

  “See,” said Mrs. Stonebrook to her son. “Don here is responsible enough to tell his mother when stuff like this happens.”

  “It wasn’t a big deal, Mom,” Sym said, but she was no longer listening. To Don, he said, “Why do you always have to be such a fairy?”

  Don grinned.

  As the night wore on, Don couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched, followed. He kept looking around as they went from door to door, collecting candy. Ethan must’ve felt it too, because he kept looking around as well.

  Nick and Sym were comparing candy while they walked, but Don was too distracted to join in. The streets were packed with costumed kids and adults. The most popular house on the block was said to have a chainsaw-wielding maniac who chased you off after you got your candy. Don was looking forward to that.

  Ironically, the Candy Lady didn’t hand anything out that night. “Oh, well,” Sym sighed. “She’ll probably close up shop until next week.”

  The sound of the chainsaw coming to life pierced the air and was followed by screaming children. Don couldn’t see the house it was coming from, which only added to the excitement. After a few more houses, Sym noticed something white on the street.

  “What’s this?” he asked as he picked it up.

  “Sym Stonebrook, you drop that right now!” his mother shrieked.

  He did. “What is it?” he asked again, a little afraid.

  “It’s a tampon!”

  “What’s that?”

  “Never you mind.”

  To Nick and Don, he said, “I’ll find out when I’m older, she means.”

  “Probably not even then,” his mother said. “I need to get your hands washed. Let’s stop by the house. Who the hell throws tampons on the street like that?”

  “But Mom—”

  “If you knew what a used tampon was, you’d want to cut your hand off!”

  “Maybe if you told me—”

  “Enough!” she screamed. “After we wash your hands, we can pick up where we left off. That is, if you don’t pick up any more things you shouldn’t be touching. Okay?”

  Don and Nick exchanged glances; they wanted to get to Chainsaw House. “Mrs. Stonebrook,” said Don, “can we stay here and wait for you guys?”

  She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know. I promised your mom I’d keep an eye on you.”

  “Please. We’ll be right on this street when you get back.” He and Nick put on their best sad-puppy faces.

  Finally, she relented. “I guess there’s no sense dragging all of you back for this. You boys better be here when I get back.”

  “We will,” Nick and Don promised together. Ethan was still looking about curiously.

  Sym and his mother quickly made their way down the street, in the opposite direction of Chainsaw House. It would take them at least ten minutes to get back to their house.

  “Come on,” said Don as he led the others down the street. This was the route they always took to get to the first bus stop, but it seemed different at night. One house had orange and green lights tied around a tree in the front yard. The candy givers were in their open garage, handing out treats.

  As Don, Nick and Ethan walked
up the driveway, Don could see an old man and woman sitting in rocking chairs, a mountain of junk behind them. Sitting next to them was a man in a gray jumpsuit with a burlap sack on his head. He held a chainsaw in his lap.

  “Oh, man, I’m scared,” Nick said to Don, though he sounded excited.

  “Happy Halloween,” the old woman cackled as she gave them their candy. “Have you been good boys this year?”

  “What does that have to do with Halloween?” Nick asked.

  “Old Bubba here”—she indicated the masked man next to her—“doesn’t like naughty children. In fact, he hates them.”

  Don gulped; the woman was looking directly at him.

  “Well, we’ve been good this year,” Nick said nervously.

  “I don’t believe you,” said the old man. The couple was wearing matching denim overalls with red plaid shirts underneath. The man had on a straw hat. “I don’t think Ol’ Bubba does, either. Do ya, Bubba?”

  Suddenly, the masked man jumped up from his seat and jerked the chain of his weapon, bringing it to life. The three kids turned and ran for their lives, screaming and laughing at the same time.

  A good distance away, they stopped. “There was no chain on that chainsaw,” Nick said with gulping breaths. “It was all noise just to scare us.”

  “It worked,” Don said. “Didn’t it, Ethan?”

  When he looked over to where his brother had been standing, he found no one.

  Ethan was gone!

  * * *

  Don hated breaking his promise to Mrs. Stonebrook, but with his brother missing, he couldn’t simply stand by and wait for her to return. He had to start looking now.

  “He couldn’t have gone far,” said Nick encouragingly. “I mean, he was right here a second ago. Maybe the chainsaw guy really scared him. I guess he was real-screaming instead of fake-screaming.”

  The two boys headed in the direction they had been running, passing more children who had no worries in the world. Don’s heart hammered in his chest at the thought of Ethan running around, alone, surrounded by strangers. Don was made even more nervous when he remembered the feeling of being watched earlier.

  “Is that Monica Harris?” Nick asked.

  “Who?” Don asked, distracted.

  “Monica Harris. She lived behind you before you moved, remember?”

  Don temporarily snapped out of his troubled thoughts to notice a group of girls heading his way. Most of the girls were dressed up as princesses or fairies; Monica was dressed as a pirate. She had on a black outfit with short sleeves and leggings, with a shiny green belt around her waist. A large plastic sword was sheathed in the belt.

  “Hey, Monica,” Nick called.

  She smiled and waved, causing Don to blush. The group stopped as Monica said, “Great costumes, boys.”

  “Thanks,” Don mumbled.

  “I remember you,” she said to him, wagging her finger jokingly. “Where did you go? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  “I moved,” Don explained, playing along. “I had to go to another school.”

  “That sucks. Maybe we’ll all go to the same high school together, though. My mom says there aren’t as many high schools as there are elementary and middle schools.”

  “Oh, really?” Don hadn’t thought much about what high school would be like until that moment, and figured it would be nice for them all to be together.

  “Why are you trick-or-treating in this neighborhood?” he suddenly asked her.

  “My friend Mandy invited me to trick-or-treat with her. Her older sister has to watch over us.”

  Don saw Mandy in the group, dressed as a purple fairy. Her sister was not dressed up and looked really bored. “Well, have fun. I have to look for Ethan.”

  “Did you lose him?” Monica asked.

  “Just a minute ago.”

  “Well, we can help you look for him.”

  “Excuse me?” Mandy demanded. “I don’t want to go off looking for some little kid. I want more candy.”

  I’ll bet you do, you fat bitch, Don thought, taking in her chunky physique.

  Monica rolled her eyes. “I will help you look for him if you want,” she said to Don.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to.” She wrapped her arm around his and dragged him along in the direction he’d already been going.

  The trio had only been searching for a few minutes when Monica said, “Is that him?”

  Don looked to where she was pointing and saw a small blue Power Ranger-like child just disappearing down a hill. “Ethan!” The three ran up to the street that lowered steeply into a cul-de-sac, only to find it filled with children. Don was certain he had just seen his brother, but now Ethan was lost among the crowd. “Ethan!” he called again.

  “Let’s go down there,” Monica suggested, and then began jogging down the steep hill without Don and Nick.

  “She’s bossy,” said Nick.

  “I like it,” said Don as he followed her. All three searched through the crowd of children, calling Ethan’s name in the process.

  But Ethan wasn’t among them.

  The whole time they searched, all Don could think about was what he would tell Mom if he returned home without his brother. She would be devastated; she would blame Don. He could tell Ethan meant more to her than he did. Her baby boy.

  “There he is,” Nick said and pointed to a house at the bottom of the hill and on the right.

  Don saw Ethan disappear behind the house, into the dark backyard. “Ethan!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, but his brother either didn’t hear or simply ignored him.

  Don and the others raced for the house, into the backyard, and nearly ran into a waist-high brick wall. Just beyond the wall was a dark forest.

  “You don’t think he went in there, do you?” Nick asked.

  “I know he did,” Don replied.

  “How?”

  Don didn’t answer because he would have to explain the feeling he’d had earlier of being watched, and how he was getting that feeling again now.

  Strange sounds surrounded the trio as they ventured through the dark woods: crunching leaves, snapping twigs, and sometimes even quiet laughter. For some reason, only Don could hear the laughter. Nick said he heard only wind. All three kids were scared and tried not to show it.

  “When did you and Ethan become buddies?” Monica asked.

  “What do you mean? He’s my brother.”

  “Yeah. But I remember you not liking him much.”

  Don told her about how Ethan defended him against Zeke the bully in Connecticut, and about how Ethan seemed to act more like a regular child lately. It was as if the strangeness inside the little boy was vanishing.

  “Why would Ethan come into these woods alone?” Monica asked, breaking several minutes of silence.

  “I think he was following somebody,” Don answered as honestly as he could. He knew now he and Ethan had been followed earlier. Maybe whoever—whatever—had followed them managed to get Ethan to follow them now. But why?

  “Ethan?” Don called into the woods and got no reply.

  “Do you think something happened to him?” Nick asked.

  “No,” Don said quickly. “He’s fine. We just have to find him.”

  “We will,” Monica said, reassuring. Don was grateful to her for that.

  “Wait,” Nick whispered as he stopped dead in his tracks. “I hear something.”

  Don figured it was the “wind” again, but once he too listened, he heard a young voice. It was Ethan.

  “Is he talking to somebody?” Monica asked, listening as well.

  Indeed it sounded as if Ethan was having a conversation, but when he stopped talking, no other voice took up the break.

  “I think he’s talking to himself,” said Nick.

  When Ethan started up again, the three kids made their way toward his voice. He was close. The woods opened up more as they walked and, after a minute, they found themselves in a clearing with the moon
shining down on them.

  There was Ethan, sitting on his knees, his back to Don and the others. Leaves rustled off to the right and Don saw something disappear into the woods. He couldn’t tell what it had been, though. Ethan continued to face away from them, prompting Don to run to his brother. He knelt down in front of Ethan, who was staring blankly ahead. Don snapped his fingers in front of him, but Ethan didn’t blink or respond in any way.

  “Ethan?” Don shook him gently by the shoulders. Only then did the youngest Scott boy snap out of his stupor.

  “Happy Halloween,” Ethan said with a creepy grin.

  “Who were you talking to?” Don asked.

  “He said he was trying to reconnect with me,” Ethan replied. “He said he lost me for a while, and that he’s glad we don’t live up north anymore.”

  “Who?”

  “The dog.”

  Nick chuckled behind Ethan. “Dogs don’t talk, little man.”

  Ethan looked over his shoulder. “This one does.” Back to Don: “He said he’s waiting for me and Mommy. He needs us to help him.”

  “Help him with what?” Don couldn’t help asking.

  “Help him kill the others, those that can hurt him.” Ethan’s grin grew colder. “He said he wants you, too, and that he won’t try to kill you anymore. He promises.”

  * * *

  “What was that about?” Nick asked Don as they traveled back up the slope to meet with the Stonebrooks.

  “He’s been watching a lot of horror movies,” Don said as he thought of what his brother had told him. Could that have been a dog he saw running away from Ethan when they had found him in the center of the clearing? Had it been a dog—a talking dog—that followed and watched them this night? If it was even possible, what did this dog want with his mother and brother? With him?

  The curse theory sprang to him once again. Maybe the dog that had attacked Mom all those years ago and the one Ethan had just “spoken” with were the same. Was it the same dog Don and Sym ran into the other day while walking to the bus stop? But what would it want with Don? He wasn’t cursed like Mom and Ethan. Was he?