The Perfect Sacrifice Part One
Halloween Night 2019
Cameron
“So this Pumpkin Lord is what exactly?” Josh asks, his voice full of skepticism. In retrospect, I can’t blame him for being skeptical of what I told him. It sounds crazy to me, and the fact that he’s agreed to come to the cemetery with me just reiterates just how good of a friend he is.
“Josh, listen!” I snap at him, rubbing the stocky stem of the fifteen-pound hunky pumpkin I stole from my neighbors front porch. The old man gave me a chase, but it’s for the greater good that I stole his pumpkin. “This pumpkin is a sacrifice!”
“I’m no such thing!” The pumpkin hisses at me. The voice reverberates in my head, and I know I’ll have a migraine later on, but I have to see this through. The face carved on this pumpkin is nothing short of ordinary, with two triangle eyes and an angry mouth with pointed teeth.
“You are!” I hiss back at the pumpkin.
“And do you care to explain why the fuck you keep talking to the pumpkin?” Josh asks, lighting up a joint. He takes a long drag and pulls his hood over his head. The whole red hoodie covers his lanky body from head to just above his knees. “Wanna take a hit?” He coughs out, extending this hand. The smoke dances as it ascends to the heavens above.
“I do.” The pumpkin’s voice is deep and distorted. As I hold it in my hands, I can feel the constant struggle it’s making in an attempt to escape my arms.
“Hold still, dammit!”
“Okay, you’ve officially lost your mind,” Josh says, wide-eyed. He smirks at me and ambles up to me slowly, hands behind his back. “Wanna let the cat out of the bag?” He whispers. “You got that good shit, huh?”
“What?” I ask as I hurry past him. It’s chilling to see the fog is so thick tonight. We’ve been walking away from civilization for the past ten minutes or so, and not hearing kids screaming and laughing on Halloween night is strange, to say the least.
“What did you take?” He asks, jogging beside me as I pick up the pace. We need to hurry and get there before it’s too late. “You’re acting insane, man!”
“That’s right. You’re fucking insane. You want to sacrifice me to keep the Pumpkin Lord sleeping soundly? Tell me, do you think she’ll show mercy on your little city if you fail?”
“Woah!” Josh shouts, tossing his joint across the road and slapping his face hard. “That thing just fucking talked! I’m in a fucking dream!”
“Josh, you aren’t-”
“You aren’t dreaming, boy. This is as real as your imagination. As real as your dreams. As real as your destiny.”
“Cameron, what the fuck is going on?” Josh demands to know, marching up to me. “Tell me!”
“Look, I don’t know!” I admit. “All I know is that I woke up from a dream where this demon-looking thing told me to go sacrifice a pumpkin in the cemetery before midnight!”
“Demon-looking thing?” He asks, letting his arms fall to his side. “You’ve lost your fucking mind!”
“It looked like a damn cat and goat had a kid together. The fucker was ugly as shit!” I argue. “But that’s not the point!”
“Then what is?”
“Allow me to explain,” the pumpkin chimes in. “Centuries ago, powerful witches summoned my mother from the pits of hell, and when they realized that she was pure evil that could not be controlled, they sealed her away with a spell so strong not even she could break it.”
“So those old stories we heard growing up were real then?” I ask, glancing at Josh. He looks like he’s stuck in some sort of trance as he stares at the pumpkin, breathing heavily.
“Yes, but they left out an important part of the story. You see, the seal weakens over time, and every Halloween is when the seal is at its weakest. To keep her sealed away, the witches would gather every Halloween and sacrifice a pumpkin, spreading its seeds all over the cemetery where my mother is resting.”
“Yo, that thing just fucking talked again!” Josh screams, slapping both his cheeks with his hands. “I’m just having an awful trip of something!”
“Josh!” I yell, setting down the pumpkin on the foggy sidewalk. “Stay focused, okay?” I shake him, and he seems to calm down, coming to his senses. “We need to hurry, it’s already Eleven, so we only have an hour left!”
“Good luck trying to find a sacrifice!” We both spin around and watch as the pumpkin rolls off, disappearing in the thick fog.
“Cameron!” I turn around, and that’s when I see it staring right at us.
“Good to see you in person, Cameron!” The demon laughs out. It’s easily seven feet tall with the legs of a goat and the torso of a human. The skin of the torso is pale, covered with cuts and lacerations. From here, I can smell the infectious smell of its skin and see the multitude of maggots and flies all over it. Its head is a black cat’s head but enlarged to human size, and the right eye is gone, replaced with a hole filled with more maggots.
“What the fuck is that?” Josh asks, backing away. I continue backing away as well, getting further and further from the demon that haunted my dreams last night. The fucking smell is putrid that it takes everything in me not to spill out my breakfast.
“It’s that fucking demon from my dream!”
“I never said I would help you, Cameron,” the demon whispers, still approaching us. “I just gave you a tip on how to keep the damned Pumpkin Lord sealed away. I’m strictly here to have some fun with your frail souls before I take them.”
“That thing is going to kill us!” Josh screams, looking back at me.
“Oh, not yet! I want to ensure you two have sealed her away first, but I’ll be watching every step of the way.” The demon snaps his fingers, and the fog thickens even more until I can’t even see three feet in front of me.
“Josh!”
“Cameron!” Josh calls out. I don’t know where he is. He sounds like he’s a hundred feet away from me!
“Come and find me!” The pumpkin laughs out. “My mother will be set free this year!”
“Not on my watch, fucker,” I whisper, taking blind steps forward. “I have friends and family to protect, so I will find you!” I roar out.
I just hope I can find the pumpkin in time.
The Perfect Sacrifice Part Two
Cameron
Growing up, my father always told us about the Woufast Witch Coven that his mom was part of. Grandma Betty was certainly off her rocker, and my sister and I would always make up stories about her at night to scare each other.
“She’s fucking insane,” Dad said, taking a sip of his coffee. The steam from his mug dissipated right before my eyes as he carried on rambling about grandma.
“She’s just troubled kids,” Mom said, placing a plate of eggs in front of me. As soon she set Beth’s plate of eggs in front of her, she instantly went to town on them.
“Grandma Betty told me that one day I’ll be a witch like her,” Beth said with a full mouth of eggs. “She told me I’ll keep the city safe!”
“You see!” Dad yelled, crumbling up the newspaper he was reading. “That’s the shit I’m talking about! God knows I love my mom, but sometimes she can be a pain in the ass!” He grumbles, taking another sip of his coffee.
“So whatever happened to the coven, Dad?” I asked, dreading the fact that it was almost time to leave for school. It was state testing that day, so for the next four hours, my little ass would be sitting in silence, staring at the boring test I, along with my friends, would be forced to take.
“Well, a couple of weeks before you were born, every witch except for my mom committed suic,-”
“Joel!” Mom yelled, marching up to him and whispering something in his ear.
“Okay, okay,” Dad whispered. “Jesus, I’m sorry.”
“You’d better be,” Mom hissed at him, offering one of her sweet, caring smiles at me. I couldn’t help but smile back as she tied her long black hair back. Just then, the phone started ringing from the living room. “Who could be calling this early?” She groaned, sluggishly walking to answer it.
“Okay,” Dad whispered, leaning in. I look over at Beth reflect her smile. We both lean in and listen closely to Dad. “So you guys know Officer Jones, right?” Dad asked.
“He’s your friend, isn’t he?” Beth asked, setting her elbows on the table and resting her face on her hands.
“That’s right. He was a rookie back when they committed suicide, so he was the first to respond to the call that night,” he explained. “It all started off because one of the neighbors of the witch who lived in the apartment next to them heard screams, so she called the cops obviously.”
“Wait, they committed suicide in an apartment?” I asked. “Grandma never mentioned anything about an apartment, or suicide, or anything like that,” I said. “She always told us that they all met in the woods at night to cast protective spells over the city.”
“Well, she lied to you, buddy!” Dad laughed. “They always met at those run-down apartments over on 5th Street. Anyways, Jones went in, and what he saw still haunts him to this day.”
“What did he see?” Beth and I whispered.
“The witches cut their arms and used their blood to draw all these weird symbols on the walls. Then when they finished, they laid down and held hands until they eventually bleed out.” Beth and I exchanged looks of horror as Dad shuddered. “Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. It also doesn’t help that when I asked my mom what the hell they killed themselves for, she told me that they had to strengthen the seal. Whatever the hell that meant.”
“Hey, kids!” Mom called from the living room. “The school called and said there was a power outage, so school is canceled for today!”
“You two got lucky today!” Dad exclaimed, standing up and straightening his tie. He grabbed his briefcase containing god knows how many documents for his boring job and looked at us, raising his finger to his lips. “Don’t tell your mother,” he whispered. “Well, looks like you two can go back to bed!” Dad laughed as Mom came into the dining room and kissed him.
“And you get to go to work,” Mom said, pulling away from him and grabbing at his tie. “You need to learn how to straighten this thing.”
“Cameron,” Beth whispered. “Wanna watch TV?”
“Yeah,” I whispered back. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to sleep.”
***
“Josh!” I call out, extending my arms out in front of me as I walk through the thick fog. “Where are you?”
“Cameron!” He shouts back. “I’ve got the fucking pumpkin!”
“Let go of me, you little shit!” The pumpkin roars out. “I’ll fucking kill you!”
“Good luck with that!” Josh yells at it. “Cameron, hurry the fuck up!”
“I’m coming!” I shout, taking off in the direction of his voice. As I run, I hear steps from behind me, and it’s just my luck I trip over my own feet. “Oh fuck!” I groan, turning around as the running gets closer to me, and that’s when I see her.
She has on a short black skirt with a clip-on tail dangling behind her. On top of her black hair is a hairband with two orange cat ears. She leans in fast and holds out her shaking hand.
“Beth, what the fuck are you doing here?” I ask, taking her hand and pulling myself up. “Aren’t you supposed to be at that party getting fucked up?”
“Well, I got curious when you grabbed our neighbor’s pumpkin and ran off with Josh!” She argues. “Look, forget that! I just saw a fucking cat or goat, or whatever the fuck that thing was, and heard you screaming like a girl, so I came running!”
“I didn’t scream like a girl!” I snap at her. “That was a man’s scream. I roared like a fucking lion!”
“That wasn’t a roar. That was a girly shriek,” she mumbles. “I’m gonna start calling you my sister.”
“Guys!” Josh yells, running up to us. Beth and I let out screams and hold each other for dear life. “Wait, why are you here, Beth?”
“Josh, you fucking dick!” Beth screams, raising her hand to slap him, but stopping herself. “Why is your nose bleeding?”
“Yeah, why is your nose bleeding?” I ask, watching as blood slowly trickles down his nostrils.
“Cause this fucker punched me or rather threw itself at my face!” He looks down at the pumpkin and struggles to hold it still. His whole face is red with anger as he grumbles incoherent words.
“You mean to tell me a pumpkin hit you?” Beth laughs out. “Are you guys fucking with me?” She asks. “Is this some Halloween prank? Is that why I just saw a fucking demon-looking thing?”
“I see you boys brought a witch!” The pumpkin hisses out.
“Did that fucking pumpkin just talk?” Beth screams, grabbing my arm and burying her face in my shoulder. “Cameron, what’s going on?!”
“I’m honored that you boys were so terrified of my mother and me that you would bring a witch. Albeit she’s weak, nonetheless, she’s still a threat!” In a split second, the pumpkin jumps from Josh’s hands and knocks me down. When I look up, I see Beth struggling to pull the pumpkin away from her. Right as I stand up, the pumpkin forces its way to her neck, and then I see blood spray out as she cries out for me.
“Stop!” She screams, throwing the pumpkin at the ground.
“Fuck!” I yell, diving forward before it smashes. Luckily I catch it just before it hits the ground, and that’s when we hear it speak.
“You bitch! How dare you cast a spell… A spell… I’ll wake up soon enough.” The pumpkin falls silent and stops struggling as Josh rushes past me to my crying sister.
“Beth!” I stand up and run to her. Her whole neck is bleeding as tears stream down her face. “Don’t worry,” I stammer out, pulling out my phone. “I’ll- I’ll call for help!”
“I don’t want to die!” She cries out, holding her neck. The whole right side of her neck and shoulder look like a rabid dog took a chunk out of her.
“You won’t die!” Josh yells, gasping as we watch the blood retreats back in her neck. We both breathe heavy and shake as the torn skin on Beth’s neck just closes back up as it should be.
“Beth!” I yell, pulling her into a tight hug. “How did you- what did- fuck it!” I pull her up, and she wipes her face with her bloody hands, smearing blood over her cheeks.
“What did I do?” She asks, her voice breaking as she struggles to hold herself together. “Am I a…”
“No!” I yell, grabbing her shoulders. “You are my sister! You are not one of those fucking witches!”
“But Grandma and the pumpkin said-”
“Fuck what they said!” Josh chimes in, coming to my side. I can always depend on him. “You’ll be fine,” he says, offering a small smile. “I won’t let anything hurt, neither will Cameron.”
“Thanks,” she whispers, looking past us at the pumpkin. “Fill me in on everything, and don’t leave out a single detail.”
“We’ve got forty minutes left to get to the cemetery and smash the pumpkin,” I explain. “If we don’t get there in time, then the Pumpkin Lord, this little fucker’s mother, will break free from her prison or whatever and kill us all.”
“The cemetery is a twenty-minute walk!” Beth yells.
“Then we’ll run!” Josh says, taking the pumpkin. “We’ve got this, right, Cameron?” I look at him and let out a laugh.
“Fuck yeah, we do!” I yell. “Let’s go!”
We all start sprinting towards the cemetery, not wasting another second of our precious time. It’s mind-boggling to think that Grandma and those witches have been keeping this Pumpkin Lord sealed away. How many generations has this been going on for? To think that we all thought she was batshit crazy.
We were wrong.
The Perfect Sacrifice Part Three
Cameron
“What time is it?” Beth asks, panting like a dog would in the summer heat. Meanwhile, Josh and I are gasping for air.
“Please tell me we have time to take a break!” Josh complains, setting the pumpkin down. He collapses on the ground and gives a nervous smile to Beth. “Come sit down real quick?” He asks, his voice shaking ever so slightly.
“Sure,” she whispers, glancing at me. “You good?”
“Yeah, I’m good. We’ve got twenty-five minutes until it’s midnight, so I’d say we have time for a five-minute break since we’re already here,” I tell them, taking in the eeriness of the cemetery. The gates are locked shut with an old rusted padlock, and even though the fog has slightly cleared up, it’s still thick enough to add to the creepiness of this place. The wind picks up and rattles the gate violently, but it seems like I’m the only one scared shitless by this.
“I was thinking that since we’re skipping school tomorrow that maybe we could go downtown and grab the leftover candy from the stores, then maybe go catch a movie?”
“Well, my parents work late tomorrow and won’t be back till around ten or eleven, so maybe we could…” Beth pauses and covers her smile before looking back at Josh. “You know.”
“Okay, let’s go!” I interrupt, making them both jump up. “We’ve got to get past this gate!”
“Yeah, let’s find a way inside,” Josh agrees.
“Josh,” I laugh. “You’re forgetting your little buddy there.”
“Oh yeah,” he says, picking up the pumpkin. “Hey, I was thinking about names.”
“For what?” Beth asks, looking him up and down like he’s crazy. “For the pumpkin?”
“Yeah. How about we name it?”
“Maybe it already has a name,” I chime in, looking at the tree near the gate. Beth walks past me and looks back, nodding her head before looking back at the tree. “I’m surprised that annoying little shit hasn’t woken up yet. Not that I’m complaining, of course.”
“Let me use my magic,” Beth laughs, extending her hand and taking in a deep breath before speaking. “Wake up!” She starts laughing and shakes her head. “Well, I guess that was a one-time-” She stops and raises her hand to her face.
“Beth, what’s wrong?” I ask, hurrying to her side.
“Holy shit,” Josh lets out, walking up to her slowly. I move her hand away from her face, and I can’t say I’m surprised that blood is dripping from her left nostril. “Woah!”
“You fucking bitch!” The pumpkin roars, jerking its body around in Josh’s hands. “How dare you put me to sleep!”
“How does this magic stuff even work?” Beth mutters, walking up to the tree and placing her hands on it. “Let’s go, Cameron.”
“Josh, once we get on the other side, throw the pumpkin over.”
“XIWEXCFWQIX!” The pumpkin randomly shouts.
“What the hell?” We all ask at once.
“In your tongue, it translates to Oscar,” he explains. “So stop calling me a pumpkin!”
“Okay, well, toss Oscar over!” I correct myself, climbing up after Beth. Climbing a tree isn’t something I was good at as a kid. My friends would constantly climb trees like they were fucking chimps, but I would never be caught sitting on a branch. This is important for two reasons.
Number one being that I don’t know how to climb this damn thing. I’m trying to follow Beth's footing and see where she places her hands, but she’s moving too fast, and it’s too dark to even see. What makes it even worse is that I can hear rustling in the branches far above me.
Finally, the second reason is my fear of heights. I’ve never liked heights at all, and the fact that I’m currently halfway up a tree is enough to make me want to pass out.
“Cameron, come on,” Beth encourages me. “You’ve got this!” Her cheering me on is enough to make me come to my senses and continue scaling this mountain of a tree.
“Fuck!” I shout, almost falling. I try pulling my right hand away from the tree, but the sharp pain keeps me from doing so.
“What’s wrong?” Josh asks.
“Cameron, are you okay?” Beth scooches on the tree branch that extends over the gate and looks back at me, her face full of concern and annoyance. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“I just stabbed my fucking hand!” I yell, pulling myself free from the throne on the tree. My palm is on fire as bursts of blistering pain come in intense waves. I don’t have to even see the blood running from my wound because I can feel it running down my forearm.
“Perfect!” Oscar laughs out. “When mother awakens, she’ll smell your blood, and the bloodlust she’s harbored for centuries will be fed.”
“Shut the fuck up, Oscar!” Josh warns him. “Or I’ll make your death painful!”
“Hurry up and get up here so I can use my magic.”
“Bullshit!” I argue, carefully climbing and sitting on the branch she’s on. “Josh, back me up here!”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Beth.”
“A newborn witch like yourself isn’t capable of healing others. I’m amazed you’re still walking after I practically tore off your neck.”
“Not even the pumpkin has faith in you,” I tease her, watching as she jumps from the tree and lands on the ground.
“Your turn!” She calls from below.
“Bullshit!” I scream. “T-t-that’s too high!”
“If you won’t come down…” She mumbles, bending over and picking something off the ground. “I’ll make you come down!”
“Beth!” I plead. “Please don’t!”
“Jump!”
“No!”
“Fine, I’ll make you!” She raises her hand, and I look down at her, shaking my head.
“Don’t you fucking dare throw that-” Before I can get another word out, she hurles a rock straight at me, and it hits me perfectly in the head. I fall backward, and as I fall, I see it. It’s almost as if time slows down as I fall, looking straight at the orange beam that suddenly explodes high in the sky. A beacon of dark orange light shoots high in the night sky, and to my surprise, Beth starts talking.
“What the hell did I do?” She asks as I seemingly float down through the air. “Did I do that?”
“You must have,” Josh adds, jumping back when the front gate is flung wide open, the padlock breaking as if it were mere paper being torn.
“I’m the one you should all be thanking,” the familiar voice booms in my head.
“Ahh!” Beth falls to her knees and collapses on her side, grabbing her head. She squirms all over, screaming these heart-wrenching blood-curdling screams of anguish.
“Interesting. I wasn’t aware you were related to Betty.”
“Show yourself!” Josh screams, rushing to Beth. Beth looks as though she’s having a seizure as she convulses on the ground.
“Please stop! You’re hurting her!” I yell, finally dropping to the floor of the cemetery. “You’re hurting my sister!”
“I’m not hurting her. She’s just simply sensing my power, and her body is reacting to it.” Without any warning, the cat-goat demon appears right in front of me and grabs my right hand. Its sandpaper cat tongue licks my palm, and right as I’m about to scream out, his hand covers my mouth.
No matter how hard I hit its body or try pulling away, I can’t break free from his grip. Soon enough, his whole tongue goes inside my palm, and I lose my shit, flailing about like I’m on fire.
“Cameron!” Josh yells from behind me. “Let him go, you demonic fuck!”
“Shut up!” Oscar yells. “You’ll get us all killed!”
“All but you,” the demon speaks after pulling away from my hand. I feel so lightheaded that I could pass out at any given moment. “I need you to die so that wretched Pumpkin Lord doesn’t break free from her seal,” the demon tells Oscar, purring as I continuously punch his head. “I’ll save you for last.” The demon turns its head back to me, and a maggot falls from his hollow eye, landing on my hand and squirming like Beth is.
“But first, I want a quick drink of this boy’s blood,” the demon whispers, gripping my neck tight. “There’s faint magic in his blood, and once I finish him, I’ll move on to his sister.”
“Sleep!” Beth screams. I turn back towards her, and her hand is extended out to the demon. Blood is pouring out both of her nostrils as she breathes deeply.
“Magic of that level does nothing but insult me,” the demon says, sending me flying right at Josh. We both grunt as we watch the demon march up to Beth whose shaking in fear. “How dare you try something like that. I’ll teach you real magic, you foolish little witch.”
“Secterpulxics!” The demon is sent flying into a nearby gravestone, and Beth looks in horror past me. “Cameron, Beth, are you two alright?” I don’t even have to turn around to know it’s her.
“Grandma Betty!” Beth cries out, standing and running past me as I struggle to stand up. When I do, I see Grandma smiling right at me. Her grey long hair is a mess, and her old pale wrinkly skin serves as further evidence that she’s a witch. We always make fun of how she looks and what she wears, but right now, I could cry tears of joy as she holds her hand out to me.
I take a few swift strides to her, my hand shaking from the intense pain I feel, and take her hand. She closes her eyes and smiles, gripping my hand hard. “Grandma, I-“
“Mend,” she says, simply ignoring what I was about to say. Waves of pain turn to waves of numbness and then to nothing at all. When I look down at my hand, it’s exactly as it should be. “Mend,” she says again, extending her hand out to Josh. His crooked nose straightens, and the dried blood on his face vanishes.
“It was all true then?” Beth asks, bringing my attention back to the current situation. “Everything our parents told us was true?”
“Most of it,” she mutters, walking past and towards the demon, who is pulling himself up. “Except the part where they called me batshit crazy.”
“Oh, but she is!” The demon laughs out, grabbing a headstone and resting on it. “Betty, it’s been about thirty years or so since we’ve last seen each other, correct?”
“Kids, never answer his questions!” Grandma yells, turning to face us. You three take the pumpkin and hurry to the center of the cemetery! As soon as you reach that light smash the-
“Damnit!” The demon roars as we all turn our attention to the orange beam of light in the sky. What looks like thousands of bats are now flying in circles around the light, squeaking so loud that it’s almost deafening.
“We don’t have much time left!” I yell, looking at my phone. “We’ve got ten minutes until midnight!”
“Mother!” Oscar screams, struggling in Josh’s hands. “Our plan finally worked!”
“What plan?” The demon demands to know. “What are you rambling on about?”
“Kids, run!” Grandma yells. “Go to the light and smash the pumpkin!”
“I’ll do it for you!” Oscar laughs. We all watch in horror, even the demon as Oscar suddenly goes from a healthy orange pumpkin to a soft limp brownish corpse. “Before I go, I’ll fill you in on something, you fools!”
“What’s-”
“My mother let you witches seal her away so you could all give her time to recover her energy. Every year you sacrificed one of her children, she grew stronger! It was the perfect sacrifice!”
Then, Oscar explodes right in Josh’s hands. The orange guts fall to the ground, and it’s almost like they are absorbed by the soil.
“No,” the demon whispers. “No!”
“What have we done?” Grandma asks aloud, her voice shaking as she collapses. “We thought we were keeping her sealed away…”
“You fucking fool!” The demon claps his hands together, and black mists appears all around his body. “I’m not sticking around to see her, but if by some chance you four actually kill the bitch then I’ll be back to finish what she couldn’t.”
“We will stop her!” Beth screams. “Then we’ll stop you too!”
“You don’t stand a chance, young witch!” The demon laughs as the black mists engulfs him. “If you survive, I’ll see you all the night that bastard Christ was born!”
“Christmas?” I ask, noticing my fists are balled up. “Fuck you!”
The loud boom coming from behind us makes the hair on my body stand at attention, and the silence of nature itself is all we need to know that we failed.
“Hold onto that anger, Cameron.” I hear whispered from behind me.
“He’s gone,” Josh says. He looks like he’s in shock as he sits next to Grandma Betty on the ground. Meanwhile, Grandma is taking off her robe, and that’s when we see she has on a white dress.
“I figured I might as well dress for my funeral if I am to die tonight,” she explains, standing up. “She’s coming,” she whispers. “No, she’s already here.” She raises her finger and points behind us.
“Betty,” we hear from behind. The voice is full of anger and excitement. “Grandaughter of Beatrice. How I’ve longed to finally meet you.”
The Perfect Sacrifice Part 4 (Final)
Cameron
“Well well well,” she giggles like a child. “I’ve slept for centuries!” I keep staring at Grandma as I hear the crunching of leaves behind me. “So,” she starts, only to stop walking.
“Excuse me, boy.”
“Cameron, pay attention to the threat before you,” Grandma whispers, staring past me. Her voice breaks as she speaks and her jaw trembles so hard that I can hear rapid clicking sounds it makes.
“Cameron,” I say, turning around, and I’m astonished that she isn’t a horrific demon like I was expecting. She has the body of an average teen girl and short black hair. Her skin is pale like a ghost, and even from here, I can see her beautiful purple eyes. “My name is Cameron,” I stutter out, not sure if I should continue being terrified.
“Cameron?” She asks, sounding out my name. “And you, little girl?” She asks, instantly lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Ah! A witch!” She screams, skipping over to Beth.
“Stop right there!” Grandma shouts, raising her hand. The Pumpkin Lord stops in her place and looks over at Grandma, frowning.
“Sorry, I just wanted to see her up close,” she apologizes.
“Who are you?” Beth asks, taking cautious steps towards her. “Are you the Pumpkin Lord?”
“Yuh,” the Pumpkin Lord mutters, trying to move. To our surprise, she manages to extend her hand out to Beth. “Shake my hand and be my friend.”
“Don’t Beth!” Grandma screams. Beth closes her eyes and struggles as she holds her arm back.
“Shit!” Beth screams, taking another step towards the Pumpkin Lord.
“Beth don’t shake her hand!” Josh shouts, taking off full speed to Beth.
“Sit down,” the Pumpkin Lord says casually, causing Josh to drop to the ground. “I don’t like when people interrupt conversations. It’s rude.”
“Ow!” He yells from the ground. “I landed on a fuck ton of acorns!”
“Grandma, what do we do?” I ask, picking up a small rock. It feels heavy in my hand, and that alone makes me feel a lot better about this whole situation.
“Beth don’t shake her hand!” Grandma shouts again. “Cameron, get ready to throw it at the Pumpkin Lord.”
“Drop it,” the Pumpkin Lord instructs, and I do, but something feels off. “Sit down.” It’s almost like my body is moving on its own, but at the same time it feels like I have a choice. It’s almost like it’s more of a suggestion that she’s offering rather than an order. My joints are on fire as I try resisting, and I can hear her telling me to sit down over and over in my head.
“No!” I yell. She lets out a gasp and turns around, smiling.
“What did you just say?” She asks, crossing her small arms.
“I said no!” I yell louder, reaching for the rock I dropped. “Go fuck yourself!” It’s almost as if something moves from the center of my body all the way to my hand. As the rock leaves my hand, I swear I can see fire for a split second.
“Ha!” She laughs. “You think-” Suddenly, she goes flying back and lands right near Beth, who seems to snap out of whatever the fuck trance she was in. Beth looks down at the Pumpkin Lord and kicks her hard in the side, making the Punpkin Lord cry out. “Fucking bitch!” She roars out, kicking again before running to Josh and helping him up.
“Cameron, help me up!” Grandma yells. I run to her and place her boney arm around my shoulders, lifting her up. “I would’ve never guessed you’re a wizard.”
“What?” I ask, glancing at the Pumpkin Lord. The rock I threw is on fire and is slowly dying down. “I did that?”
“You did, and I’m so proud of you,” Grandma whispers. “I think you just saved the day.”
“Dude, you can use magic?” Josh asks, rushing to us with Beth by his side. “How come you never told me?”
“Sorry,” I laugh, looking at my hands. “I just found out.”
“You naughty boy!” We all face the Pumpkin Lord and share the same worried looks on our faces. “You’re a wizard, huh?” I ask. “I guess I can’t be the cute little Pumpkin Lord I wanted to be,” she says, raising her torso in the air. We all let out uncomfortable grunts as we hear bones snapping and cracking. “I guess I can’t hold back anymore!”
“Kids, run,” Grandma whispers. “Run.” We all stand still, watching as the Pumpkin Lord’s body keeps breaking and getting longer. Her skin sheds off, revealing the dark orange shell of a pumpkin. As her body grows, her black clothes grow with her, changing colors as well. She stands up straight, and if I had to guess, I would say that she’s somewhere near seven-foot.
“Cameron, Josh,” Beth whispers. “Guys, we have to go.”
“None of you are going anywhere!” The Pumpkin Lord screeches, turning around. As she does, her black and purple robes spin like she’s wearing a dress, and we watch as she uses her long sharp claws made of the stems to peel back the hood covering her head.
“Her head…” Josh lets out.
“This is my true form!” She roars, ripping the hood off. Her whole head is a pumpkin and inside her head is an orange, bright yellow fire. “And I’m about to send you all to Hell.” A sinister smile spreads on her face, and she picks up the raises on fire up, pointing it to Grandma. “Let’s see your true magical power, witch.” Grandma drops to the ground in the blink of an eye, and blood is gushing from her neck.
“Grandma!” Beth and I scream.
“Oh shit!” Josh yells, pointing at the Pumpkin Lord, slowly advancing towards us.
“Have another,” she says, pointing another finger at Grandma. “You’ll make a fine pumpkin!”
“Stop!” Beth screams at the top of her lungs. The Pumpkin Lord stops, but it’s too late as I watch the steam launch from her finger and shoot Grandma right in the stomach.
“Beth!” Josh catches Beth and lays her down on the ground as blood leaks out of her nose and mouth. Her breathing is labored, and she can barely keep her eyes open.
“Run,” she whispers. “Please and live.”
“Cameron, Josh,” Grandma chokes out, holding her neck. “Come!” We both run to her, and she places her hands on our foreheads.
“The way wizards use magic is simple. You boys won’t be able to use spells like Beth, but you’ll be able to transfer your magic into weapons. Anything you two grab will instantly become filled with your magical powers. I’m giving you two the rest of my magic. As for Beth, she’ll have to grow stronger on her own since a witch can’t give her magic to a fellow witch.”
“How are you speaking to us?” I ask, tears forming in my eyes.
“I’m using the magic I’m giving you to talk. These will be my final words to you both.” Josh and I stare deep into her eyes, waiting for her to speak to us using magic, but to our surprise, she opens her mouth.
“Don’t die,” she whispers, vomiting out strands of orange pumpkin guts. She retches and vomits out hundreds of seeds mixed with her dark red blood, then falls over on her side.
“The damn bitch wasn’t a good host after all,” the Pumpkin Lord whines. “I guess I’ll have to move on to the girl.”
“You won’t touch her!” Josh yells.
“Stay away from my sister!” I grab a rock and launch it straight at her, which she dodges. “I’m sending you back to Hell!”
“Let’s finish this!” Josh looks at me and nods. I nod back and pick up a stick next to me. That same feeling I felt earlier is back and stronger than ever, and I almost lose my shit when the stick I have catches on fire.
“I’m going back!” She screams, getting on all fours and charging at me. “I’ll kill you all!”
“Die bitch!” Josh yells, throwing acorns at her. Each acorn moves as fast as lightning, and a buzzing sound can be heard as they zoom and hit her full force.
“Sit down!” Beth yells, making her drop down on her stomach. “Cameron now!”
“Happy fucking Halloween!” I yell, sprinting full force at her with my stick raised high, when suddenly she explodes just like Oscar did. “What?” I ask, stopping dead in my tracks. “What just happened?”
“No fucking way,” Josh mutters, taking quick steps up to her. “Did she die?”
“I’m right here!” We spin around and watch as the tallest tree in the cemetery uproots itself. The brown oak chips off, and to our dismay, we see the all too familiar orange skin of the Pumpkin Lord showing. “It’s time that I kill you all!”
“Run!” I shout, throwing the stick as hard as I can at her. The stick hits, and she screams as her branches catch on fire. “Help me grab Beth!” Josh and I run to Beth and pick her up by her arms.
“I’ve got her,” he says, crouching down. “Put her on my back!”
“Got it!” I say, helping Beth on his back. “Hold on tight to him, Beth!” I order.
“My hero, she whispers, her voice hoarse.
“To that shack!” I yell, pointing out the maintenance shake. It looks like it’s falling apart from the outside, but that’s our best chance right now to hide. The Pumpkin Lord’s screams fill the air as she flails about, swinging every which way in a desperate attempt to put out the fire. As we run, I look over at Beth and see that she’s sweating bullets as she continues coughing up blood.
“The door’s locked!” Josh yells after trying the knob.
“I’ve got it,” I tell him, using my elbow to break the dirty-looking window. As soon as it shatters, I grab my elbow and stifle a pain-filled yell. “Ah, mother fucker!”
“Why wouldn’t you just pick up a rock to smash it?” He asks, shaking his head. “You fucking dumbass!”
“Fuck you!” I snap at him. “As long as we get Beth in here is all that matters!” I climb inside, and a rat scurries past my foot. “On second thought, just set her down against a tree!” I call out, grabbing an old axe. Its handle is wood, and I pray to God that it doesn’t catch on fire in my hands.
“Find anything?” He asks, climbing inside. “Sweet, that’s better than a fucking stick.”
“Oh shit!” I gasp. “Look behind you on the wall.”
“Nice!” He runs to the wall and pulls a farmer’s sickle off the rack of various tools, and swings it. When he swings, a rush of air flies past me, and then we both jump when the wall behind me is destroyed. The ceiling caves in on us, and right as it’s about to hit us, I swing upwards with my axe, incinerating everything to ashes.
“There you are!” We hear her scream out. Her voice is starting to sound like a demon’s voice would be expected to sound now, and the air is cold around us.
“Where did you set Beth?” I ask.
“Behind a rock tree not far from here.”
“Then that means we can’t let her come to us then,” I say, gripping my weapon tighter. He lets out a shaky breathe then nods in agreement.
“You’re like a brother to me,” he says, smiling. “You’re also annoying as hell sometimes.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” I say. “If we kill this thing, then don’t think that gets you the right to make a move on my sister.”
“We’ll see,” he laughs out, taking a few steps forward.
“Let’s end this once and for all!” I yell, taking off full sprint with him not far behind me. As we run, I see the Pumpkin Lord ahead of us in the distance and slams down one of her orange branches against the ground.
“This cemetery is my home, you fools! I control everything here!” In front of me, the tree leans over, and all of its sharp branches come rushing right at me.
“Piss off!” Josh shouts, swinging at them. They all are snapped into small pieces, and I swing my axe, turning them to ash. “
“Your turn now!” I yell as soon as we get to the clearing where she is waiting for us. “Josh now!”
“Take this, you stupid Pumpkin!” Josh swings again, and when he does, he falls down. “That’s all I’ve got!” He yells from the floor. “I need a minute!”
“That’s more than enough time!” I tell him, smiling as all of the Pumpkin Lord’s branches fall from her body. She screams out in pain in a way that sends shivers through my whole body, and for a moment, I consider grabbing Josh and running back to Beth. I’m sure I could drag them both out of the cemetery, but I can’t risk it. I have to end things here and now!
“Hey, Pumpkin Lord!” I shout, raising my axe above my head. I feel all the energy I have leaving my body and pouring into the axe. “Tell Oscar I said hello!”
And with that, I chunk it as hard as I can. The magic carries it all the way to her, and the axe lights up the whole tree.
“I’ll see you all in Hell one day!” She screams, dropping to the floor. The fire spreads to the other trees and starts spreading across the dried-up grass.
“Can you walk?” I ask Josh as he struggles to stand.
“Yeah, I can walk. Let’s grab Beth and get out of here.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Let’s go.”
***
November 17th
“Can you two stop making out for a whole damn minute?” I ask, walking into the living room. “Get a room!”
“Your just mad because Julie broke up with you!” Beth argues.
“Yeah!” Josh chimes in, covering up his face as he laughs. “I still can’t believe you two were hitting each other with pillows, and you knocked her out!”
“I tried to stop the magic from pouring out!” I argue, slapping my forehead. “Ugh, I’m such a fucking idiot!”
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, Cam,” Beth says. “It happens to the best of us. I accidentally put the whole class to sleep the other day,” she groans out.
“I think that was just because your presentation was boring,” Josh laughs. I start laughing too while Beth shakes her head and screams in a couch pillow.
“It wasn’t that boring!”
“Cameron, you good?” Josh asks, sighing as I look at the one and only picture of grandma we have. The photo is of her hugging Beth and me. “Are you thinking about Christmas?”
“I know I am,” Beth whispers. The silence of the room is speaking volumes as we all exchange looks.
“The cops are still trying to figure out who was responsible for the fire, Christmas is coming up, and I just have this weird feeling about the Pumpkin Lord,” I whisper.
“Like we really didn’t kill her?” Josh asks, staring at the hardwood floor. “I’ve got that same feeling.”
“Something is coming,” Beth says, resting her head on Josh’s shoulder.
“Christmas is coming fast,” I say. “But we’ll be ready.” They nod in agreement, and Beth pats the cushion next to her, offering a slight smile.
For the sake of Grandma, we’ll send all the demons back to Hell.