All Hallows Eve

A Halloween party is disturbed by a phone call that brings harrowing news and signals the beginning of the adventure.

Sunday October 31^st 2004: Bigglesworth, Southern England

It was 7 p.m. and the Halloween party at 22 Willow Walk was in full swing. Amber, who was dressed as a vampire, and those of a similar age were playing ‘spooky statues’ beneath the oversized cobweb and spider that hung above the centre of the eerily decorated living room. Her brother Billy, a zombie for the evening, and the older children gossiped and giggled on the sofa, chairs and floor space to the sides of the improvised dance floor. The adults were either sat or stood around the adjoining kitchen of the open plan home, preparing food and drinks for those in their care while themselves talking, eating and drinking.

Only Phoebe, Amber and Billy’s mother, was not within an area of people in the same age group.

 Phoebe, being the hostess, stood by the stereo and intermittently brought pause to the music. Each time she hit the pause button the younger children attempted to stand as still as possible until the music began again. Those teenagers who were not immersed in conversation amused themselves by acting as judges or trying to influence the outcome of the game by pulling faces at their younger counterparts.

Billy and his best friend Kurt were discussing, with some authority, the validity of certain modern day horror characters and themes.

‘Vampires just aren’t scary anymore,’ Kurt complained below the din of ‘The Monster Mash’.

‘They’re all way too nice nowadays,’ Billy agreed with an enthusiastic nod.

‘It’s probably ‘cause they’re all still in high school,’ Kurt added, ‘haven’t learned how to be evil yet!’

Billy’s eyes lit up at the notion,

‘It could be ‘cause of puberty!’ he enthused and the pair fell about the sofa in raptures of laughter at their banter.

The music stopped and a sharp look from Phoebe to Billy brought an abrupt halt to the hilarity. Billy nudged Kurt to attention and both sat straight to judge the 6-10 year old participants. The thirteen year old school friends had, after all, promised Billy’s mum that they would help.

Amber was poised dramatically in a clawing snarl while her friends adopted similar ‘scary’ poses. Gaby, the zombie cheerleader laughed involuntarily as Kurt pulled a ridiculous twisted, snorting, tongue-lolling face in front of the seven year old. Gaby conceded the game before being told she was ‘out’ and skipped happily toward to the kitchen area. She needed a drink to quench her considerable thirst and so wasn’t really concerned about losing.

The music began again and the array of horrors re-commenced their shuffling, growling dance floor manoeuvres.

‘What about werewolves?’ Billy asked Kurt as they slouched back as if co-joined.

Kurt made a downturned mouth expression to show that he was unsure,

‘I dunno- they’re scarier than vampires, but some of them are more like mangy old dogs than savage predators,’ he said.

‘Yeah- I know what you mean,’ Billy agreed, ‘I think they’re seen as the arch enemies of vampires rather than monsters in their own right too much. The older werewolf and vampire stuff was definitely better.’

The music stopped again, but the boys were alert to it this time.

A boy wrapped in bandages had been in the unfortunate position of performing a jump as the tune had stopped and had landed awkwardly on the tip of his toes with his arms above his head. His knees were together to keep his balance, but he was struggling to remain still due to the comical nature of his stance. He giggled at his predicament and half toppled forward before righting himself again.

 Bully glanced at the other four remaining contestants and saw that Amber the vampire, Ali the dragon, Chloe the witch and Aaron the zombie were all perfectly still,

‘It’s the Mummy, mummy!’ Billy joked and the miniature monsters fell about laughing; Harvey the Mummy’s usual ‘bad loser’, petulance subdued.

‘Very good, Billy,’ his Mum replied with a fond smile as the Mummy left the floor smiling.

Billy blushed slightly at her loving gaze and turned his attention quickly to Kurt before she had even released the pause button. He felt uncomfortable when she made such public displays of affection lately - especially in front of his friends.

Alright Mum- alright. You’re proud of me- I get the picture, he thought, then continued his conversation with Kurt.

Meanwhile Amber was determined to win the game. At just over a month short her seventh birthday she was one of the youngest people in the party and so the achievement would be so much greater. She concentrated as much as she could as she danced; carefully plotting each step in time to the music and glancing toward her mother as she moved to gain the best possible advantage, but something had been distracting her over the last couple of rounds of ‘spooky statues’.

To the left of where the three steps led from living area to kitchen there was a square space that led to the door to the back hallway- the door to the back garden beyond.

 As Amber danced she kept glimpsing, between the gaps left by the child dancers and parent observers, a girl that she didn’t recognise knelt down in that area.

Although the girl was on her knees with her head bowed she looked to be around her age and height and was dressed in a very unusual costume.

The dark skinned girl’s costume looked inappropriate for a Halloween party. She wore a long cream coloured dress, a golden tiara and a thick gold coloured necklace encrusted with multi-coloured gems. It certainly wasn’t scary. She looked more like a princess than any type of monster, but something about her was definitely unusual.

Amber’s curiosity was heightened on each sighting of the child. Her costume and jewellery looked very expensive; too expensive for a child of her age and Amber couldn’t help but wish to know who she was.

The music stopped and the watchful Amber carried on dancing for two seconds too long.

‘Vampire girl!’ Kurt announced loudly and brought Amber’s participation to a premature end.

Amber grimaced in disappointment, but nodded solemn acceptance, albeit with a flap of her cloak shrouded arms and walked toward the strange girl.

The girl lifted her head as Amber approached, her black hair falling further down her shoulders, and smiled as if happy to see a long lost friend. Amber could see by her face that she was older than she was. She was perhaps eight or nine, though small for her age, but Amber still did not recognise her.

The regally attired girl stood up and spoke,

‘You must go to the Gateway tonight Amber. The Dream Worlds need you… your father need’s you!’

‘Dad?’ Amber asked; her brow furrowed in a concerned frown.

The music stopped just as the house phone on the kitchen counter rang loudly near her right ear. Amber’s frown deepened with discomfort at the shrill tone and she looked accusingly up toward the receiver in its cradle.

‘Five minute break for a phone call,’ Phoebe yelled to the remaining dancers as she skittered through the guests toward where Amber stood.

Phoebe ruffled her daughter’s hair as she lifted the receiver,

‘Hello?’ she said breathlessly as Amber turned her head back to look at the girl.

‘I will send for you,’ the girl said, her gentle smile still fixed to her pretty features.

‘Who are you?’ Amber asked, but her attention was drawn back to her Mum as Phoebe yelled,

‘Two days ago? Why the bloody hell am I just finding out now?’

Amber could see that there were tears in her mother’s eyes and creases were forming all about her face,

‘Presumed? How can you presume anything without any evidence?’

The tears were flowing now and Phoebe turned her contorted expression from her youngest child,

‘All of them? The vehicle as well?’ she asked, although these were not really questions. She was merely repeating the things she had just been told. Things that she did not want to believe and the woman sobbed in grief as she was informed that her husband was missing and presumed dead.

Some part of Amber understood what was happening, but she was neither ready nor willing to understand and so turned back to the girl once again to find the answer to her question.

Amber looked to the door leading to the hallway in bafflement when she saw that the girl was no longer there.

Surely she would have noticed her move passed her or heard the opening of the door?

Like Cinderella at the ball the girl was gone and Amber knew that, like the fairytale, the party would soon be over.

…………………………………………………………

Somewhere below the perpetual and permanent covering of thunderous cloud a gathering of torch lights stood out upon the sunless surface of the world of nightmares. Horrific creatures of all hellish description and proportion crept, crawled, leapt, bounded, shuffled and even walked through rain and wind swept mud toward the misshapen tower that dominated the barren landscape.

The tower consisted of countless decadent buildings and dwellings, miscellaneous waste, pollutants and filth that had been crammed together in haphazard array, on top and to the sides of one another until it loomed ominously over the surrounding wastelands. It was as if all substance of note had been drawn into one position so high that it penetrated the cloud and attracted lightening that sporadically lit up its monumental shape. At the peak of the pyramidal disarray was a palace upheld by the unruly mass beneath it.  

Upon the hazardous helter-skelter walkways that ran around the conical form were gatherings of torch light by which the Horror’s made their way about the immense structure. These gluts of light spiralled from the partially illuminated tower like tentacles as the un-dead and un-living wandered toward their source of absolution. Victim and victor moved in tandem with predator and prey; their common plight now more important than their differences in this land of shadow.

They had come to witness their Underworld King make the announcement that rumour greatly anticipated.

High above the mismatch of gruesome creatures, at the very pinnacle of the palace that topped the tower, stood King Sin Muballit. On his head he wore a golden dome of a crown that conducted a frenzy of electricity from the sky above. Beneath the crown a skeletal face grinned in the torchlight and lunatic eyes looked to the masses below. Rotten, dirt encrusted robes covered his once regal form while his decayed fingers gripped a tall golden staff. Upon its hilt was carved a creature that was part Lion, part Gryphon and the staff was hoisted high as the King declared his intent to speak,

‘Hear me legions of Horror!’ he yelled. His voice was an ancient and hollow growl of a tone that reverberated across the world of terror; stilling its denizens to reverent pause. 

The hoards of Horror looked up to their ruler with a flurry of excited chuckles, howls and growls as they prepared to heed his rabble rousing words. They were not disappointed.

‘For centuries we have suffered in the shadow of the other worlds- denied the light and hope enjoyed by those who condemned us to linger here, but on this day I decree “no longer!”’

The Horror’s briefly cheered Sin Muballit’s opening sequence of words, but fell quiet once again to hear more.

‘I have been shown a way by which we may escape this place of darkness and disgrace! A pathway to the light of the human world has opened and we need only dare to cross the threshold!’

The reaction to this was instantaneous and overwhelming. The world of shadow was filled with the victorious chanting and screeching of countless figments of human error and terror.

Their utmost collective wish had been realised. They would soon be free of this terrible and terrifying place and they began to hail their King’s name in one overjoyed voice.

‘Sin! Sin! Sin! Sin!’ they applauded, over and over again, until the King’s golden staff was again pounded into the wretched earth.

‘To be granted passage to the light we must make our way toward the dawn!’ he said once silence had resumed.

Many of the monstrosities recoiled fearfully at the thought of the break of daylight. Many had not seen the sun before- many believed they would perish if they ever did.

‘Do not fear the light of day my legions! I once walked the world of human’s as their King… before they shunned me and sentenced me to four thousand years of purgatory. I was the first of you and it is I who shall lead you to victory over those who condemned us all to be forgotten!’ he said in stirring assurance.  

‘Follow me to the Gateway from where untold riches await in a world that will tremble at our sight!’

With this final inspiration the King leapt from the top of the tower to land amongst the armies of monstrous minions below. The creatures of horror yowled and howled in delight as they formed into flanks on either side of Sin Muballit then fell in behind as he led the way to the dawn.

Author's Note

Sin Muballit was the real life King of Babylon, and father of the more famous Hammurabi, some 4000 years ago. This story is based around embellishments of those ancient times and the fact that Babylon existed in what is modern day Iraq.