"GHOULS NIGHT OUT"

HALLOWEEN 2007 HARDY BOYS CONTEST ENTRY

GUARDIAN ANGELS

by

Author F

Chapter 1

The Chapters

INTRO

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

Another gunshot rang out. Eighteen-year-old Joe Hardy hit the ground pulling his girlfriend Vanessa Bender down with him.

‘We’re like those sitting ducks in the arcade!’ he thought angrily. Briefly he wondered how his older brotherFrank and his girlfriend Callie Shaw were making out; and the group of friends who’d accompanied them tonight.  ‘So much for a nice quiet Halloween,’ he thought dryly.

The previous year’s Halloween had turned out to be disastrous.  He and Frank had been getting ready to testify against a terrorist group known as The Assassins at an upcoming trial.  In the end their testimony had turned out to be quite damaging, bringing down an entire unit of the terrorist organization but it had almost never happened.  Before it took place the group launched an elaborate scheme that included kidnapping, murder and psychological warfare against the brothers, Joe in particular.  Under the impression both his mother and girlfriend had been killed, Joe had then been drugged and had attempted to kill his own brother.  Frank, despite being clouded in his own grief at thinking Callie was dead, somehow managed to figure out exactly what the group was doing.  It had been close, coming down to the last minute, but together the Hardy brothers had thwarted the plan. 

Even though twelve months had passed, the painful memories of that night were still fresh, particularly for Joe.  So this Halloween Frank, Joe and their small group of tight-knit friends had decided on what was supposed to be a laid back evening.  Dinner of pizza and soda at the Hardy home, an hour or two spent navigating the corn maze at a local orchard on the outskirts of town, then retreat to the Morton farm for a hayride and bonfire under the stars.

The evening had started out well, with the group of ten enjoying the relative quiet of the maze and each other’s company. They’d started out together but had slowly gotten separated as, in groups of two or four, they began exploring different paths. Joe and Vanessa had been shadowing Frank and Callie but when Joe pulled Vanessa into what he knew was a dead end for a few minutes of privacy, they too, had become separated.

Shortly after they emerged from their brief romantic interlude, the gunshots had started.  At first Vanessa thought it was part of the whole Halloween experience, scaring the visitors into thinking they were being chased by a mad gunman.  That was until Joe reminded her they’d specifically chosen this particular orchard because it billed itself as ‘family friendly; a place where parents could bring their small children for a fun evening without having the little ones frightened.  The family that owned and ran the orchard and maze guaranteed nothing more frightening than maybe a ghost or ghoul at the entrance, or some scary faces on the carved pumpkins. Beyond that it was simply a matter of visitors trying to find their way through the intricate maze to the warm, welcoming bonfire and hot apple cider waiting at the end. 

It had gotten quiet again; too quiet.  Joe raised his head slightly and listened intently.  The last shot had come from the left. Pushing himself up into a crouch, Joe tugged on Vanessa’s hand and tilted his head to the right.  She nodded and by the dim glow from the tiki torches that had been strategically placed throughout the corn maze, Joe could see the determination in her eyes – determination tinged with fear.  They, and everyone else who’d come here tonight, had become targets for the crazed gunman who’d suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it seemed.

Quietly they crept back the way they’d come.  It was hard to tell with the echoing gunshots but Joe thought the shooter had gone in the opposite direction.  They hurried to the end of the row and came to a stop. Joe took a quick peek around the corner and seeing it empty, pulled on Vanessa’s hand once more.  Quickening their pace, they were practically running by the time they reached the opposite end. Too fast to stop as a dark shape rounded the corner, took aim and fired…

*****

“Down!” Frank hissed, pulling Callie down behind him as two more shots rang out in quick succession. ‘Damn it Joe, where are you?!’ 

At first when Joe had purposely ‘lost’ Frank and Callie, the two of them had joked about it.  Now Frank was angry – and worried.  Some lunatic was loose in the maze taking potshots at the visitors and he had no idea where his brother was!

“I think they came from over there somewhere,” Callie whispered, pointing ahead of them and to the left.

“Me too,” Frank agreed.  “So we go this way.” He stood, making sure Callie was behind him, and moved back the way they’d come.

While the gunshots stilled for a moment, they could hear screaming and crying echoing through the ‘walls’ made by the tall stalks.  Frank shivered inwardly at the sounds, remembering all the families they’d seen when they first arrived.  So many young parents with small children… He only hoped no one had been seriously injured or worse. 

Shaking off the disturbing thoughts, Frank visualized the maze in his mind, trying to replicate the twists and turns they took to get them this far.  It was supposed to be a fun, relaxing evening so he hadn’t really been paying much attention.  They’d reach the end eventually and in the meantime they would simply enjoy the night and being together.  ‘So much for that idea!’ Frank thought angrily.

Approaching the end of the row, Frank slowed as did Callie.  Inching his way around the corner Frank took a quick peek and then pulled his head back.  He wasn’t sure but he thought he saw moonlight glinting off something at the other end of the next row.  He motioned Callie back but she resisted, shaking her head vehemently.

“Someone’s coming from that way,” she said in a hoarse whisper, trying to nudge him forward.

‘Great… we’re trapped.’

“Frank?” Callie said, squeezing his hand.

“I think there’s someone on the other side, too,” he said almost apologetically.  ‘Damn it!’ He had no way of knowing if either of the people was the shooter but he was certain of one thing – they couldn’t stay in one place, they had to keep moving.  ‘Oh, well… six of one, half a dozen of another...’

“Okay, this way,” he finally said and cautiously approached the corner once more.  Taking a deep breath Frank looked at Callie.  “Ready?”

She gave him a shaky smile and nodded encouragingly.

Holding tightly to her hand, Frank rounded the corner and came to a stop almost immediately. Taken by surprise, Callie crashed into him.

“Go back! NOW!” he yelled, giving her a hard shove. He turned to follow as the sound of a gunshot cut through the night and a trail of fire cut through his arm…

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