After a few near sleepless nights following the strange little gift bag she’d been left on her bed, she’d been pulling a few late nights at the flower shop, waving off her manager’s concern at her dark circles and shaking her head. “Don’t worry about it Kate, I can lock up after you. Besides, you know Halloween orders are crazy this year. I’ve made more flower crowns than I can count!” she laughed, watching her boss shake her head as she left for the night.

By the time she finished, the last busses had stopped, and a thick fog lay over the city, in the quiet. Closing up shop, Dani shrugged on her giant oversized sweater, black spotted with chunky, oversized crochet flowers. Shivering, she shoved her hands into her pockets and started heading down the street; she lived a few blocks from home, and it wasn’t far. Maybe the cool night air would clear her head.

She popped one of her earbuds in and hummed along as she walked down the quiet night street, the only sound being her breathing, footsteps, and a strange sound like claws on solid ground.

She almost stopped when she noticed it, her hair standing on end. Dani paused, and the sound did too, as if someone were staring at the back of her head. It reminded her of a few nights ago, her skin prickling. At least this time she was awake. Picking up the pace, she glanced back, seeing nothing, and decided focus her eyes forward, boots stomping with a confidence she didn’t truly feel.

”Halloween got me good this year,” Dani laughed under her breath, needing something to fill the void. She could hear it again, scraping now, along with a heavy breathing that sounded thick with mucus, wet and labored. It made her throat tighten. Was she imagining it, or was it getting closer? She was practically jogging now, her curls bouncing, skin stinging with the cold combined with her nervous sweat.

Why, why did this keep happening—

She yelped as her feet caught on an uneven patch of concrete, and she caught herself hard on her palms, knees soaked where she was now kneeling in the puddle. She could feel her chest heaving, the feeling of being surrounded, watched and suffocated threatening to rise up within her again. She was afraid to look back, afraid to turn away, and she was shaking as she tried to get her feet under herself again, the sound of footsteps even closer now. She closed her eyes tightly. “Someone—“

There was a flicker of light she sensed from behind closed eyelids, a strange chittering sound and a howl that she felt in her bones. When her eyes opened again, the strange little flaming lizard she’d interacted with days ago was at her feet, a little less shouldering now that he was standing in the puddle, looking up at her expectantly. It’s tongue flicked out and lubricated one of it’s fiery eyeballs.

”You,” Dani stated accusingly, a laugh bubbling up from inside her. Hands still shaking, she dug into her bag, fingers landing on the slip of burlap, the strange little treat bag she’d been gifted after her horrifying nightmare. Opening one of the strange little pieces of chocolate, she tossed it to the creature, laughing as its tongue flew out and snapped it up, almost melting before landing in it’s mouth. She got to her feet, knees throbbing, and tossed another piece at the strange little creature before watching it skitter off back towards the watery area that it had made it’s new home.

She could still smell burned chocolate when she fell asleep that night, promising herself not to work so long past dusk ever again.