Walk the Spooky Plank!

Although I don’t participate in Hallowe’en, writing challenges are a different matter! This month’s Walk the Plank challenge from the YA Buccaneers has a “ghost story” theme. The challenge is to write a 200-word (or fewer) piece of flash fiction with some spooky, creepy, ghoulishness to it. As usual there’s a drawing for a prize, and you can earn bonus points by:

• Writing exactly 200 words
• Including the opening words “It was a cold Halloween night…”
• Including the closing words “I screamed.”

So, without further ado…

It was a cold Halloween night, but I needed to get out of the house. The music was too loud, and there were too many people, like Jake invited half the school. I thought maybe Kaylee Cooper would turn up. Hoped. Not that she would be looking for me.

I sat on the front steps, wishing this Doctor Frankenstein lab coat was thicker. My phone buzzed. A text message:

jeremy. look right

I looked right. The street light picked out a girl in vampire costume at the edge of the house. My heart skipped.

“Hi, Kaylee—”

She turned and ran behind the house.

“Wait!” I said, running after her.

She headed toward a wooded area, then disappeared into the trees. I followed, hoping she wasn’t too far ahead. Soon I came to a clearing, with what looked like a stone altar in the middle. Kaylee lay on top, black cloak wrapped around her, eyes fixed on me in an icy stare, a line of blood drooling down her chin.

Then I saw the blood around her neck.

And the pool of blood under her head.

I reached into her cloak and pulled out her cold, lifeless hand.

I screamed.

Want to try the challenge? Visit the YA Buccaneers blog for details.