April Livingston watched her son Bobby from the kitchen, it was Friday night and his eyes were glued to the tube for the latest edition of Science Fiction Adventures. Bobby got his love of creepy, impossible things from his father and when his dad passed away a few years ago it was something he kept going to keep his memory alive. April knew that wherever her husband was he was proud that Bobby was keeping the tradition going.
When April finished washing the dinner dishes, she sat down next to her son and put an arm around him.
"What's happened so far?" she asked
"Some scientist has been killing people and framing his students by stealing their fingerprints and leaving them on the bodies" Bobby quickly explained, barely taking a breath
April was glad he had an interest, especially one that made him feel closer to his dad but she really wished that he didn't enjoy the more gruesome aspects as much as he did.
Bobby stifled a laugh as the mad scientist brought an axe down on an unwitting colleague and fired off a monologue about how killing was merely a part of the human condition, however his skin was starting to peel revealing he was anything but human. The scientist shed the false skin, embracing the scales underneath and mocking his deceased victim.
"I always admired your face, Jacob so fitting that I'll soon be wearing it"
Just then a knock at the door stirred April from the strange tale. Leaving her son to enjoy the conclusion, April opened the door to find a small girl, about Bobby's age standing in the darkness.
"Can I help you, sweetie?" April asked
"I've been looking for my dog, he's small and furry and has a spot just above his eye, have you seen him?"
"I'm sorry we haven't, has he been gone long?"
The girl looked so upset, her little brown eyes broke April's heart.
"All day" she said sadly
"How long have you been searching for him?"
"Hours, my mom and dad said that I had to find him cause it was my fault that he ran away"
"Oh honey, I'm sure that's not true" April tried to reassure her "Are you hungry, would you like to come inside for something to eat?"
The girl nodded through her tears.
"I'm Mrs. Livingston but you can call me April" April introduced herself as the girl stepped over the threshold
"I'm Annabelle" the girl replied "Annabelle Higgins"
Bobby's mom introduced him to Annabelle, she seemed a little strange, he couldn't really say why but something about her just seemed off. Over some left overs Annabelle seemed to forget about her missing dog instead spending some time talking to Bobby about his love of monsters. Bobby found himself telling her about his favourite creatures, from alien cyclops' to the Thing from Dimension 8, she seemed to enjoy hearing him describe them in every macabre detail and he enjoyed having someone to talk to about it.
When the time came for Annabelle to leave, Bobby walked her to the door.
"See you later?" Bobby asked, hopefully
"See you at school" she smiled, pulling him into a hug
Annabelle's skin felt cold to the touch but Bobby embraced her warmly. He had a feeling that they were going to be the best of friends. A sharp pain in the back of his neck forced Bobby to break the hug. It felt like a mosquito bite, he rubbed the back of his neck to try and sooth it but it burned. Annabelle simply smiled again and wished him a good night before going on her way.
The thing that wore the skin of a child smiled to itself as it wandered back to its dwelling. One of its fingernails was stained with blood. It had achieved its goal, now all it had to do was wait.