A/N: Here's my entry for the 2016 Twilight Tricks and Treats contest. My thanks to all the contest organizers. Check out all the entries, the link is in my profile. Thanks to my beta, Owlsarebirdstoo.
Standard Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.
Monday, October 24, 2016 – Seattle, Washington
Evil clown incidents in the area have escalated dramatically over the weekend. Two separate violent incidents occurred late yesterday. In both cases, the scenario was similar. The victim was alone in a relatively secluded area when surprised by the approach of an assailant dressed as an evil clown. The clown brandished a weapon, forced the victims to the ground and robbed them. This weekend's crimes were significantly more violent, however, than ones reported earlier this month. In the first incident, the clown threatened the victim with a machete, eventually doing harm even though the victim was cooperating with his demands. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he remains in stable condition after having received more than one hundred stitches.
In the second incident, the clown had a machete and also a gun. Again, the victim was cooperating with the clown, but still he was shot multiple times. The victim is currently in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery late last night.
Officials urge residents to be aware of their surroundings, travel in groups and avoid secluded areas. If you see a clown, get to the nearest safe location and call 9-1-1.
Monday, October 31, 2016 – Forks, Washington
Seth Clearwater is annoyed. The lanky fourteen-year-old spent hours carving a pumpkin for the Pumpkin Walk at this year's Halloween Festival and he's damn proud of it. His buddy, Jake, helped him out. Jake is the best carver on the reservation and even he said that Seth did a great job. It was the perfect replica of the evil clown, Pennywise. He thought it was hilarious, really, given the clown sightings throughout the Seattle and Port Angeles area. He didn't mind that they had cancelled the Walk. He gets it given everything that's been happening lately. What has him upset is that they didn't cancel it until all the pumpkins had already been put in place for the Walk and now they were just left there. He wasn't going to let his rot in the woods without ever being seen. Hence, his current hike up the trail behind the school to retrieve it before starting his DJ gig at the festival.
Finally arriving at his jack-o-lantern, he stands for a moment, admiring it with a smile. Before he bends over to pick it up, he is surprised by the feel of something cold and hard pressing into his ribcage and a commanding voice telling him to 'Move!'
Trying to steal a glance over his shoulder, he sees enough to send his heart rate climbing. The glimpse of a gruesomely painted face is all he needs to realize that a clown has shown up in Forks and he could be in real trouble.
The item against his ribs pushes to the point of pain. "Don't! Don't you dare try anything; you're coming with me. Now walk!"
"Newton," Seth says, hoping that this is just a prank, even though the hairs on the back of his neck tell him otherwise. "This isn't funny. I thought you just wanted to show up and try to scare people. What's with the dramatics?"
"You want to see dramatic?" The pressure disappears from his ribs and a pistol is raised alongside him. Taking no more than a moment to aim the gun, the clown squeezes the trigger and a pumpkin thirty feet down the trail explodes into pieces. "I'm not playing around. Now move!" The gun is again pressed into Seth's back urging him forward.
Seth's heart is hammering in his chest. "Is this the same clown who was hurting people in Seattle and Port Angeles? What would he be doing in Forks of all places? Maybe it's not the same clown but one of those copycats. Is that better or worse? Shit, I don't know," his thoughts begin racing as he tries to determine the best course of action.
"I said move. Now!" The command is punctuated by a rough jab to his ribs and he complies, feet dragging in the undergrowth of the wood.
They walk several more minutes, each step taking them further up and away from the school. It is slow going since they stay away from any well-established trails. Finally, they appear at a bend on a lesser used path and stop. The clown turns Seth so that he faces down the hill. It provides a perfect view of the school between the trees and they can see the people starting to arrive for the festival.
"Now, kneel! Down on the ground and put your hands behind your head!" The clown directs with another harsh jab to Seth's ribs.
Sam Uley's lungs burn as he runs up the trail as fast as he can. His department-issued bullet-proof vest thumps lightly against his mid-drift with each stride and he takes comfort in the weight of his gun belt on his waist. Jacob called in to the station saying that he had tried to go after Seth, who went up the trail behind the school to get his stupid pumpkin. Jake spotted him walking further away from the school with someone dressed as a clown, appearing to have a gun. Sam was surprised and proud of Jacob for showing some restraint and calling the police instead of going after Seth himself. Jacob could be a bit of a hot-head and he even told Sam he was second-guessing himself since the clown didn't look that big.
"I could have taken him down for sure if I was able to catch up to him quietly. I was just afraid of what he might do with that gun if he heard me before I could grab him," Jacob had said.
Sam had assured him that he had done the right thing and grudgingly awarded Jacob some points for his budding maturity.
Now, as Sam reaches the highest point of the Pumpkin Walk he stops, listening for any sound that is out of place and looking for any clue as to where Seth may have been taken. He spots some recent tracks going off the trail and follows quietly.
Moving quickly, it isn't long before he catches a glimpse of something moving up ahead. Ducking behind a tree, he surveys the area. It is definitely them. Some crazy guy dressed as a clown sure did appear to have a gun pointed at Seth. They are turned so that they face the school. Sam's route brought him around so that he is off to their right side.
The ideal situation would be to approach from behind, giving him more of a chance to surprise them. Unfortunately, the terrain behind them climbed dramatically and was littered with huge boulders. It would take too long to get there and then maneuver close enough to actually do anything. Sam will have to take make his move from here.
"Look at them," the clown says tauntingly as Seth looks down on the rapidly-filling school parking lot. "All those kiddies dressed up as princesses, animals," there's an amused chuckle before the clown continues, ". . . superheroes. Too bad there won't be a superhero coming here to help you. Tell me, what are you thinking right this very moment, boy?"
Seth can't prevent a couple of tears from slipping down his cheek, but he was going to do his best to keep his voice from cracking. "I'm thinking that I have friends down there and I don't want any of them to get hurt."
"Aw, selflessness. It's a ridiculous trait that will prevent you from ever getting anything you want. Not that that matters to you now, though. What else are you thinking?"
Seth sniffles and clears his throat before speaking again. "I'm thinking about how sad my mom and my sister are going to be if you kill me. My dad died last year, so I'm the man of the house – "
The clown laughs heartily. "You're the man of the house?" The question is heavy with disbelief. "That's not saying much is it? Given how you're going to die up here on this hill, quiet as a little mouse."
"I don't want to die," Seth says softly. He thinks he feels the gun shake against his back, but figures he must be mistaken.
"Too bad you don't have a choice in the matter," the clown says.
Suddenly there is a commotion coming from their right and a booming voice rings through the trees.
"PUT THE GUN DOWN AND STEP AWAY FROM THE BOY!"
Both the clown and Seth whip their heads to the side to see who is there. A huge police officer has stepped out from behind a tree just fifteen feet away. His gun is pointed at the clown and the expression on his face makes it clear that he means business.
"Sam," Seth whispers, his tone heavy with relief.
The clown looks at Sam, the gun still aiming for the middle of Seth's back, and is completely unmoving for a full twenty seconds.
"I said, put the gun down and step away from the boy!" Sam repeats, his voice full of authority.
Just then Sam's radio crackles and a voice comes through. Seth can't make out what is said, but he recognizes the voice of Chief Swan.
Sam keeps his gun and eyes trained on the clown, but slowly removes his supporting hand so that he can press the button on the radio. "10-4," he replies.
A curt response from the Chief comes through and they all can hear him say, "Over and out."
Sam sees a distinct tremble in the clown's arm that is holding the gun and decides talk may be his best recourse at the moment.
"You know, I don't know who you are, but so far here today you haven't really done anything too bad. I mean, you're not supposed to pull guns out on people, but you haven't hurt anyone. You put the gun down and Seth there can go on about his day. The folks down at the gym are looking forward to him playing some music. The kids are going to eat too much candy and drive their parents crazy before the sugar crash kicks in . . ." He says it all in a soothing, conciliatory tone.
The clown just shakes his head no and presses the gun more firmly into Seth's back. "Face down on the ground!" he snarls at Seth, not taking his eyes off of Sam.
Seth slowly lowers his torso to the ground, resting his cheek on the fallen leaves and mossy, damp earth. Tears flow freely now from his tightly closed eyes.
The clown shifts position, so he is now to the side of Seth and facing Sam. His gun stays aimed at Seth's back.
"Alright," Sam says. "We're quickly getting to the point of no return here. You're setting up a no win situation. I'm telling you for the last time: put the gun down and step away from the boy!"
Again, the clown just shakes his head from side to side. Then he moves his gun slightly. It's a small movement, but it shifts the aim from Seth's back to the back of his head. The move, and its clear intent, sends Sam's heartbeat through the roof.
"PUT THE GUN DOWN, NOW!" he shouts.
Just then, they all hear the sounds of someone or something coming through the woods toward them. There is no attempt at stealth. Whatever is coming their way is coming hard and fast.
The clown's head shakes faster and more emphatically, back and forth as he stares at Sam.
Before anything else can happen, Chief Swan bursts through some brush and appears next to Sam.
"Don't shoot!" he exclaims breathlessly, hands stretched out in an effort to freeze everything before it goes irreparably wrong.
The clown's head stops moving as he stares at Charlie. The chief slowly moves his hand closest to Sam until it rests on top of Sam's gun. He firmly presses down, urging Sam to lower the gun.
Sam looks at him, incredulously. "Chief? I don't think …" he starts.
"Lower your gun, Sam. That's an order," Charlie says firmly.
Sam complies reluctantly, lowering the gun slowly, but remaining poised to raise it again in a flash if needed.
Charlie focuses all his attention on the clown. The clown's arm that holds the gun is clearly shaking now.
"You don't have to do this," Charlie says.
There's sniffling and Charlie doesn't know if it's coming from Seth or the clown but he chooses to take it as a good sign. But then the clown starts with the head shake again. Very slowly, back and forth, back and forth.
"No. You don't have to. Just put the gun down," his voice is pleading, tinged with fear. He takes a breath so he can utter one more thing, a plea and prayer, "Please . . . Bells . . ."
A/N: Just a handful of chapters in this. They will all be posted today. Thanks for reading.