Joseph

It began as a simple day, on Halloween in Norfolk, Virginia; the family went to grab more candy for the cauldron and to pick up some fast food to get through the cold night. Joseph heard his wife tell him to be careful as she drove off in the Ford, with two heads poking out of the backseat window. He waved to them and he took his spot. Left alone, to tend to the children and teens that came up on the deck with their costumes of various cartoon characters and even a few live action ones here and there, all asking for the same thing: candy. Joseph was sitting in the white plastic chair and wore a doctor man's mask, it was originally blue with gold paint, bought from the costume store but he fancied a makeover and redid the mask to be more or less like the original. Joseph smiled as he handed the candy off to the children, some scared of his mask and others poking at it. He had a couple of younger children try to yank it off, but of course their parents managed to pull them away in time.

Joseph mused that his wife be quick to hurry home, as the candy in the cauldron was slowly going down in quantity as the night went on. He tried to keep it a piece each to get through just until they got back. As he waited, he planned the route he'd take his girls. They will be hyper being that tonight isn't a school night and that they'll have their favorite fast food as dinner alongside one Halloween candy as dessert so it had to be a long route. Martha would object them going to the Watson's haunted house, so that wasn't possible. Perhaps a trip to the elderly couple, Jim and Irene, would do them some good, since Jim would likely be using his chainsaw again this year. The loving father of two hoped that this route would make his girls tired for bed, and be easier to push into their rooms for the night. He hoped anyway. Kimberly was stubborn about sleeping on non-school night and Jody would want to watch the Halloween specials that were coming on later that night. So, he planned to talk Martha into allowing them to stay up tonight and to go to bed early tomorrow night. After all, Halloween came only once a year.

"Trick or treat!" a group came up and said just after the children walked down the steps. Joseph obliged and happily doled out the candy evenly. The teens thanked him and went over to his neighbor Ferguson's home across the street, where he was done up as the one and only, Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, scaring the kids as they came up his driveway. He laughed mercilessly to the children who ran screaming to their parents as they laughed. It was hilarious, the children would be unwilling to go up the driveway and the parents would urge them on until they finally went up to the cornstalk that the boys helped put up and then Leatherface in all his glory came out from behind and ran after them with the chainsaw sans its chains riled up. Kimberly and Jody would demand to come to his house first. Ferguson loved his job; it looked, as he shot a look of victory over to Joseph as he settled in his seat. Joseph waved and of course, Ferguson waved with his chainsaw in hand.

It must've been an hour into Halloween night and children were clamoring all at once for candy, it worried Joseph that Martha and the girls might not make it back before there was a riot from upset children who are without their candy. Luckily they took to Ferguson more than a man wearing only a plague doctor's mask so there were fewer children than before.

"Trick or treat!" said the last of the children. Joseph gave them their candy and they scampered off toward Ferguson's. Joseph watched as the children ran up the driveway toward the cornstalk before running back down when Ferguson came running down while laughing manically. "Come to me, my sweet meat!" cried Ferguson as he chased the children back to their parents.

The children wailed in fear as their parents lead them down the street. Ferguson giggled like a madman as he disappeared behind the cornstalk. Joseph chuckled as he kept an eye out for any other children. The first half had already came through, which meant that in a short few minutes a horde of the second bunch was due in. For now, Joseph wanted a quick drink.

Taking a break with no children in the proximity of the driveway, Joseph stood up from his chair, pulling down his checkered jacket that bunched up, and grabbed for a water bottle he stuck under the chair just before Halloween officially started. He heard a vehicle park in the family's driveway and footsteps coming behind him as he took a quick sip from the bottle. He didn't turn around as he called out a name, "Martha?"

He didn't hear a response. He assumed that Martha and the kids were playing one of their Halloween tricks. Joseph chuckled, "Alright, you got me. I'm really scared, oooh."

Suddenly, Joseph felt sharp pain; it wasn't his mind having a moment or him kneeling on prickly hay. He lightly touched his stomach and felt something sticky, when he brought his hands to his face, it was blood.

Blood oozed from his lower abdomen from a needle that went through his back as he fell to the ground and almost avoiding the chair. His eyes dizzyingly looking around rapidly, seeing blurred shapes of various sizes surrounding him. He tried to talk, but all that came out were gargled nonsense that was muffled by the conversation the blurred shapes were having. They grabbed for him and dragged him down the steps, blood covering much of them and only thing the man saw before finally succumbing to his injury was the blurred two-story home.

Alpha comes first…

This is Subject Alpha. He is the oldest working model in the Alpha Series we have here in the Corporation. Now I'm sure you're wondering, 'Is it as dangerous as the other ones'. Yes and no. See, Alpha is second to easiest one to control. However, he is one of the more fickle ones we have. So keep that in mind. In order for you, the Keeper, to keep Subject Alpha in line, you have to keep these things in mind. He does not like his reflection at all. I know, it's weird and all, but don't show him a mirror or any reflective surface. While all the areas in the labs are matte finished and thus he cannot see his reflection, there are still areas with a reflective surface. If you are wearing glasses, they need to have a matte finish applied to them. It will not affect your prescription in any shape or form. So, please tell your current supervisor that you need your prescription to have a matte finish applied and he or she will help you. Failure to do will have Alpha react poorly. He will attempt to destroy any reflective surfaces, including your glasses. He has not injured anyone, but do not get cocky. He is a weapon that must be treated with great care. And remember to please treat the Alpha with some courtesy nevertheless. He didn't pick what he wore. It's not his fault he looks like a Halloween costume. So please, keep that in mind. And if you need any questions answered, your supervisor will gladly answer them. If your supervisor doesn't, then report the supervisor and report to Sofia Lamb until you are reassigned to another supervisor.