A firey red ball falls to the floor, onto his shell body. Joel, a dashing young parasite, reacting on pure nerves, skitters quickly to the side. From above, the sole of a worn, yellow high heel.
Crunch.
Squish.
The shoe belongs to Sally Apesmick, a monkey hooker enjoying her first cigarette of the evening. She never intended to kill Joel. Sally is a lover, not a fighter. From Sally's legs, the parasite's family weep and cry revenge.
The night is cold. It's almost November.
Almost November, but not quite! My night. This is Halloween!
Sally's painted lips part suddenly in a huge grin showing a little too much teeth. A monkey hooker for real 364 days of the year... a monkey hooker for pretend on one. Tonight. Sally's night off.
Where first?
"Hey! Nice costume!" her thoughts are interrupted by a zebra dressed as Boba Fett.
"Thanks!" Sally calls back, "Where are you heading?"
The zebra gives her a crooked smile... "Haunted house."
His nasally, yet foreboding voice sends a shiver up the back of Sally's lavender halterdress.
"It's going to be super fun. If you aren't too scared."
Sally shrugs and climbs up Boba's back as he sings a song about haunted houses to the tune of "lollipop" and trots down the road.
The jungle gets darker and darker as the two move away from Animal City. Boba stops singing and slows to a walk as they head off trail.
"How far away is this place?" Sally moans. "I still need to get my drink on tonight."
"Did you ever hear the legend of the Dead Zebras?" Boba changes the subject.
"I dunno... something about dead zebras coming to life on..."
"On Halloween!" Boba finishes for her. "They come back to eat the souls of animals."
"It's just a story" Sally snorts as she eyes the forest with new fear.
"You sure?" Boba laughs and Sally falls mid air with a smack to the ground.
"Boba?"
A haunting neigh is the only response.
"BOBA!!!" She cries and starts running to where she thinks the trail is. Thunderous hoofbeats are coming from every direction.
"NOOO!" Sally only sees traces of black and white ghostlines. They're all around her.
*****
Sally awakes without a soul. The dead zebras gone with their dinner. Being soulless feels similar to being a hooker monkey on a bad day. She stumbles back to the path, relying purely on senses... the smell of the trees, the feel of dirt beneath her feet, the sound of...
The sound of her parasites.
"Sally, Sally, Sally, Sally..." they chant
"Yes..." The words that come out of her mouth feel unreal.
"Sally... you belong to us,"
"Yes."
"Sally... it's time to kill all the creatures you love most. It's time for revenge."
"Revenge." Sally repeats. But her words are not her own.
"For Joel."
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