Colorado was known for its bitter evening temperatures, especially around this time of year. Abby zipped up her jacket, her heavy exhale quivering lightly in reaction to the temperature change as she, Drake, and Maddie reached the outside.

"Are you going with Ian and Colby?" Maddie asked.

"Who else is gonna make sure they get the good stuff?" she responded jokingly.

"Just come back in one piece, will you?" Drake returned with a chuckle.

"Even if I don't, I think missing a limb or two would guarantee I win the costume contest. Total slam dunk." Abby giggled at her dark sense of humor. Maddie shook her head, laughing softly as her friend departed.

"Where did you say you found that head again?" Drake questioned as he and Maddie continued down the sidewalk.

"Some little no name shop in Westminster. The place looked like a total dump; I mean the other stores around it looked like they'd been abandoned for a while," Maddie explained. "It was just...weird. That head was the only thing in the store not covered in a decade's worth of dust."

"At least the old bat kept the merchandise in good condition. Good Marketing?" Drake responded.

"No, I mean..." Maddie paused. "That thing was spotless, groomed, like recently. The damn table it was on was sparkling. It was the only thing in the store she seemed to really care about. How is it good business to leave 99 percent of your goods piled up in the corner covered in dust and cobwebs?" Drake thought for a moment, joining in on the conspiracy for a minute.

"What if you're right? What if the head was the only thing she actually cared about, the only thing she really wanted to sell... you even said she dropped the price, right?" Drake pointed out.

"So, she let the rest of her business go to shit just to get the head sold?" Maddie questioned.

"Or it wasn't her business at all," Drake suggested. "You mentioned the other stores around it were abandoned, what if that one was too?"

"But why would she find an abandoned store to set up shop in just to sell an old costume head?" Maddie asked, more to herself than to her fellow theorist. She thought for a moment, trying to connect the pieces she was creating to form a solid explanation. There was something off about it all.

"What was the name of the place?" Drake broke the silence.

"Uh...Temperance Trinkets, I think... something like that. And the woman said her name was Nadya Valarys," Maddie answered, trusting her memory.

"I'll Google it, see if it's legit," he offered.

"That would help, a lot. Then I'll know for certain that I'm paranoid," she responded.

"That will make two of us," Drake joked, starting down the hall. "Stay sane until tonight, alright?"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'll try my best," she called after him, turning and heading to the dorms. Down the sidewalk, Abby moved the opposite direction. The parking lot was almost completely void of people, a stark contrast to the rows of cars and sparse free spots.

Everyone was already inside, preparing for the grand holiday celebration that night. Holidays were typically a big deal, but in this town, nothing compared to Halloween.

It seemed the entire town went completely insane on this yearly night, probably helped greatly by the annual arrival of the traveling Carnival. That bizarre attraction found its way to the town of Parker every year on this night, generating surges of excitement for the duration of its week-long stay.

Abby and Maddie had planned to spend the next day exploring everything the Carnival had to offer this time around. It was somewhat of a holiday tradition for them to attend each year, they had kept a successful streak of attendance for the past 8 years.

As she drew near to the sea of vehicles, signs of life caught her glance. Two familiar people were conversing near a rusty old Dodge truck. One faced away from her, though she recognized him by the shirt he wore.

She had bought it for him two years prior. A devious smirk spread across her face as she crouched down to move quieter, picking up her pace a bit. The second in the conversation, a close friend to both, spotted her but quickly shifted his glance to avoid giving her away. She fought to suppress a soft laugh, slowing to a stealthy crawl as she drew close to her oblivious target.

"Got dark pretty fast, about time to head out, if we want to get there and back in time." Her target's conversation became audible. He moved to turn, her accomplice slyly distracting him.

"Hey, you got my keys?" He asked, causing the target to stop and face him again.

"I gave them back to you, didn't I?" He responded. Now within optimal distance, Abby lurched forward and leapt at her designated mark, wrapping her limbs around him to cling to him. He yelped in surprise, quickly turning to soft chuckles as he realized who his attacker was.

"Oh yeah, I guess you did," Said accomplice replied as he twirled the keys on his finger.

"My dear Ian, were you trying to sneak off without me?" Abby questioned in a jokingly accusing tone.

"An attempt was made..." he responded, looking up at his girlfriend's accomplice. "Though I was tragically betrayed by my most trusted ally." They all shared a joyful laugh as Abby dropped to her feet and released her victim.

"I heard you were up early this morning, so I was trying to give you time to relax before tonight." Ian explained.

"Are you kidding? I'm so pumped about this I couldn't even sit still in class today!" Abby replied.

"As opposed to...?" Colby questioned lightheartedly. Abby jabbed him in the side in response.

"Oy!" he grunted as he recoiled exaggeratedly. "Ok ok, I withdraw my last, no need to shank me with those jaguar claws!"

"I'll contemplate your apology," Abby joked. "Now let's get going." Colby got into the driver's seat, his girlfriend Emma already in the passenger seat, Ian and Abby got in the crew cab as the truck pulled out of its spot and began navigating the maze of parked cars.

"So, I heard you got a suit head Abb," Emma spoke up, looking back at her.

"Just went and picked it up this morning," Abby replied, unable to hide the giddy tone in her voice. "She's a Sergal too! All nasty and bone showing and stuff."

"A Sergal, and as macabre as you are? Quite a find," Emma responded. "Are you wearing her to the party tonight?"

"That would be why I'm about to go nuclear," Abby answered.

"Can you hold off on that until we get out of the town? Minimize the casualties?" Ian questioned playfully.

"No promises," Abby replied. "I'm literally so happy, I could kiss someone just because."

"That is kind of what boyfriends are for, isn't it?" Ian responded with a small smile. Taking the hint, Abby leaned over and pulled him into a kiss. He returned the gesture, gently running his hand along her neck. Suddenly the vehicle jerked to the side, disrupting the tender moment as the two bounced off each other.

"Oh, sorry guys, thought I saw a raccoon in the road or something," Colby attempted to play it off, getting a playful whack across the head from Abby. All four friends shared a laugh as the truck traveled down the road.