Asylum of the Dirt Babies — Halloween Possession and Killer-Craft Revenge

0:00 It began as a Halloween prank, just dirt grass seed and an old legend whispered in the dark. But what came crawling out of that graveyard wasn't a joke. It was alive. And this year the dirt babies are back and hungry for the ones who made them. There's a shill in the air. Must befall join me for a tale of Halloween.

0:41 You will experience tales of over a ghosts and dam It is not recommended for the week at Heart. Join me for a tale of howl. Is Weekly Spooky. Hello, my spookies, It's Wednesday, the Wednesday before Halloween, and since it's October, this is the twenty ninth day of something spooky for you to listen to right here to make sure you're in the spirit of the season. I'm your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto, and we have quite the monstrous scare story for you tonight, a full length novella about the carnage in Mayhem that can come in small packages. But before we get to that, I want to say a huge thank you to our newest sponsor here at Weekly Spooky Cozy Earth, Because if you love listening to terrifying tales, whether around Halloween or all year round. Like you're at Weekly Spooky, you know how important it is to get comfy while you get scared.

2:13 Cozyearth features pajamas, bedding, and of course my favorite bathrobes made from bamboo viscos, which ensures a very soft and luxurious feel. And if you head to Cozyarth dot com and use the promo code Spooky, my listeners get forty one percent off their order, the best deal anywhere. And of course, every purchase supports Weekly Spooky. So head to cozyerth dot com and type in promo code Spooky at checkout. Get something comfy while you enjoy something scary. Thank you so much to Cozy Earth for supporting the shell. Now, as for tonight, imagine making something with your own two hands, something small, harmless, even a little silly. Now, imagine watching it move on its own in a forgotten asylum where tragedy sleeps beneath the floorboards. On Halloween night, an entire town of kids are about to learn that even the smallest monsters can have the deadliest bites. Tonight, my spookies, beware what you bring to life, because it just might Remember You Asylum of the Dirt Babies by Bruce Haney,

3:55 Chapter one. Thomas hated being at the bottom of the pecking order at school, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't used to it. It seemed like his parents would move every year for one reason or another, and then he would find himself at a new school, having to make new friends once again. For seventh grade, he entered Locust Grove Middle School. In the two months since school started, he had managed to make a couple of good friends, a dork named Chris and a les named Maria. Not his words, of course, they were the insults that the kids he was waiting to meet called them.

4:43 Their name for him was Spaz. He was meeting them at an abandoned building. They were late, he had plenty of time to look around. He didn't possess any knowledge of architecture, so he knew nothing about how old the building was, but he assumed it had been abandoned for at least a few decades. Above the door, he saw a metal plaque that had been spray painted over at some point to hide the name, but time and weather had taken its toll, so he could just make out that it said Locust Grove Insane Asylum. Knowing a bit more about history than architecture, he knew that that was an antiquated name, so he assumed it had closed some time before the nineteen sixties. With all the broken windows and graffiti, he wondered how long before they bulldozed the old building. He thought about how fun it would be to explore the place, but it appeared that every exit was boarded up and the windows all had bars on them.

6:02 From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something moving in the old building, but by the time he turned his head to focus on the window, what he thought he saw was gone. He was so engrossed watching for more movement that he didn't realize that somebody was approaching him. Woo, Zeke yelled. Zeke and his two friends laughed. Thomas jumped, I didn't know you were a scaredy cat. I'm not, I just Thomas started to say, then thought better of it. Never mind, he didn't want to show how stressed he was to be meeting Zeke and his friends. They were a grade older than him, and they were bullies. Thomas figured that they were only popular because their parents had much They all wore those expensive, big puffy DC skate shoes, and Zeke wore a no Fear shirt with a matching hat whose bill had been so curved and worked over that the sides almost touched.

7:17 I can't believe I scared you that easily, Zeke laughed, You didn't scare me. Sure want to hear something really scary? Zeke asked, sure. I guess nobody told you about what happened around here last year, did they? Collins added, you haven't heard about their reign of terror? Andrew laughed there, Yeah, they killed my cousin. Zeke said he was killed by the dirt babies. Thomas tried not to laugh. He really did. He bit his tongue in everything he knew. Laughing at Zeke was a ticket to Knucklesville. Dirt Babies. You have to be kidding me? Are you calling me a liar? Spaz?

8:11 Zeke asked, no, man, just Thomas took a moment to think about what to say. Okay, tell me what is a dirt baby? So you know what this building was? Thomas didn't respond. What if I told you that was the Locust Grove Insane Asylum, I would say, I know, I can read the words from that spray painted over sign. Thomas's snotty answer annoyed Zeke's friends. Let's kick his ass, Andrew said. Collins put his fists up. Zeke waved a hand at them. It closed down in the nineteen forties after Jonathan Allison, a pace and madman killed eighty people there. Okay, Thomas said, not understanding the point. Well, last year, some kids decided to use some dirt from the grave of the old Killer to make dirt babies. Sorry, man, you have to explain to me what is a dirt baby.

9:25 Zeke signaled to Collins. You put dirt in a nylon stocking, add some grass seed to become its hair, tie it off, and then decorate the outside to look like a person. Colin said, okay, Thomas replied, look man, Zeke said, and then put his arm around Thomas. I think you have potential to be cool. You could even be a part of my group. You have confidence. Any other seventh grader wouldn't be mouthing off like you are. But you need to prove yourself first. All right, what are you trying to get me to do? Initiation? Go to the killer's grave and bring me back some dirt. Simple, Why do you want it? To freak out the girls? They believe in that dirt? Baby nonsense, So it is bs, of course, So were you gonna do it? I don't know. It's kind of wrong to mess with somebody's grave. He was a murderer. If it's okay to mess with anybody's grave, it would be his look extra incentive. I'll share my candy hall with you. You trick or treat? No, I mean the candy I steal from the sixth and seventh graders.

10:51 All right, but you remember the deal for me coming out here, right, you'll leave me and my friends alone. You have friends, Colin laughed. Give me two names and I'll leave those two alone. Zeke said, there's no way he has more than two friends. Andrew laughed. Maria and Chris Thomas said, who are they? Zeke asked the dork in the les Colins answered, how can I not mess with them? On Halloween? Of all nights? The dork is the biggest dweb, Zeke said, deal Thomas stated, while sticking his hand out instead of shaking it. Zeke pulled a baggie out of the pocket of his jorts and put it in Thomas's hand. Deal, all right, get to it, Zeke said. As they watched him walk away. Andrew asked, why include him? Why didn't we just do it ourselves?

11:58 Because it's fun to freak out the seventh graders. Zeke said, I can't believe he thinks we're going to be friends. They all laughed. The further Thomas went into the woods, the more uneasy he felt. Just like the building. The path was on the low maintenance plan, so it was thick with blackberries and layers of rotting leaves from years of neglect and rainfall. Many of the graves were covered in moss, and others were broken or falling apart, but a few were readable. He read them out loud as he searched for the one Zeke had mentioned. Thomas Leary, Sarah Burquette, and then finally he saw it, Jonathan Allison.

13:00 He had to wipe a layer of leaves away to get to the dirt. He didn't notice the cymbals he was wiping away. He filled the quart bag Zeke had given him and then turned to walk away. A sudden breeze went through the trees, scattering the fallen leaves. This was the moment that Thomas ran. If he had looked even a second longer, he would have noticed the single exposed googly eye and how the dirt under it moved ever so slightly. Thomas slowed down and caught his breath before getting back to Zeke and his friends. Finally, you loser, it took you long enough. I thought we were cool.

13:55 Zeke took the bag of dirt from Thomas. Cool with a s bas like you, Zeke laughed, and then in a mocking tone, I'm Thomas. I'm scared of dirt babies, but maybe the cool kid'll be nice to me. You suck, Thomas said, and then turned to walk away. So does your mom? Zeke said, what did you say? Zeke smiled at him. Collins and Andrew pushed out their chests, ready to fight. I'm ready to go if you are, Zeke said. Thomas turned and walked away. The Pumpkin was the first one to reform a dirt baby that had the characteristics of a pumpkin because of his lack of humanity. He had the least amount of personality. He was a hopping killer who only made guttural noises. Bucky was next. He had arms and legs, big buck teeth, and purple eyebrows, making him the silliest of them. Then goth Baby and vampire Baby began to form. The goth one looked like a young David Vanion from the British punk band The Damned Vampire Baby looked like a vampire because of his large,

15:29 sharp teeth. What's the plan, Bucky asked, Kill as many people as we can. GoF Baby said, that's a good start, Vampire Baby said. The pumpkin made an approving, slimy guttural noise. Well, if Pumpkin is on board, let's get to it, goth Baby said. Two. Kristen stood in her mirror as she fixed her makeup. It had been perfect, but that was before she started crying. Today was the anniversary of when her missteps with witchcraft led to the creation of killer dirt babies, a mistake that led to the death of two of her best friends and a few other people.

16:26 She had been depressed all year, most people didn't notice the difference. Sadness went hand in hand with the goth subculture at her high school. Before, she attempted to look sad because she thought it made people think she was deep. But now she was depressed. The music she was listening to was last year's Gloom Macabre record. It was a record that her friends were supposed to listen to for the first time last Halloween, but then she got a babysitting gig and the whole dirt Baby's thing happened, so Sarah and Sid never heard the record. She had the repeat button set on track fourteen. Titled This Rotten Little Heart of Mine, the song was dark and slow. The minor keys and suspended chords created a haunting sound that the lyrics built upon beautifully. In the shadows of this rotting Heart, love cannot grow in the center of a hole, in a place so dark? Who needs a soul? Let it go? Let it go. I don't want to be in control. The song had been a key factor in the hate for Gloom Macabre by parent groups. They felt that it was a pro suicide song. They were right,

17:57 and it was the chorus that made that clear. It's time to let everything go. I can do this no more then gloom yells. Cross the road won't ever get me to the other side. If I ever want to leave this fucking place, I must face my fate. Kristin stopped putting on her eyeliner to sing along down the road. I Go, we go, Let go, let go, let go, Let's go. That chorus always got her pumped, and she was afraid she would end up stabbing herself in the eye as she sang along. Its dark lyrics made her feel better. A knock was heard at her door. Come in, Kristin's brother pushed open the door. Bram is here, he said in a snotty voice. Kristin rushed to finish her makeup.

18:58 She was happy with the job she did. Her skin was smooth and as pale looking as she had hoped for. The fresh onyx lipstick was applied to perfection, and with her thick eyeliner, she looked as close to Nancy Downs from the Craft as she could, although her dyed black hair was longer and wavier, and of course, her dull brown eyes couldn't compare to Nancy's wild blue ones. Let him in, You let him in, You left him at the door. He's your friend. You're lucky I told you he was here. Remember what Mom and Dad said when they left no boys in the house. They said, no friends over. And you've been breaking that rule too. Kristen walked to the front door and opened it. Come in.

19:51 She was always a little disappointed when she saw a Bram. Now he was still hot, but he had made a drastic change in the last year. He met a new friend who introduced him to the dead Kennedys and Tina Sidel and now the suave goth boy she fell in love with, who used to dress in all black, had spiky green hair, and wore short sleeved punk band shirts. He even ditched the combat boots for a pair of green and purple airwalks. At least he still wore eyeliner. I'm glad you could come over, she said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards her bedroom. As she held his hand, she rubbed the nub of what used to be his thumb. She did it often without even thinking about it, and if it bothered him, he never said anything. I can't believe your babysitting on Halloween again.

20:51 I still say you should bail on the Gartners and little Simon so we can go to the party tonight. You want to go to the party with all the people from school that treat us like crap every day? The place is huge. We aren't hanging out with the preppies and jocks. We're gonna set up our own party in the basement. You know they're going to be too scared to go to the basement of the abandoned asylum. No one will mess with us. A bunch of people hanging in a basement smoking weed in the dark doesn't sound like I'm missing all that much, she said, no, No, it's going to be way cooler than that. First of all, Bob is bringing a boombox and I'm bringing enough D batteries to run it all night. Bram explained. Is Melissa going to be there? Probably? Bram said, hmm, what he asked?

21:53 You know, she likes you. I can't control that. What can I do? She's part of the group. Don't you trust me? I trust you? Kristen said, okay, then what's the problem? No? No, you're right. So we only have an hour before I need to head to my babysitting gig. Are we going to make out or what? Say? No more? Bram said and gave her a soft kiss. Kristin grabbed the back of his head and kissed him hard. After a passionate minute, Bram broke away from her. Be gentle. I'm a virgin, ha ha, and you're staying one, Kristin said, and continued to kiss him. She was still worried about the party. Melissa was a notorious boyfriend thief. While many people she knew had already done the deed, she wasn't ready.

22:54 She liked to kiss, and she was all right with him touching her, and one time she even touched him. It was exciting, but it also scared her. With her parents not being home as a buffer, she insisted that kissing was all they did, afraid that if he touched her again, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from going all the way. After the Gloom Macob song that was on repeat played about five times, Bram stopped kissing her. She sat away from him, panting and wanting to jump his bones. Babe, Bram asked, Yeah, are you going to be all right tonight? Kristen calmed down and straightened up a bit. Yeah, I'll be all right, she lied. It's been a year, yeah, which makes today the anniversary, he sighed.

23:53 I ask because I'm not doing all right. I miss them. I miss our little group. Sid and Sarah were the two best friends I ever had. Please, I don't want to talk about it. We never talk about it, Brahm replied. I have my reasons. It's hard, though. I don't have anyone to talk about it with. Nobody believes in the dirt babies. I don't want to talk about it, she said, shutting him down like she had so many times over the last year when he brought this very subject up.

24:33 You know I need to leave soon. You should probably get going anyway you want me to go, Brahm said, with a hint of sadness in his voice. Come on, I just need to finish getting ready, she lied. Her baby sitting pack was already put together, and other than fixing her lipstick from the makeout session, she was ready fine, Brahm said, then got up and went to leave. See you later, Kristin said, not sounding pleased. Bram turned around to her. I love you, you know that, right? Christen softened a bit, I know, she said, and stood up.

25:19 Give me a hug before you go. Bram walked back to Christin and hugged her. He held her tight and tried to keep the tears at bay, wishing she would talk to him for her sake and his I love you too, Kristin said, and pushed her body out to signal that she was done with the hug. After Bram left, the feeling of emptiness returned. Her eyes began to well up, so she turned up the radio and focused on it and sang along to the dark lyrics until she calmed down.

26:00 Tonight was going to be hard. She knew that there were too many things going on that felt just like last year. Of course, she and Simon had sworn off all arts and crafts, and she hadn't performed a spell since that night, but it's still back in that house on the same night of the year that those things came alive. Since they weren't doing arts and crafts, her packing was light. She brought a couple of books, and Casey fell asleep early. She also brought her Book of Shadows and one other thing in case they came back.

26:43 She brought movies, but none of them were Halloweene. She planned to pretend it wasn't even Halloween as much as she could while still being on candy bowl duty at the gardener's for the tricker treaters. Once her makeup was back to how she liked it, she checked her watch, it was about time to go. When she left her room, she yelled at her brother, all right, dill Weed, I'm going. You better keep your friends out of my room tonight. He didn't answer, dill Weed. She repeated, nothing Tommy. She knocked on his bedroom door, but there was no response.

27:30 Kristen walked to the kitchen and grabbed the post it notes from the drawer and a sharpie. In as big letters as she could, she wrote stay out, and then walked back to her room and placed it on the door. Then she laughed, that little shit, she said to an empty room. She realized where Tommy was. He knew she needed her bicycle, so he was like hiding in the garage to scare her like he always did. What he didn't know is that she was one step ahead and snuck her bike out of there earlier. She thought about locking him in the garage to mess with him, but all he would have to do was hit the power button for the electric opener and he'd be out. As she went out the back door, she chuckled thinking of him hiding in the garage for nothing. She hid the bike on the other side of the barbecue, and it was still there. She could see the handlebars. She made a few improvements since last year. She gave up on waiting for her dad to help her paint the thing.

28:45 She did it herself and was careful to tape off the parts she didn't want to spray black. She thought about pulling the basket with daisies off during its transformation, but the basket was useful, so she painted it black as well, after pulling off the daisies with a pair of pliers. Sometimes, despite the paint job, she still got flashbacks of last Halloween when she rode the dirt babies in the basket to the cemetery to destroy them. Kristen screamed when she got around the barbecue and saw a dirt baby in the basket once again. She closed her eyes and reopened them to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

29:32 She could feel her heart pumping faster as she reopened her eyes and hoped that it wasn't there, But it was. Boo, a voice came from behind her. She turned around in a hurry to see her brother pointing and laughing at her. She turned back to the dirt baby to see it was a regular, inanimate one, completely harmless. You you She was too angry to even think of what to call him again. She could feel tears well in her eyes as she tried to stop the flashes of last year's tragedy.

30:20 The first was missus Kinders, who was stabbed in the neck, then Sid's mutilated body on the driveway outside of the home Haunt, but the worst was the image of Sarah on the ground, bleeding in the road while the little monsters approached, leaving her behind in order to save Simon. Still eats her up inside. Fuck you, she said, and with that she got her composure back and didn't mess up her makeup. Get that thing off my bike. Tommy didn't argue. He didn't expect that strong of a response.

31:01 He hurried and grabbed the dirt baby and threw it towards the house. Kristin jumped on her bike and pedaled out of there as fast as she could. Tommy watched as she went, feeling bad for once. I'm sorry, he yelled. Chapter three. The bases were not loaded. They were in fact empty, but that did not mean winning wasn't still possible. It was slim as the game was tied and the batter going up was better at pitching than swinging a bat.

31:46 Since the team had an everybody plays rule, putting a ringer out wasn't an option. But since this was minor league youth baseball, there weren't many star players. Simon grid his bat in preparation for the first pitch. He had visions of hitting a home run and being the hero of the game, but he would settle for at least getting on first base. To strike out at this moment would be a poor ending to what had been an exciting game of baseball. The pitcher made a big gesture of pulling back like he was going to throw a fastball.

32:27 Simon then made the biggest mistake you can in baseball. He took his eye off the ball when he spotted something moving along the tree line. He blinked his eyes to make sure what he saw was real. During that blink, the ball flew past him. Strike one. The umpire yelled. Simon opened his eyes and he no longer saw them. Come on. Simon at least swing at one of the balls, the coach said. Simon focused on the pitcher. He was determined to hit that next ball. He didn't need the drama of hitting it. On the third pitch, he was putting his all into this swing, and he made perfect contact with it. The ball sailed enough for Simon to get to second base, but it went right in the direction of center field, who barely needed to move to catch the ball. He spun around to catch it as it went over his head, and this should have been an easy catch, but he was distracted when he saw at the edge of the woods something moving. What the heck?

33:44 He said that one moment with his head out of the game was enough for the center fielder to miss catching the ball, and he had to scramble to grab it off the ground. This gave Simon time to run to third base. Simon looked back at the center fielder as he went to throw the ball. Something in the back of his head said, go for glory, so he ran towards home. As he went for it, he could hear the crowd begin to yell for him to run. Some people even stood up. That ball was thrown to the player at third base. He caught it and immediately threw the ball towards home. The catcher caught the ball, but it was one second too late because Simon had finished sliding into home. Simon's teammates ran to him, chanting his name. He was in heaven. He had never hit a home run before, and he had never hit the winning ball. He had never received this much praise, or or any praise from his fellow teammates. All was well until he heard two people from the other team talking, how did you miss catching that? It was like that kid hit the ball directly to you. The right fielder said, I thought I saw something moving in the woods, the center fielder said. Simon broke away from his congratulating teammates

35:19 and walked over to the center fielder. Hey, I good game. I couldn't help it over here. What did you see in the woods? Nothing? Man, it's stupid, centerfield said, what did you think you saw? The center fielder sighed and looked down at the ground, embarrassed as he said, it looked like walking potatoes. Line up. The coach yelled Simon and the other kid broke to get in the line, where the two teams in line moved past each other, saying good game and shaking hands. This was only a fun activity for the winners, Simon. A voice was heard from the audience. He looked to see Kristin sitting with his mother Damn, Simon, you hit the winning ball and you already have a cute girl calling your name. A scruffy kid named Randy Thurston said, that's just my babysitter.

36:26 Kristen excused herself from missus Gartner and walked down the field to greet Simon. Hey, buddy, I'm glad I got here just in time to see you hit that home run. Good job, yeah, Simon said, and then moved away from his friends to talk to Kristin in private. Did you see them see what the dirt babies? Simon's mother joined them. Great game, Simon. His mother didn't believe in the dirt babies and got mad any time he brought them up, so he let it go for now. Thanks again for meeting me here, missus Gardner told Kristen, before turning her attention back to her son, Simon, do you need anything before I go? Not that I can think of. I'm so glad I was able to make the game. Dad is going to be so impressed when I tell him how you want it. He couldn't make it, Kristin asked, No, he's across town picking up our car from the shop.

37:36 With his paranoia, he wanted to get everything checked out before the big drive makes sense, Divide and conquer, Missus Gartner said. A car horn was sounded. There he is, Missus Gardner said, and smiled. Come on, Simon, come say goodbye to daddy before we go. All right, Simon said, dropping his bag and running to the family car. Missus Gartner went to pick it up. I got it. I'll be over there in a second. Kristen said, okay. Missus Gartner replied Simon, you don't just drop your bag like that.

38:18 With missus Gartner gone, Kristen looked around, trying to spot any sign that Simon was right that the dirt babies had returned. Seeing nothing, she grabbed Simon's bag and walked to the Gartner's family wagon, a jeep Grand Cherokee. Hey it, Kristen. Mister Gartner said, Hi, mister Gartner. You're not going to get into trouble like last year, are you? Do you know how expensive it was to replace the bathroom door? Ed? What did I say? Missus Gartner asked? What don't bother the girl? She's more than proven herself right. Mister Gartner said it wasn't her fault. Simon added, let's not go down this road again, or we'll be here all night.

39:09 We need to get on the actual road if we're going to make it on time. Mister Gartner said, where are you going again? Him and his friends want to go to some big Halloween haunted house attraction in Eugene. It's five haunts in one. If you need anything, you have my beeper number, right, missus, Gartner asked, I sure do. Simon and Kristen watched and waved as his parents drove away. I saw them, Kristen, I swear, are you sure? I think it's just that it's the one year anniversary, and your brain is noticing the other familiar elements, the Halloween decorations, the time of year, and the fact that I'm babysitting you.

39:56 It's all very familiar, and your brain is making connection to that night. I promise there are no dirt babies, But what if there is? Simon asked, then we stop them again. We kicked their butts before, we kicked their butts before, and we're both a year stronger and smarter. But you don't do witchcraft anymore. How will we stop them? It's how would we not? Will we? They aren't back? Simon I promise you and I might not practice witchcraft, but that doesn't mean I haven't been researching and making a plan of action just in case. Simon smiled at this, feeling a bit of relief. As they walked away, he told her I wasn't the only one who saw them.

40:52 Chapter four, Thomas didn't trust Zeke and wanted to know why he wanted that, so he followed him after the exchange to where he lived. Thomas felt like a creep peeking through windows after he went inside, but it wasn't like he was trying to get an eye full of him naked or something. It took him just a few different windows before he found Zeke's He did feel terrible when he caught a view of who he assumed was Zeke's mother getting dressed. She was most of the way finished, but he saw her bra as she pulled on her blouse.

41:34 Zeke was not in his room. When he found his window. He could tell it was his because it had the appearance of a typical teenage boy's bedroom. He had a poster of Jenny McCarthy in a white bikini and another poster of a monster truck, and there were clothes all over the floor. Thomas also felt a bit jealous when he saw that he had his own television with a PlayStation attached to it, plus a computer. If I had all that, I'd be happy all the time. Why is he such a dick? From behind him, he heard a voice, What are you doing, you pervert? Thomas turned around to see Zeke standing there. What the frick are you doing looking in my window? You freak um, Thomas said. His brain felt locked up. He tried to think of a response, but no excuses would come. Wait until I tell all the kids at school that you're a I wanted to know what you're going to do with the dirt from the graveyard. Sure like I buy that. You know you find me sexy, Zeke said and struck a pose. Thomas looked at his unkempt, greasy hair that stuck out from under his no fear hat, that with his shit eating grin and unpopped pimples did not scream sexy to him.

43:05 Once again, Thomas couldn't help but laugh at what Zeke had said. Zeke smiled at this then punched Thomas in the face. He tumbled to the ground from the hit. The heck man Thomas said, get the hell out of here unless you want another one. Man, it's going to be open season on you and your friends from here on out. Who were the two you set? Again? The dork in the les? Zeke laughed and then walked back to his house. Before he entered, he turned around and said, oh, hey, congrats, I'm upgrading your nickname from Spaz to fag. Thomas sat on the ground for a moment, weighing his options. What would he do now? Was it time to cut his losses?

43:55 Zeke couldn't do anything with that dirt anyway, so why was he so so compelled to find out? Thomas tried to forget about it, but an hour later, after icing his eye and getting his friends together, he was back, but now across the street. As they watched for Zeke to leave his house, How do you know he's still there, Chris asked. He was afraid of Zeke. He told Thomas how Zeke had been picking on him for years. He'd been bullying him since they were both in elementary school, the reason Chris was one of the fat kids. See that third window, Thomas asked, yeah, Chris replied, that's his room, and the lights on that doesn't mean anything, Maria said, Do you know how often my parents yell at me for leaving my light on? Maria too, was unpopular. She lacked some of the social graces that teen society pushed on girls. She was thin, but most of the time she wore unflattering sweaters, jeans, and keds, which made the mean kids call her les or future Subaru driver. Why don't you look through the window to make sure. Why so I can have a matching set, Thomas asked, pointing

45:27 at his swollen eye, which would be black and blue by tomorrow. I'll do it, Maria said, and began to walk toward the house. What if he catches you, Thomas asked, what is he going to punch a girl? Maria replied fair. Chris said, bad kids broke rules without care, but nobody at that age broke the you don't hit a girl rule. Thomas and Chris watched as Maria walked to Zeke's house. She was crouching and moving slowly as she snuck over there, but it made her look so much more obvious. Thomas chuckled as he watched, but then his face froze when he saw the front door open and Zeke stepped out of his house wearing his Halloween costume. It was strange to see a pirate wearing a backpack and carrying a skateboard.

46:28 Zeke looked over towards his window, but Maria was gone. He glanced across the street, so Thomas and Chris had to drop to the ground, trying not to be spotted. Zeke continued down the stairs, and once he was on the cement, he jumped on his board and rode off. Maria popped out from the bush she was hiding behind and ran across the road over to the two boys. How are we going to catch up to him, Chris asked, If he turns right, man, I don't know. If he turns left, we cut through the trees and hope he goes down Sycamore. He turned left. The path through the woods wasn't an easy one. Since summer had passed, things were still a bit overgrown. The blackberries with their thorns were the worst part of it. By the time they got to the other side, Zeke had already passed. They might not have known that if they hadn't heard his skateboard wheels in the distance. They followed the noise with a bit of hustle on their part, and the fact that Zeke hid a hill that he couldn't skate up.

47:43 They were able to keep up and follow him to the abandoned asylum where Andrew and Colin were waiting for him. They were also wearing pirate costumes. Not those guys, Chris said, I hate Colin. He's always knocking my books out of my hands. That's just because he likes you. Chris said, sure. Maria replied, Andrew is the real piece of work. Chris implored why. Thomas replied, I don't want to talk about it. Chris retracted, why Thomas pride, I don't want to talk about it. Chris insisted he pantsed Chris and pee in front of everybody, and now they all call him teeny weenie. Oh.

48:34 I heard someone say that, but I didn't know it was based on evidence. Thomas quipped, I'm a grower. Chris exclaimed, that's what they all say. Maria chided, I told you i'd show you. Chris joked, and I said I would cut your teeny weenie off if you dared try to show it to me. Maria retorted, it wouldn't be teeny ween I wouldn't show it to you soft, Chris laughed, I don't want to see your dick in full or retracted mode. I could show Thomas and he could tell you. I swear it's big. Chris said, dude, drop it. Nobody is looking at your dick. Hey, where did they go?

49:20 Maria said, Thomas and Chris glanced over to where the three boys were standing. Damn, Thomas said, they're gone. Do you see that, Maria said, pointing at a boarded updoor. Yeah, Thomas replied, look, it's moving a little bit. That must be how they got inside. Maria started to walk towards the asylum, but stopped when they spotted another group heading to the dilapidated mental hospital. They were high school kids. One was Bram and with him were a few other kids.

50:02 The only one wearing a costume was a girl with glasses named Melissa, who was dressed like a stereotypical witch. She had a fake wart and was even carrying a broom. There was a goth girl named Susan, but she went by Lilith, and a punk kid who went by Bob, though his original name was not Robert, it was Frank. Thomas, Maria and Chris waited for them to go inside before they began to make their way to the building. Before they entered, Chris stopped and looked it over. What Thomas asked, Every window has bars over it, and Maria replied, I don't see any other doors. If we run into trouble with them, this is our only exit. The inside of the building looked much worse. The old paint had peeled and fall into the floor. The ground was littered with papers and rat turns. The only light was from the broken windows and a few candles that had been lit.

51:12 God this place smells, Maria whispered. The three of them shared a look of disgust. Which way should we go? The hallway to the left had a creepy metal table that looked like it was used for the dead, while the hallway to the right had about a dozen doors on each side that someone could pop out of at any moment. Both look scary. Chris admitted, so I guess pick your poison, Maria said, Should we split up? Thomas inquired, are you crazy? Maria replied, I'm not splitting up. Chris insisted I was mostly joking. Ha ha, Maria said, sarcastic.

52:01 I guess we eenie mighty teeny weeny it to decide, Thomas suggested. Maria laughed, asshole, Chris said, but shook his head in agreement. This led to them heading down the hallways with all the open doors. They looked inside each as they passed. Some had old, rotten mattresses and all had peeling paint, revealing the different colors the rooms had been over the years. Some white chips, but most were different shades of blue and green. Chris gasped when he saw an old doll sitting on one of the beds.

52:42 Its body was facing towards the window while its head was pointed in their direction. That's creepy. Thomas observed, Calm down, you two. Somebody just placed it like that, Maria said. The next room had a crudely carved pumpkin with a candle in it, sitting on the bed. We should go. Who cares what he's doing with that dirt? Chris said, you don't believe in dirt, babies, Maria asked, of course not, Chris, and Thomas said, in Unison, you really believe that what happened last year was the act of a single killer.

53:25 Maria demanded, I believe it more than bootleg chia heads coming alive and killing people. Chris said the killers would have to have been small. Don't you think for that many deaths with only a few witnesses. Maria asked, no way. Thomas said, If you don't believe, then why are we here in this creepy asylum when we should be at our homes getting ready for trick or treating. Maybe you're right we should. Thomas stopped talking when he heard laughter. They were heading in the right direction. They crept slowly around the corner and then down another hallway. Down that hallway were more pumpkins and cheap Halloween decorations. The hallway was dark, as the only light came from the windows in the rooms and the sporadically placed candles. Maybe we should go, Maria said. Thomas continued down the hallway until they got to the end, where the only way to go was right. They stopped when they heard the voices of Zeke and his friends sh listen. Thomas said, dude, what are we even doing here? Andrew asked, we're going to bring back the killer dirt babies bring chaos to

54:57 the big Halloween party. They weren't bringing dick back. The dirt babies weren't real. Colin said, Hey, man, this is what we're doing, Zeke said, trying to hold his ground. Thomas crept around the corner to get a better view. The room appeared to be an old cafeteria, but empty. The floors looked like they had been swept. The three boys were standing next to a counter where food had once been served. On top of it were three normal looking dirt babies. One appeared to be female, with its red lips made from pipe cleaners and its overdone rouge on its cheeks. It even had a little red skirt.

55:46 The second one was generic. Its only decorations were googly eyes and a pipe cleaner mouth. But the third one was the winner. The third one had big red lips with teeth showing. It had a big red nose, and paint applied to its face to make the clown's appearance more realistic. Okay, so how do you make them come alive? Andrew asked, We need to add the dirt from the grave, Zeke said, while he pulled out a large pocket knife and the bag of dirt from his pants. Thomas turned back to his friends, What are they doing? Maria asked, trying to create killer dirt babies. Apparently, who could be that stupid? Chris said, stupid and evil. Thomas added, stupid and evil is kind of their brand, don't you think?

56:47 Maria quipped. When Thomas peeked his head around the corner, he saw Zeke pouring the last bit of dirt into the clown one. They aren't changing, and said, maybe it takes time. Zeke offered, what a waste of time? Colin said, let's just keep cleaning up for the party. Andrew implored, why are we cleaning up? Collins asked, because we want this place to look inviting. We can't have our fun if they don't come inside. We don't want to scare them off. Zeke explained, yeah, so get rid of your toys before they get here. Andrew stated and knocked them behind the counter. They aren't mine. I swiped them from a sixth grade classroom. Andrew laughed, that's funny. Those kids are going to be so sad when they find out they're missing. They all laughed together. Andrew was the first one to pick up a broom and go to work. See, they couldn't do anything with the dirt. Let's go, Maria said Thomas, Maria and Chris back down the hallway until they heard footsteps coming from that direction. Chapter five. After the Dirt Babies reformed, they had one goal to get

58:18 to Kristen. They didn't know where she lived, so the next best bet was Simon's house, back to where they were first created. They tried to stay out of sight so that nobody would stop their progress. They were small, which helped, but they knew enough to know they were strange and weren't quite ready to start a panic, which would happen if anybody saw them walking down the road. Just such a scene was created when they tried to sneak through what appeared to be an empty park, but then they came across a young man and woman. Goth Baby, of course, was eager to kill them easy pickings. You and I can get the man, and Bucky and mister Pumpkin can get the woman. You're up for it, right, Bucky, Sure, let's get him. Vampire Baby, being the brains of the operation, told them calm down, you two, let's focus on the plan.

59:22 Shouldn't we get some practice in You let Kristen beat us last year? I did. I'm pretty sure it took the incompetence of the whole team on that one. All right, GoF Baby said, in a loud voice, I guess we don't have to kill them. The two people heard this and looked over at the dirt babies. Jeff, what the hell am I seeing? The woman asked, are those moving talking dirt babies? Well, they saw us, goth Baby said, fine, I guess we have to kill them now. Vampire Baby said, they followed the plan that GoF Baby had originally laid out.

1:00:08 She jumped on the man and ran up his back, going for his favorite spot to attack, the neck. Vampire Baby bit into the man's ankle. Mister Pumpkin and Bucky were more chaotic. Bucky bit various places on his way up, while Mister Pumpkin found a meaty spot on her thigh and bit and then bit again, and then deeper until she fell with blood pouring from her body. She was the first to pass from lack of blood. Sometime during that munching. He must have hit an artery. It took more effort than they remembered to kill the two people.

1:00:52 That was a lot of work. We need to find weapons, Vampire Baby said. On their journey, the dirt Babies passed a hardware store that should be perfect, Vampire Baby said. Goth Baby started to walk towards the front door. Hold up, if we all just go in there, we're going to cause another scene. And Goth Baby asked, mister Pumpkin made a guttural gurgling noise that nobody could interpret. If we get enough people coming at us, we could lose. Not make it to Kristen and never get made into people.

1:01:34 If she can even do that, goth Baby replied, stay out here and make yourself scarce. Okay, Vampire Baby said and showed his fangs, But I want to pick my weapon. Goth Baby complained, too bad. The automatic door was activated by a young kid walking out of the store dressed as a zombie for Halloween. Vampire Baby snuck in while the door was open. The other three dirt Babies followed the kid. It was ten minutes later that Vampire Baby returned with a four pack of box cutters of various colors. Here, you guys, go one for each of Vampire Baby stopped talking when he saw the dead body of the zombie kid lying on the ground, with Goth Baby sitting on top.

1:02:34 Of him with a smug look on his face. What did I say, Vampire Baby asked, You can't control me. You're not my real dad, goth Baby joked. Bucky was standing by munching on a snack sized candy bar from the kid's trick or treat sack. Mister Pumpkin was going to town eating the spilled candy without taking off the wrappers. Being that he was so small, he only had so much room inside, so as he continued to eat the candy, chocolate and foil oozed out of his mouth. Whatever choose your color the black one, goth Baby said, gotta keep up my image. Vampire Baby swung his head around so he could roll his googly eyes at him. Orange, Bucky said.

1:03:31 Vampire Baby handed both their choices, then picked green for himself. He handed the red one to mister Pumpkin, who tried to eat it, thus destroying it. Bucky and goth Baby laughed as they slid out the razors. As they continued their path to Christian's they looked like a homicidal version of the teenage mutant Ninja turtles, with each holding a distinct weapon. They wandered around until they found a road that looked familiar from last year. From there, it wasn't long before they found the gardener's house. They couldn't just knock on the door and ask if Simon was home.

1:04:17 They had to find their way in, but first they wanted to see if Simon was even home. Bucky, go look into that window, Vampire Baby said, how fly up there, figure it out. Bucky went to the side of the house and tried to climb up, but there was nothing to grip. I got this, goth Baby said, and then ran up the stairs, jumped onto the window bench, then jumped onto the railing that went around the porch, and from there easily jumped to the window sill. Bucky was shocked.

1:04:57 What did you see, Vampire Baby, he asked a couch, goth Baby said, the TV is on. Somebody is home. On the screen was a DVD menu for a movie called The Witchy Woods. A smile came onto goth Baby's face as she saw Simon enter the room. Bingo, goth Baby said. Then he saw Kristen enter carrying a bowl of popcorn. Are you sure you're ready for the Witchy Woods? She asked? If I wasn't, I wouldn't have asked my parents for the DVD. I can't believe you guys have a DVD player. Hey here, the quality is way better than tape. It is. You should see George of the Jungle.

1:05:45 It's like you're there. Goth Baby jumped from the window sill to the ground. His body gave way and he smashed nearly flat from the fall, but it only took a few seconds for him to reinflate ouch. GoF Baby said, let's go get him and find out if he knows where Kristin is, Vampire Baby said, GoF Baby smiled, he should, She's sitting right next to him on the couch. Chapter six.

1:06:26 The babysitting gig had been uneventful so far. Only a few tricker treaters had come by, so to kill a little time, they played some Crash Bandicoot. But now, after popping some popcorn, they were going to watch her favorite movie from when she was a kid. But it did feel strange because last year when everything happened, they were watching that same movie. Kristin was excited to see the difference from DVD to VHS and to watch it on such a large TV. Simon chose it because he knew it was a favorite of Kristen's. The movie started right away with the Clacamus production's logo and then the opening shot of a little girl dressed as a witch having a picnic with her family. This feels kind of weird, Kristin said, yeah, because of last year. Simon asked, yeah, but also I'm so used to it, starting with that cheesy pizza commercial on the tape. Oh yeah, that commercial was funny, Simon laughed. It's also weird seeing this with so much clarity. Kristin said, you don't like it. Simon asked, no, no, it's really cool. Thank you forgetting it. This made Simon smile, though they were years apart and he knew it could

1:07:59 never be. He, like many boys his age, had a crush on his babysitter and wanted to make her happy. The Dirt Babies were looking for a way to get into the house when three kids walked up dressed as Ghostface. The original Scream was a couple of years old at this point, but the sequel had kept the fandom alive. Kristin heard the knock on the door and got up. Simon looked over at her time for trick or treat duty. Kristin said. When she opened the door, she smiled at the three ghost faces and gave them each a piece of candy. Did you all plan to go as the same thing this year? All three in unison did the classic sideways nod that ghostface was known for. Kristin laughed, have a good night, and closed the door. This gave the dirt Babies an idea. After the door was closed, they snuck up to the porch and hid behind a planter. Okay, you all need to be quiet, said Vampire Baby. They were able to execute this plan the next time a tricker treater came to the door. The kid was dressed as Dracula, complete with a cheap nylon cape. They thought they heard a gasp from the kid as they sneaked behind Kristin, but he didn't say anything. Once in the house,

1:09:36 they snuck into the kitchen to hide. They opened their box cutters. Kristin arrived back in the front room and sat next to Simon. You still doing okay with the movie? It's not freaking you out, no, Simon said. Kristin noticed the worry on his face. Are you sure? Yeah? I was just I was just thinking about the dirt babies. The dirt babies listened and held their laughter. Don't worry, Kristin said, if they show up, I have a new spell that'll destroy them forever. Yeah, yep, Kristin lied, I thought you didn't practice witchcraft anymore. I don't practice, but I have continued my research and I still write down spells for when I feel ready. We need to find her book, Vampire Baby whispered. Duh, goff Baby said, Bucky, you search for it. We'll wait down here. What are you scared of her of her new bell, Vampire Baby asked, Now, I just thought Bucky could have the fun, sure, Bucky said,

1:11:09 Just because I look stupid doesn't mean I am. Where's Bram tonight, Simon asked, sh GoF Baby said, wanting to know too. That was the body he wanted if they were able to become human A party with his friends. Oh where, Simon asked. Kristen hesitated at the old Asylum. I guess we know where we're headed after this, GoF Baby said, But first the book, Vampire Baby said, go on, Bucky.

1:11:50 Bucky slowly walked into the front room. He planned to go along the wall until he got near the couch, then hid behind the end table before slowly making his way to her book bag that sat near her feet. But he wasn't sly, and Simon and Kristen noticed him as soon as he stepped into the room, and they both screamed, you ready, Vampire Baby said, while looking at goth Baby and mister Pumpkin. Of course, goth Baby said. Mister Pumpkin made his slimy guttural noise. Vampire Baby retracted his razor blade as he ran to join Bucky's side.

1:12:37 Goth Baby did the same. Mister Pumpkin followed without a weapon since he had eaten his box cutter. Vampire Baby led the charge. Oh no, Kristen yelled and attempted to get up. Go Simon, Go. Simon jumped up on the couch and then launched himself over the coffee and took off running. Let him go, Vampire Baby yelled, We don't need him, GoF baby. Mister Pumpkin, your sole focus is her, Bucky, you get the book. Bucky made his way toward her bag. Kristen threw herself forward and grabbed it. Not only did Bucky take a swing at her with his blade, slicing her left ear Vampire Baby leaped and sliced at her right leg. Mister Pumpkin attempted to bite through her. Doc Martins, acting with pure panic, she took her bag and slammed it against Bucky, throwing him across the room. Then swung behind her, knocking Vampire Baby with it, followed by mister Pumpkin.

1:13:51 She had planned for a moment like this. Inside her bag was a box she had created for this purpose. She pulled it out. It was covered in ruins and spells. She grabbed Vampire Baby and threw him inside. He got one slice into her hand in the process, but it was nothing that a band aid and a little pressure wouldn't take care of. Bucky tried to run, but she caught him next without too much of a struggle, then mister Pumpkin as well. She closed the lid after catching each one. It was a struggle to close it as they tried to leap out each time. All right, now, just Goth Baby, she said, but she didn't see him anywhere.

1:14:48 That's when she wondered which way Simon had gone. Being that Goth Baby was always on the hunt, she figured that whatever way signed and went, GoF Baby had two Simon. She yelled, then began looking around. When she saw that the front door was open, she knew he was gone. Chapter seven. What are you dweebs doing here? Thomas, Maria and Chris were startled They weren't watching behind them as they watched Zeke and his friends trying to create killer dirt babies. Hey, man, that's my brother. A tall, handsome boy named Brian, who didn't look like either of the two boys, said which one, the fat one or the dorky one? The fat dorky one. Brian said thanks. Chris replied, what are you doing at an eighth grade party?

1:16:00 Bro? Oh? Nothing? Chris said nothing. Brian inquired, we thought we could pass for eighth graders. Maria said, maybe you could, les, Zeke said, coming around the corner. Fuck you man, Nah, I'm not into nosey lezies. Dude, she's a seventh grader. Give her a break, Brian implored. Zeke ignored this and spoke to Thomas, what are you doing here? First you were at my house and now you're here. What's with the obsession. I know you're up to something. You're trying to create killer dirt babies. Zeke and the older kids all laughed. Yeah right, go home, a douche nozzle. This is not a kid's party. Zeke said, he's right. Brian agreed Chris. There's only so much protection I can give you. Okay, Chris said and turned to walk away, but Thomas started before being interrupted. Come on, Maria interjected. Thomas and Chris followed.

1:17:20 Once they put some space between them and the older kids, Maria said, we're lucky you we're leaving here without getting beat up. But the dirt babies, Thomas pleaded, what about them? They didn't come to life at this point. They're just dirt in what was once a nylon stocking. Nothing to worry about. Chris said, what about the other stuff. Zeke is planning to scare and maybe hurt people. This is more important than the cool kids thinking less of us, And yeah, I am willing to risk getting my butt kicked, Thomas said, dude, are you listening to yourself? Dirt babies don't exist. You saw Zeke try and fail. Maybe you're just here because you want to get your ass kicked.

1:18:12 I'm not hanging around to take a second hand ass kicking, dude, see you Monday, Chris explained. Thomas looked to Maria for support. Sorry, I think Chris is right to continue down this path is stupid. I'm sorry. I don't think less of you or anything, but I've gone way past my comfort zone already for you, for this lost cause. Thomas looked at the two, trying to find an argument to try and get them to stay, but deep down he knew they were right. He had put them in danger all day in this worthless pursuit. I get it. See you Monday, he said, and then turned around. Chris and Maria watched as Thomas walked directly towards trouble. He's brave, Maria said, too brave for his own good. Chris added and turned and walked away. In the basement, Brahm and his friends had their party set up in the morgue. They had almost no decorations except for the black and white candles that Lilith lit and placed around the room. Bob pulled out his cassette boombox from his red Duffel bag that had the name of a cigarette brand on it. His

1:19:44 parents had gotten it by collecting points from packs. They each smoked two a day, so it didn't take long for them to go through the eighty nine packs to get the Duffel bag. He received it as a gift on his birthday to use when they went camping. Bob hated camping, dude, you brought a cassette player, Brahm asked, while he sat down on an old morgue bed table. The punks and goths didn't take the time to clean up their party area, but being that they were in the morgue, which consisted of cement walls and cement floors, and since almost every surface was marble or porcelain, it wasn't covered in rat poop and mold like the rest of the building. Everybody brought CDs. Who has cassettes anymore?

1:20:40 Melissa said, sitting down next to Brahm, A little too close, you elitist pricks. Bob said, sorry, I'm not a rich kid like you. I'm not a rich kid just because my parents have a house and not an apartment. That doesn't make me a rich kid, Melissa said. Bram and Lilith laughed. Calm down. I brought an adaptor, Bob said, and gave a shit eating grin, then put the cassette adapter in the player and pulled out a CD walkman. I brought the player, so I'm first boo, Lilith and Melissa said, Bram didn't boo. He loved the music that Bob played. He was the one who got him into punk.

1:21:28 A smile appeared on Bram's face when Bob pulled out his choice. He knew the album right away from the graphic but crudely drawn cover that featured a slit wrist. It was Tina Seidel's debut album, Down the Road. Bram got up and started poe going as soon as that opening guitar riff came on. It was only three chords, but they were power chords executed with perfection. Unlike most early eighties punk bands, the lead singer and bass player harmonized parts of the lyrics. In that era, you would get called a sellout for using those pop tricks, but their dark lyrics kept them from ever being seen as commercial.

1:22:18 Bob jumped up to join Brahm as the opening verse came on. They mashed together as the lead singer, a guy named Norman Cuckoo, saying, I never chose this life. It didn't choose me. My parents affection led to this human infection that you now see and I'm here to spread my sickness. I'm the kind of guy who finds love in the cemetery because I don't like my lovers to Harry. Lilith sat down next to Melissa, who watched the two kids moshing together. Isn't he dreamy? Melissa asked? Which one they're punk? Lilith said, revealing a bit of disdain.

1:23:04 Bram used to be goth. Melissa said, no way, Lilith replied. Melissa grabbed her backpack and pulled out her journal, where she had a polaroid stuck between the pages. She showed it to Lilith. It was a photo of Kristen sid Sarah and Bram back in his goth days. He was foxy as a goth boy. Lilith whispered, Hey, where did you get that polaroid? My aunt let me have a few of her things after Sarah died. You were cousins with one of the victims. This is a small town, sweetie, Melissa said, then looked over at Bram, and he is the cutest boy in it. Two baddies taken. Lilith replied, there are ways to win boys over, you know, can't win him from Kristen. Yeah, I can, Melissa stated bluntly.

1:24:06 I doubt it. Kristin is kind of a badass. Does Kristin do this? Melissa said, and moved her mouth closer to Lilith's ear, cupped her hand to block a little more of the sound, and then made a slurping noise. Lilith laughed, damn it, Melissa, you are going to steal him by any means necessary. Melissa laughed, I want that boy back at the Gartner's. Kristin shoved the box that held the dirt Babies into her backpack, then went out the front door to find goth Baby, the last free dirt baby, and especially to find Simon. It looked like this Halloween she would again be trying to live up to the first rule of baby sitting, don't let the kid die. Simon ran as fast as he could as Goth Baby chased after him, Razor blade out ready to attack.

1:25:17 The dirt Baby could move fast with those little legs of his, and how he kept moving straight on his target while his googly eyes moved erratically from the jostling was truly an amazing feat. None of the Tricker treaters tried to help Simon, nor did any of the parents. They only grabbed their kids and held them back from the homicidal running dirt creature and watched as it caught up enough to slash at the back of Simon's legs. Chris and Maria were walking back to their houses to change into their costumes before tricker treating when they saw a young boy who was bleeding from his leg being chased by a dirt baby. God, damn it, Thomas was right, Chris said, without saying anything. Maria started running after the two.

1:26:19 Chris sighed, I hate running, then started running after them, but because of his size, he couldn't keep up and eventually lost sight of the boy and then Maria. Lucky for him, the boy was leaving a trail of blood drops he could follow. As he continued, he heard a female voice behind him, and she sounded out of breath. Hey, this is going to sound crazy, but have you seen a little boy possibly being pursued by a little creature with a razor knife. Chris turned around to see Kristin standing there. Do you mean a killer dirt baby, he asked, and pointed to the droplets of blood on the ground and then in the direction they were heading. Oh, no, Kristin exclaimed she was out of breath, so it was easy for Chris to keep up with her. Sometimes she would jog and Chris would fall a bit behind. The droplets of blood led them to the asylum, of course, that's where he went, Kristin said chapter eight, Simon was thankful for all those laps his baseball coach made them

1:27:50 do at each practice. That endurance was paying off, because goth Baby never seemed to run out of steam, but it was getting harder. His lungs had felt like they were on fire for the last few blocks. When he arrived at the asylum, it was obvious that an event was going on there. There were no cars because none of the kids in attendance were old enough to drive, but all the bicycles out front made it obvious that something was going on. He knew some one else was following them. He hoped it was Kristin, but he didn't want to slow down to look, so he didn't. Not until he was about to enter the asylum. He looked back and saw that it was a girl who was following them, but it wasn't Kristin. That's when Gothbaby leaped towards him. Simon ran into the asylum, walking past Thomas, he found himself in a crowd of teenagers, so he kept moving forward in hopes of losing goth Baby. Thomas spotted goth Baby as soon as he entered. They're real, I am goth Baby, said, and slashed at one of his legs, but kept moving forward. The cut was shallow but wide. His skin opened, and for a moment you

1:29:22 saw the white of exposed inner skin layers before blood began to ooze out of the cut. When Simon heard Thomas's scream of pain and shock, he knew he had gained some distance between himself and goth Baby. Simon searched around the asylum party, hoping to find Bram. It was a challenge because so many people were in Halloween costumes. He realized that none of these kids were part of Bram or Kristen's friend group because the costumes were too mainstream and the air was thick with the scent of c k Ie. When he heard another person's sound of agony, he hoped that maybe Bram would find him. When he went to discover what all the yelling was about. Down in the basement, Bram and his friends continued to listen to punk rock music and party. Even the two girls bopped their heads to the screaming vocals and aggressive guitars.

1:30:32 When it was Lilith's turn to put on an album, she chose Phantasmagoria by The Damned. Bram and Bob knew their early punk songs, but they hadn't heard the later albums where Dave Vanian and the crew went full goth. When she turned on the album, she skipped to track two, her favorite, the much softer Shadow of Love. This is the Damned. Bob asked, what happened? I thought they were punk. Bram said, just give it a try. Lilith reassured. This is their post Brian James post Captain Sensible Goth record.

1:31:17 I don't know, Bob said, rat Skabees is still playing the drums. Lilith offered, all right, we'll give it a shot, Bram said. Bram closed his eyes and listened to the groove. He had been a Goth at one point, so this wasn't too far off from the stuff he dug. Melissa used this opportunity to set her hand on his thigh. He didn't notice right away. He didn't notice until she began moving her hand upwards towards his crotch. He wanted to stop her, but thought about letting her at least get to the spot before he said anything. I'm such an asshole, he thought to himself. He also worried that if she did grab him, it wouldn't be as easy to get the nerve to tell her to stop. But lucky for him, his moral struggle was disrupted by a shriek from above, a sound they would never have heard above Tina Seidel's more aggressive punk rock sound. Bram stood up without any regard to Melissa's roaming hands. What was that?

1:32:35 Melissa looked at him with disappointment and a bit of anger. I'm sure it's nothing. It's Halloween, after all, might not seem like a big deal. But you didn't go through the Halloween I did last year, Bram said, holding up the hand that was missing a thumb from his run in last year. Dude, I'm sure she's right. It's nothing. Said, No, it's something. If you experienced that night, then you would know what I know. And what I know is that wasn't a normal scream. That was a scream of pain, Bram said, without speaking another word. He stormed out of there.

1:33:18 Where are you going? Melissa yelled. Bram didn't respond. He is a troubled boy, Lilith said, that's my type. Melissa laughed. Bob looked over at the two girls. Bob might have been troubled, but he wasn't cute, and his unkept crust punk style did not help his ability to attract the opposite sex. Kristen and Chris entered the asylum this way, Chris said, pointing towards the cafeteria, I've got to check on my friend. Kristin said, they're in the basement. My friend is up here. Chris said, well, I wish you luck.

1:34:08 Try not to get murdered. She hoped that she had mentioned to Simon that Bram's party was in the basement, but she was pretty sure that she hadn't told him that part. Once she was past all the noises of the upstairs party, it was easy to find where Bram's group was. There was almost nobody in the basement, plus she could hear the smooth baritone voice of Dave Vanian coming from a boombox. Kristen sped up her pace and jogged to that room, where she found Bob Lilith and Melissa. Where's Bram? Kristin yelled, he heard a scream and ran off to help. I guess, Lilith said, I don't know what his deal is. Melissa added, the dirt babies are back. Screamed.

1:35:01 You guys are pulling that joke again this year. Melissa said, fuck you, it's not a joke. People died, you probably killed them, and now here you are doing it again, you bitch, Melissa said. Kristen walked over to Melissa and got in her face. Sid and Sarah were my best friends. Kristen said, fuck you, Nah, I'd rather fuck your boyfriend. Melissa laughed. Kristen slapped her across the face. Bram wouldn't fuck you with Bob's dick, Kristen said, and stormed off. Hey, Bob said, I'd fuck her with Bob's dick. Even while nursing her face. Melissa looked over at Bob and said, you wish. Thomas had spent the time since his friends left watching Zeke to make sure he wasn't going to try anything, but he lost him and now he found himself following an actual dirt baby through the crowd. The people who noticed goth baby screamed, but with the loud radio playing the new Beastie Boy's hit Intergalactic, nobody heard them.

1:36:25 Thomas watched as the Little Menace went through the crowd, slashing at a random person's ankle, but always staying on track, following a young kid. That kid was holding his hands in front of his face like a funnel and yelling something that Thomas couldn't quite make out. Was he yelling jam or was it bam? Wait? There is that punk kid bram? He thought he must be looking for him. Thomas scanned the room but saw no punks. He was able to catch up with them right before the Little Creature tried to slash at Simon. Without thinking, he brought his Ocean Pacific sneaker down on the creature, who smashed flat like a pancake with his razor blade carrying hand unaffected, so he swung the blade frantically, adding little nicks to Thomas's already wounded leg. Simon turned around and saw this hold on. Simon yelled. Thomas could barely make out what he had said, but trusted that he was coming to help.

1:37:38 Simon looked around and saw something that he didn't want to touch. But it was the only thing around, so he grabbed the old bedpan and used it to hit the razor out of goth Baby's hand. Thomas went to move his foot off the dirt, Baby, don't, Simon yelled, what Thomas react, He'll just reinflate. How do you know, Thomas yelled. My babysitter and I fought and stopped them last year, Simon explained, So I just stand here until I can find Kristen. She'll know what to do, Simon said, and then ran off. Great, Thomas said to himself. When Bram made it upstairs, he found everybody panicking, as most people now realized that a few of them had been hurt.

1:38:38 What happened, Bram yelled, over the music that nobody had yet thought to turn off. They were attacked by some little creature. A voice yelled, it can't be, Brahm said to himself. Has anyone went to call the cops? The teams around him shook their heads to say no. Who's going to go? Bram said, I can go, Chris answered. Another kid in the crowd yelled thanks, but we probably shouldn't send the fat kid. I could go, Maria said, appearing out of the crowd. Maria, you're okay, Chris said, Hey, this door is locked. Another kid exclaimed Bram. Chris and Maria looked behind them as several kids tried to push the door open. How did that happen? Bram said to himself, Bram.

1:39:36 Kristin yelled when she spotted him from behind. Kristin, is it true, Bram. Simon yelled as he ran up to him. They're back, Simon, Thank god, there you are, Kristen yelled Kristin. Simon added, where are they? Bram asked, Three are in my bag in the dippick box I made. Which one is loose? Please tell me it's Bucky. Brahm said it's goth Baby. Simon said that's the worst one, right sorta. Kristin answered he lacks some of the self preservation instincts that vampire baby has. It's all real. Maria asked yes.

1:40:27 Kristin said, you have a plan to stop it, right. Zeke watched from outside as people struggled to open the now padlocked door to the asylum. Of course, there was one other exit, but only Zeke knew where it was. I don't know where it came from. It wasn't one of the three I tried to create. But now suddenly everything is going as planned. The killer dirt baby is the perfect distraction while we have our fun. Plus, you know, more of them will die. Andrew and Colin's shared a look.

1:41:12 I don't think this is right. Andrew said, of course it isn't. Zeke said that's what we wanted, right, Yeah, but I don't know. Colin said why. Zeke asked, it's killing. Colin said, We've been plotting to shoot up our school all year. Zeke said, you know, I thought we were just kind of joking. Colin said, in the moment, man, letting people get killed just doesn't feel right. Andrew added, well, if you had your dad's safe combo, we would have had real guns to shoot up the actual school, But now all we have is this. He pulled out a handgun, my mother's nine millimeter. It's not right, it's not right.

1:42:08 Let them out, Colin said, no. Zeke replied, then I'm going to the cops. Colin said and took off running. Zeke pointed the gun at him as he ran and pulled the trigger. The little bastard was a good shot, and the bullet hit Collins in the back. Of the head. His body dropped, Andrew looked at Zeke in shock. Are you in or not? Zeke demanded. Somebody had turned the music off, but the volume of noise was still loud, as it seemed like every person was talking about what was going on. But even as loud as all of that was us. They all stopped when they heard the gun shot. What was that, Kristin yelled, A gun, Bram said cops. Simon asked, I have no idea either way.

1:43:15 We need to get to goth Baby, Kristin said, Come with me, I know where Gothbaby is. Kristin, Bram, Maria, and Chris all followed. Chris and Maria were focused on looking for Thomas as they went. When they got to where Simon was taking them there, he was struggling to keep his feet on the ever reinflating dirt baby. His feet would lift off the ground, then he would push back down, then it would happen again. I can't keep this up much longer. Kristin pulled her bag off and took out the dippick box. Is that the thing? A kid named Ted yelled, the thing that attacked my friend? Yes, Thomas answered. Kristin was already getting down to the ground and opening the box slightly. The other dirt babies were already fighting to get out. Then Ted pushed Thomas off the dirt baby let me add him. Goth Baby inflated himself as quickly as he could as the guy grabbed him and tried to squeeze goth Baby to death. Instead, he popped out of his grip, jumped onto the kid's neck, and sank his teeth deep into his flesh. This murder wasn't for fun. He wanted to end his life so he could escape. Kristin tried to grab goth Baby, but

1:44:47 he spotted the dippick box and jumped to another teen and bit her. That person's boyfriend swatted at goth Baby, who flew off her and landed on the other side of the counter, where he was shocked to see three inanimate dirt babies. Hmm, goth Baby said maybe, then he spat the remaining blood from the last neck he bit on to the three of them. A moment later, they all began to move. Goth Baby smiled. Kristen, Simon, Bram, Chris, Thomas, and Maria ran to where goth Baby had flown, but he was already gone. Fuck he got away. Kristin said, at least there's only one to catch. Thomas said what, Kristin replied Thomas pointed to a spot on the ground where there was a droplet of blood. Oh no, Maria said, maybe Zeke moved them. Chris offered, what don't I know?

1:46:02 Kristin asked there were three normal, non walking and talking dirt babies there before. Thomas said, there's no way they could come to life. Kristin reasoned, there's blood. Isn't that the final ingredient. Brahm asked yeah, but they would have to have the dirt from the grave that we put the spell on. Kristin said about that, Thomas added, then all eyes were on him. Chapter nine, goth Baby guided his new friends to a room with four medical beds and corroded old hospital equipment. The most ominous was a teal color machine that stood about six feet tall. It was an electro shock machine built specifically for the Locust Grove Insane Asylum. Most facilities used a small unit that came in a wooden box, but doctor Kuto believed so strongly in it as a treatment that he prescribed it to most of his patients. Because of this and how often they performed it on each patient, they needed a custom machine to handle the workload. Goth Baby paid little

1:47:33 attention to the room's atmosphere. He was focused on learning about his new friends. All right, tell me about yourself, goth Baby said. The three looked at each other, confused. I need to know if you are like me, goth Baby said, so let me ask this differently. How do you feel about murder? All three of them smiled, perfect psychotics as well. Goth Baby said, I can work with that. Because of our size, weapons are limited. So how many of you were created with teeth? They all opened their mouths.

1:48:19 The clown had sharp teeth, while the female one had small teeth. The plane dirt Baby was all gums. Hmmm, you're not going to be that useful as an attacker. Can we get to the killing now, the female one said, I'm bored. Soon. We need to figure out a few things, and I need to explain the goal to you kill, kill kill. The clown said and laughed. That's one goal, an important one, but not the main objective. Goth Baby said. First things first, you all need names. If I need to call out to you, I don't want to have to yell out clown baby, plain baby, and girl baby.

1:49:08 I'll give you all fifteen seconds to come up with your names, or I'm naming you myself. I'll be Killer the dirt baby, the clown said, and laughed maniacally. No stupid name, don't like it, doesn't even associate with your humorous image. You shall be known as giggle butt, the female dirt baby said. Goth baby laughed at this, No way, giggle but said all in favor, say I. Female dirt baby said, I goth baby, the female dirt baby and the plain one said in unison, I like you. Goth baby said to the female dirt baby, thank you. The name is Jade. Jade said, good choice. Goth baby complimented, quick, Plainy, come up with a name before you're stuck being forever known as plainy. Goth baby said, um, how about Paul.

1:50:13 That is such a plainy answer. No, you are a killer dirt baby. We are not calling you Paul. No normal names. We are better than that. Well, um, They all looked at him, waiting to hear the name. Let me think, screw it. Your name is plainy, deal with it. Damn it, Plainey said, okay, next we plan. I know you're fresh and you're itching to kill people. I promise you I feel the same, but I have bigger dreams. There is a girl with special powers. She has others like us trapped, and she can hopefully turn me and maybe some of you into a human Who cares about that?

1:51:03 What are we waiting for? Let's kill some teens, Jade said, goth Baby smiled. Outside, Zeke and Andrew entered a small outbuilding. Once inside, they opened a door that led to stairs that went underground. How many bullets did you bring, Andrew asked Zeke forty. Zeke said I brought a hundred. Andrew replied, you're going to need that many with the pea shooter you brought. Zeke said, a twenty two rifle was all my parents would buy me. Give me a break, There's going to be no surprise with that rifle. Man, you should have at least pushed for a twenty two handgun.

1:51:55 It is what it is, man, Andrew lamented. At the bottom of the stairs was a cement tunnel. This is how they used to move the dead bodies. Zeke said, this is a damn spooky place. Andrew stated, I can't wait to get back in there and feel the energy of all the kids freaking out, Zeke said as he picked up his pace. Andrew followed, how long is this tunnel? Just another two minute walk? Kristen, Simon, Bram, Thomas, Maria, and Chris were preparing for battle in the cafeteria kitchen.

1:52:39 They found large baking sheets to use for shields. What's the plan for the three others, Simon asked, First goal is to get goth baby from there. Maybe we can reason with the others or hell, I don't know, maybe they aren't violent. That's not a great plan, said, It's all we got. We're open to suggestions. Bram chimed in. Nobody had any Well, let's go, Kristin said, how will we find them? Maria asked. Kristin cupped her ear like she was listening for something. Once they attack, we head towards the screaming in the basement. Bram's friends discussed what they had been hearing. All right, we can't keep ignoring those screams, Bob said, can't we? Melissa replied, Eventually whatever's happening will find us. Lilith replied, fine, Melissa said and grabbed her broom. All right, maybe we'll get lucky and get killed and won't have to go to school on Monday, Lilith said in a dull, humorless tone. Bob laughed with that.

1:54:06 The punk and the two goths entered the hallway. The sound of the gunshot was deafening, and Lilith didn't even get a chance to scream before the bullet from Zeke's gun tore through her skull. The fuck, Bob said in shock, and then grabbed Melissa's hand and dragged her away from the gunman. Another shot went off, but missed both of them. At the end of the hallway, the four dirt babies appeared. I told you they were real, Melissa said, Hey, you have more makeup than I do, Gigglebut said, before jumping on to Melissa. She responded by swinging her broom at the others, knocking them around. Bob reached over and grabbed Gigglebut off of her and threw it towards Zeke Andrew.

1:55:01 Melissa took off without any regard for helping Bob. Gigglebut landed on Zeke and bit a big chunk out of his cheek. The pain was unbearable, yet Zeke still had the wherewithal to knock off the dirt Baby and run as fast as he could. Goth Baby tried to jump on Zeke, but he was too fast. Zeke pushed Bob over as he ran past. That's how Bob and Andrew ended up being the only ones left in the hallway with the dirt babies. Andrew pointed his rifle at Jade and pulled the trigger. He was a good shot and the bullet hit his target, but the small caliber round had little effect on the dirt Baby. They all laughed and attacked him at once. Bob took this opportunity to run, leaving Andrew and the baby Phebees alone in the basement.

1:56:02 They had no weapons, so all they could do was bite and tear at his skin. Hell yeah, this is what I'm talking about, plainey, said goth Baby stopped and looked over at him. You have a personality who would have thought. Once Andrew passed out from the loss of blood, they made their way back to the party. It wasn't long before Christin's group ran into the other fleeing teens. First, they saw Zeke with his torn face and he still had his handgun out. Melissa was behind him and Bob was heading up the rear. How are the dirt babies back?

1:56:48 Melissa yelled. It's not my fault this time, Kristin said, though she did feel some blame since she created them originally. It's kind of my fault, Thomas admitted. Melissa smacked him with her broom as Zeke ran past. But mostly it's that asshole with the gun's fault, Maria yelled, while pointing at the fleeing Zeke. Melissa ran and leaped at him, knocking him over. The gun flew across the room in the process. Let's go, Brahm said, what about Zeke? Thomas asked, Melissa, has it handled? Let's get to the dirt babies. Christin looked back at Melissa, a person she hated, but she couldn't leave her behind. She did not have it handled.

1:57:42 Christin walked across the room and picked up the gun, walked back and put it to Zeke's head as he and Melissa struggled on the ground. Get off her or I will shoot, Zeke turned towards her, see if I care. Kristen couldn't get herself to pull the trigger. Zeke laughed and hit the arm that held the gun. She dropped it. As it fell, he stretched to reach for it, but so did Melissa, who caught it, pointed, and shot him in the shoulder. That's for Lilith. His screams were the loudest they had heard up to that point, and they had heard quite a few screams that day. Melissa pushed him off her and stood up, gun in hand. So I guess we have some dirt babies to kill. There was a murmur of noise behind them, and then the sound of somebody crying out in agony. Their victim's name was Jennifer, and her screams grew in intensity as time passed, surpassing Zeke's by quite a bit. That's because they were doing worse to her. She was one of the most popular girls in school, and she wasn't just beloved by the popular kids. She was kind to everybody, so everyone tried to come to her aid, jocks, preppies, and nerds alike.

1:59:16 But it was hard to stop the dirt babies as they bit and tore at her flesh. The teens kept at it and were able to grab each dirt baby and throw them off her. Several people were bitten in the process. One of them held up his hands and screamed, revealing that one of them had bit right through his nail and took off the tip of his finger. Poor Jennifer survived the attack, but her beauty would be forever stripped from her. Jade had gone right for the face with her sharp nails to slice, and then she used her teeth to pull strips of her skin off. That can't just be goth Baby, Kristin said, whatever their names are, there are four of them. Bob replied. They left Zeke behind as they made their way toward the sound. Zeke got up to look for a way to slow the bleeding from the attack. The other teens scattered in fear, and that's when goth Baby was revealed to them. I thought I heard your voice, goth Baby said, when he saw Kristin and her crew approach. Where did you find these kmart rejects, Kristin quipped. Goth Baby smiled at her and then her crew. It was four dirt babies to

2:00:46 seven humans holding baking pan shields. Melissa pointed the gun at the world's littlest murderers, but they were interrupted, you little bastards. A girl girl named Michelle said, with six other teens behind her, ready to fight. You almost killed Jennifer, the nicest girl I ever met. Then all six ran and attacked the dirt Babies, pushing Kristen in the other's back, but all they had were their fists. What can we do, Brahm asked. We can't hit them with what we've got without hitting the other kids. The blood started to flow as the dirt Babies got the upper hand on the teenagers.

2:01:35 Michelle was the leader and the first to fall gigglebut laughed as he attacked. His style was manic, and he didn't seem to worry about where he was biting. He was more worried about how often this worked well, and his victims didn't last long. For Michelle, most of the damage was to arrest, causing her to bleed out like a suicidal. Kristin jumped into the mix and tried to pull some of the other kids away. The best you could do is hide, Kristin yelled, right, yeah, this place is huge, Brahm said, Are you telling us to split up?

2:02:19 Isn't that usually the worst move, the cliche move. It's not about separating from each other, it's about separating from the little assholes. Kristin looked around and then yelled help as she put her arms out in a shooting gesture. Chris, Thomas and Maria caught on and herded the other teenagers like they were cattle, putting their arms out and guiding them in different directions. It's working, Kristin said. GoF Baby jumped off one of the teenagers whose face he was attacking. The kid ran so fast out of there that he ran into a wall. Aren't you worry, goth Baby asked, looking at Kristin, that if all the kids spread out, I'll focus all my energy on you. I'm counting on it, Kristin stated bluntly. Now, goth Baby yelled Kristin, Simon and Bram looked confused. Then Jade, Gigglebut and Planey jumped from the teenagers they were attacking and landed on Kristin. Bram turned to try to grab them, but they went for her backpack. The clown bit out chunks of it. While Jade and Planey fought off Bram's hands. There was a close call where Jade almost bit Bram's other thumb off.

2:03:46 Fuck you guys, Bram said, what are you doing? Kristin turned her head around at that moment. Gigglebut got a hole big enough that he was able to get to the dippick box, pull it out and throw it. It landed and broke apart, bringing Vampire Baby, mister Pumpkin, and Bucky back into the mix. Did you miss me, Vampire Baby asked. Nobody responded. The dirt baby circled the large group of teens and Simon now, Kristin said, and they all tried to use their sheet pans to push the dirt babies to the floor and hold them there. Bram and Simon were the only two who were successful. Simon got Bucky and Bram got Plainy, but goth Baby attacked Simon by grasping onto his leg and biting. Kristin saw this and ran to Simon and tried to pull goth Baby off of him, but he sank his teeth in deeper.

2:04:54 Simon cried out, sorry, Simon, Kristen said, and slammed her tray into goth Baby. He let go, but poor Simon fell backwards and hit his head. As Kristin went to check on him, Bucky popped back up from under the tray he had been standing on. Chris was fighting a losing battle. Gigglebut and mister Pumpkin were attacking him together. They were the most animalistic in their attacks, so pieces of Chris were flying off of his body. Thomas and Maria went to help, but it was too late. All they could do was watch as life left his body.

2:05:40 These two dirt babies were so psychotic that they didn't even notice and kept tearing him apart long after he had breathed his last breath. Maria couldn't take it anymore and kicked Gigglebut off of Chris's collapsed body. She followed that by stump umping on mister Pumpkin. When she turned around to figure out what to do next, she saw that all chaos had broken loose Jade and Vampire Baby were attacking Melissa, GoF Baby and Bucky were attacking Kristen and Bram. Then she felt a pull on her hand.

2:06:20 It was Thomas who was getting her out of there. They were too voracious and they were becoming outnumbered, plus Gigglebut and mister Pumpkin were heading their way. Maria looked back, feeling helpless and wishing she could do something. Her heart broke when she looked at Chris's disfigured and dead body. They were the first to retreat, but not the last. With them gone, mister Pumpkin and Gigglebut changed their direction and jumped on Bram's back. Their bites were terrible and he couldn't hold the tray any longer. He had to get them off, so he slammed his back into the wall repeatedly until they fell off. Plainey crawled out from under the tray that had held him and then joined the attack on Kristin and Simon that goth Baby and Bucky were waging. Kristin and Simon were getting good at using their trays as shields and keeping them away. Melissa was the next to collapse after Jade and Vampire Baby finished killing her. Jade was a psycho. She tore into Melissa's chest and pulled out her heart. I like you, Vampire Baby said, Watch out behind you, Bram screamed. Kristin stole a glance and saw mister Pumpkin, giggle Butt, Jade,

2:07:50 and Vampire Baby heading toward her and Simon. It's time to bail, Kristin said. She smacked her tray as as hard as she could and knocked some of the dirt babies back. Then she and Simon ran towards Bram and headed elsewhere into the asylum. They ran through a hallway and then up a set of stairs, passing several groups of meandering teenagers. They ran until they stopped seeing people and ducked into a small room. Bram closed the door behind them. Now what Simon said, while trying to catch his breath, I don't know. Kristin replied, this is so much worse than last year. Bram added, this is so fucked, Simon exclaimed Simon. Kristin chided, what this came up? Last year?

2:08:51 You said cursing is okay in extreme situations, and here we are again in an extreme situation. True. So now the big question, who has a plan? The dipiic box was the best one I had come up with in the last year of trying the shitty thing is. It worked, but now it's smashed and there are way too many dirt babies to fit in it. Now, well that's what we need to do, then, Simon said, build a larger dibick box. Bob was feeling like a bit of a coward.

2:09:32 He ran and hid in the kitchen. As soon as the other three dirt Babies appeared. He watched as Melissa died, as Maria and Thomas ran down the hallway to the left. Then when Bram, Kristin, and Simon were overwhelmed, he saw them head to the right. Lucky for Maria and Thomas, the dirt Babies were more interested in Kristin and her group, so they took that halfway. He planned to wait until things calmed down, then he would grab the gun, but the one that had buck teeth and the plane one were ordered to bring it with them by the vampire dirt Baby. It took both of them to carry it out.

2:10:19 Bob decided to follow Maria and Thomas. It seemed much safer. He was shocked as he walked back out to where the battle had taken place and heard Zeke's voice, help me up. Bob turned to look at Zeke. I thought you were dead. He wasn't looking good. He had a chunk out of his face and was bleeding from various bites all over his body, and of course he was shot through the shoulder. Aren't you the creep who locked us in here and killed Lilith and tried to kill Melissa and uh Me Zeke shook his head in a non committal way. Maybe, well, give me the key to the front door and I'll think about it. This made Zeke smile. How about I tell you where the key is? Sure, tell me first, it's on a little table in the basement.

2:11:24 Zeke said, Okay, I know where the basement is of my parents' house. Bob kicked him in the ribs. Zeke smiled as blood dripped out of his mouth. A trace thought popped into Bob's head of his father telling him that you never kick somebody when they're down. He thought it was a metaphor for when someone wasn't doing well, and it wasn't literal, but he wasn't sure, and it didn't matter because he wasn't heeding that bit of advice. Bob kicked Zeke in the face. He felt teeth breaking around his combat booted foot. Then he headed in the direction that Maria and Thomas had went. Maria and Thomas had no clue where they were going or what they were doing. Well, there goes my chance of being a hero.

2:12:26 We're probably gonna die in here, all of us, and it's all my fault. Thomas lamented, in fairness, if Zeke didn't send you, He would have sent someone else or just gone himself. This train got on this track as soon as Zeke came up with the idea. So let's forget blame and try to think of how we stop this train from smashing into a brick wall. Maria reassured, okay, well, I think escape would be a good start. How and what do we do after we get out? These windows are all barred. There has to be something we can use here to break one out. Okay, but but what can we do when we get out to stop this go to the police? What could they do against these little supernatural creatures? Maria said, I don't know, So we have to stay and figure out how to stop them.

2:13:30 And if there's no way to stop them, Thomas asked, well, Maria thought, I don't know. Okay, so let's do the first part of my plan, but with a modifier what Maria asked. We figure out how to get out of here to save the others, and maybe during that time we think of a solution, or maybe we don't, but at least some people will survive. Now that sounds like a plan. I could help you with that, Bob said, appearing behind them. Kristin, Bram, and Simon heard the sound of teenage screams getting closer and knew the dirt babies were heading their way. I thought we would have more time time to think, Kristin said. All we have is a skeleton of a plan. Make a bigger dipick box.

2:14:31 But from what there has to be something vaguely box like in this building. We've got a search. Another scream was heard. They're close. Simon said, let's get moving. Bram insisted, I really hate to say this, but we have a lot of ground to cover. You and I should split up and meet back here in fifteen minutes earlier. If you find something. Kristen said, okay, Bram leaned in and kissed her. Simon got a small frown on his face.

2:15:11 I'll take this floor, Kristin stated, I'll take the basement. Bram added, I'll take the first floor. Simon said, no, Simon, you're staying with me. No. We have to stop this sooner rather than later, or more people are going to die. Simon argued. Another scream was heard. We've gone through this before. I can't if anything happened to you, I couldn't live with myself Kristin said, as flashes of her friend's deaths from last year popped into her head. Like I told you, keeping you alive is my main goal. Yeah, but I was seven, then I'm eeting a Now you're still a child, Kristin said. But I'm not a baby, and I have more experience staying away from them than almost anybody. Simon explained and then took off running. Damn it, Kristin said, like, we have time for this. She then tried to follow him, but when she entered the hallway, he was already gone.

2:16:29 This night couldn't get any worse. He didn't even take a weapon. I'll find him on the way to the basement, Bram said, Let's keep to the plan. He leaned in and kissed her once again. Find Simon first, Kristin pleaded, and then kissed him back with a little more force. Go. Bram took off into the hallway, baking sheet in hand. He went back towards the stairs. Kristen stepped out into the hallway with her makeshift shield and turned the other way.

2:17:13 Bob caught up with Maria and Thomas as they were attempting to break open one of the barred windows, but they were having no luck since it was screwed in from the outside. Maria and Thomas were starting to get frustrated. Haven't you ever seen one flew over the cuckoo's nest? Bob asked, we need to find something heavy, like almost too heavy to carry and throw it at the window. Do you think that will work? Maria asked. It worked in the movie. Bob replied, but that's a movie. Thomas said, I think it worked in the book too. Maria laughed, Well, what do we have to lose? They all looked around the room and saw nothing. Are you guys going to get us out of here before those things come back or not? A guy from the crowd of teenagers yelled, we could use that kid as a battering ram. Bob suggested, ha ha, Maria reacted. From one of the rooms, came Chris's brother, Brian. I think I have an idea, he said, But have any of you seen Chris oh Man? Thomas said, they got him? What? Brian replied, shocked, Sorry, he's dead,

2:18:45 Maria said. Brian's eyes began to well up and he began to shake. Maria walked over to him and grabbed him. We will mourn the loss of Chris. I know I'm going to be devastated when this is all over and I can actually stop and think about it, But right now we need to work on saving lives. Have you seen anything heavy enough to smash that window open? There's some heavy looking equipment in that third room, Brian said as he composed himself. Bob and Thomas ran there while Maria comforted him. I'm so sorry. Are you sure he's dead?

2:19:32 They really messed him up? Maria said softly, We're gonna need some help moving this thing, Thomas yelled. Kristen was frantic in her search as she ran around the second floor, going from room to room, not finding anything to house the dirt babies. She gathered materials along the way. She found a large, old strait jacket that she figured she could pull the strap from to help her latch whatever entrapment device they found. She also discovered a long metal tool with a sharp tip, which she figured she could use for carving the symbols. Fuck, she said to herself.

2:20:22 As she thought about her spell book. She pulled her backpack off to make sure that the book hadn't fallen out from the damage the clown one had done. To her bag. It was of course gone, and she needed it for the symbols. As she realized that, she came to a room that had a broken great door. Inside she spotted various rotting suitcases, but she didn't smile until she saw a couple of large trunks. Okay, okay, this is a good start, Kristin said, Now, how do I get the dirt babies in that She looked at her watch to see how much time was left before Braham came back hopefully with Simon. In the Dirt Baby's journey to find Kristin, they came across a couple dressed as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Jessica was jelly but had wanted to be peanut butter, but Steve said, the guy is always the peanut butter. They of course screamed when they saw the dirt Babies coming their way. They were even more terrifying now as they were all covered in blood and carnage from their various attacks. Get them,

2:21:57 Vampire Baby yelled, Planey Jade and giggle Butt looked to Goth Baby. They were used to taking his instructions. Bucky and mister Pumpkin jumped into action. Pumpkin went for the girl and did his typical attack on an ankle, biting deep and severing arteries. He seemed to enjoy the flow of blood. His kills were the most violent. Bucky climbed up the guy's leg and went underneath his costume. Within moments, the white and brown costumes began to change to a crimson color. Somebody helped Bucky finish him. Vampire Baby commanded, so we can get back on track. Jade leaped onto the peanut butter teen be lined for his neck and used her sharp nails to slice a hole in his neck large enough for her to fit her hand in.

2:22:59 She then swirled her hand back and forth with her sharp nails doing the real damage. Blood flowed like turning a faucet on high. She had to jump as he fell so that he didn't land on her. Bucky wasn't as lucky. The body fell and squashed him. They all watched waiting for him to come out. He didn't. Okay, Goth Baby said, let's flip him over and get Bucky back. The dirt babies all gathered on the right side and tried to flip him over, but they were not strong enough damn, Vampire Baby exclaimed, Do we leave him? Plain?

2:23:47 He asked, No, dirt Baby left behind. Vampire Baby said, you know, just because they call us dirt babies doesn't mean that we have to call ourselves that. Jade explained, What are we if not dirt babies? Goth Baby asked. Jade started, but stopped as they saw movement from the young dead teen's back. Then they saw blood cooling from the middle of his body, staining that side of the costume as well, and before they knew it, Bucky popped out, drenched in thick red blood. Did you miss me? Chapter ten?

2:24:45 Kristen entered the room with all the luggage and searched until she found the best trunk she could, one that was big enough and not so rotten that they would be able to break their way through it. When she went to move the trunk, it felt heavy, so she opened it and inside she found the personal effects of one of the patients, clothing, a small photo album, a pair of dress shoes, and a smaller case that had more personal items. There was a comb a bible, an alarm clock, and a wallet. At first, she began throwing the items out without care, but then she felt bad these things were all that was left of some poor soul.

2:25:39 Her feelings changed when she opened the wallet and found the yellowed paper. ID what are the odds? Kristen said out loud to herself. Seeing the name Jonathan Allison, the killer's name, made her lose all care for the items, and she threw them out with abandon. If she had known how close the dirt Babies were, she might have been a little quieter sh When Braham ran past the dirt Babies, they each tried to leap at him, but he was too quick. He didn't see a dead Simon, so he hoped that he had the same plan and made it past them as well. As he went through the cafeteria, he had a fleeting thought maybe they were more interested in getting to Kristin. He almost turned around, but knew Christin would never forgive him for not finding Simon, so he kept moving past the dead bodies of Melissa and Chris, forgetting that Zeke's dead body should have been there as well. When he got near the locked door that they had all entered through early, he saw that a group of teens were crowded together like they thought that at any moment the door would reopen. Then Bram

2:27:09 heard a noise of something dragging on the other side of them. He pushed through the crowd to find out what was going on, never forgetting his true goal, Simon. He yelled as he went through the crowd, has anyone seen a small kid? He got no response. When he arrived at the other side of the group, he saw Maria, Thomas, Bob and Brian dragging a heavy piece of equipment towards the window. Bram ran past them. He needed to find Simon. A few feet later, he stopped. He knew he should help them. Plus he also knew where the dirt babies were heading, so Simon should be safe. But Kristen wasn't what to do. What to do? He thought? But then he grabbed hold of one of the corners of the heavy piece of medical equipment and helped as they heaved it against the window. Nothing. They tried again, and it moved a bit. The third time they tried, it bounced off, but the top of the bars broke free of the wall.

2:28:27 The force back made them drop it. It landed on Thomas's foot. Despite the loud thud, they could still hear the bones in his foot breaking get it off me, Thomas yelled. They tried to lift it but couldn't. It was harder without his help. His screaming was endless. Somebody fucking help us, Bram yelled. A few of the bigger kids left the waiting crowd and helped to the machine off of him. The sight of the flat front of his foot compared to the rest of him was an odd thing to see. Then, with the pressure removed, blood began to ooze out of every air hole in his sneaker.

2:29:17 That is when Thomas passed out from shock. Move him, Bram yelled, okay, A small voice answered. Bram looked to see that it was Simon and he had Christen's book. He sat it down and grabbed Thomas by the shoulders. It was a bit of a struggle, but Simon was able to move him out of harm's way on his own. She's going to need that book, Simon, Bram said. I know. That's why I picked it up. I found it in the cafeteria. Come on, let's go, Maria said. But then they heard screaming coming from the crowd. When the dirt Babies arrived in the room Kristin was in, there was only Vampire Baby, Bucky and mister Pumpkin. Once again, I must ask, did you miss me? Vampire Baby asked, where's goth Baby and the others? Kristin demanded. Goth Baby took Jade, Plainey and giggle Butt to go get Bram and Simon.

2:30:27 You named one of them giggle Butt, Kristin asked, I didn't he had that name by the time I met him. Is it the one that looks like a clown? Yes? Okay, that's kind of funny, Kristin said, Are you stalling? Vampire Baby asked. Downstairs, They continued to pick up the piece of equipment and smash out the window, ignoring all the screaming. Luckily, it only took two more hits. Everybody go, Bram yelled. Bob was the first one out the window. Then it became a panic push to get out from the other teens. Maria, Bram, Simon and Brian were pushed right out of the way. Simon, give me the book and make your way out. No, Simon, did you find a box? No, I was looking for you.

2:31:25 I did. Simon said, it's too late for that. Goth Baby replied Simon and Bram saw that goth Baby and a few others were heading towards them. Jade and Planey held Zeke's pistol. Attack the boy, Goth Baby commanded. Simon backed up with the book in his hand. Planey and Jade worked together to aim the gun at Simon. Bram shoved him out of the way. Simon, you need to get that book to Kristen. Then he dove at the Dirt Babies, putting his body on top of them so that they couldn't escape. Simon watched in horror as Bram struggled and yelled in pain as they did things to him that no one could see go. Bram yelled, his clothes began to stain with blood. Come on, Maria said, and grabbed Simon's hand, dragging him past Bram. Bram managed to smile through the pain as he watched Simon and Maria get away. Though he was in excruciating agony. His smile remained until Jade was able to pull the trigger.

2:32:49 With him holding them tight, they couldn't aim, so it wasn't a shot to the heart or the brain, but it did hit a major artery. His death was imminent at this point. Not knowing this, the Dirt Babies continued their attack on him well after he had already passed. Zeke stepped over Bram's dead body to make his escape, As now almost every teen had made it out before he did. He kicked over a few of the candles one rolled to the next window and caught the rotted drapes on fire. Zeke laughed as he got in line to get out, but then the dirt babies began to crawl out from under Bram. Their attack on Zeke was truly brutal. After Jade used her nails to slash his achilles tendon, he fell, giggle Butt went to his hand and bit off several fingers. He tried to fight him off, but this time goth Baby was biting his and so as he attempted to grab at him, blood spurted out of what was left of his fingers and got all over his face. Jade took her time and walked up to Zeke's blood soaked face. When he looked up at her, she said, how about a little kiss? Then she kissed

2:34:22 him and chomped down on his bottom lip, taking a large chunk of it with her. Goth Baby was the first one to notice that the fire had spread to the walls. Despite this, he signaled for them to follow in the direction Simon had gone. Sh The dirt babies upstairs laughed when they heard the torture happening the floors below them. So do you think those are Brahm or Simon's screams? Vampire Baby asked. A book flew at Kristin and she caught it. The dirt babies turned around to see Simon and Maria. Kristin was happy to have her spell book back, but she was alarmed not to see Bram.

2:35:14 Where's Bram? Kristin asked. The tears in Simon's eyes told her everything she needed to know ow. Simon yelled as GoF Baby jumped on him from behind and took a nibble off his back. Simon stumbled into the room and Maria followed to get away from gigglebut Jade and Plainey as they joined the party. Kristin opened the chest that she had carved cymbals in using a discarded lobotomy wand and attempted to throw the dirt babies in help. Kristin yelled, she threw Plainey while Simon threw in Jade. Maria was able to throw Bucky in, but when Kristin tried to grab Vampire Baby, he bit her and then Gigglebutt and mister Pumpkin started attacking Maria. GoF Baby jumped on Simon.

2:36:08 During this struggle, Planey, Jade, and Bucky were already climbing out of the box. Simon run, Kristen screamed outside. Bob had remembered that Thomas was passed out from the pain of his smashed foot, and seeing that nobody else had picked him up and helped, he knew he had to be the one. He was worried that the defenseless kid would get attacked, so he climbed back up, and that's when he noticed the fire. Fuck, Bob said, and entered. Anyways, he found Thomas still passed out, but the room was full of smoke. He checked to see if he was breathing.

2:36:56 He was, so Bob grabbed him and took him out through the window. He tried to drop him with ease, but he landed right on his bad foot. His eyes bolted open and panic was all over his face. Sorry, dude, Bob said, before turning around. Maria was in terrible shape and was dragging herself out when she heard someone yelling fire, fire, fire. Bob's voice was heard as he ran up to them. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the dirt babies attacking Kristin, Simon, and Maria. Bob picked up Christin's fallen sheep pan and used it to smack the one attacking Simon, then the ones that were on Christin. This freed her to grab one of the old suitcases, and she used it to beat the dirt babies off of Maria.

2:37:56 Bob grabbed her and dragged her out of the room while Kristin shoved Simon out. Goth Baby tried to follow, but Kristen smacked him back and slammed the door behind her and latched it. Let's go, Bob said, as the smoke was already coming up the second story. I have to trap them. Kristin said, there's no time. Kristin looked at the smoke and then at poor Simon. Okay, let's go. Kristin and Bob carried Maria and made their way downstairs, with Simon following. They could hear the dirt babies slamming themselves against the door of the room as they left.

2:38:39 When they got downstairs, the fire was completely out of control, and there was no way to get to the exit. Really, Kristin yelled, there has to be another way, Bob said, and coughed from the smoke, not that I know of. Kristin added, she had to force herself not to cough. Get down on the ground, the smoke is less dense there, Kristin pleaded, They all dropped now what? Maria asked? A siren could be heard approaching the asylum. Simon's cough was getting heavier and there were fewer breaths between each one.

2:39:26 Bob's was just as bad. Kristin couldn't hold back her coughing any longer. She even tried taking her backpack off and using it as some sort of smoke filter by covering her mouth and trying to breathe through it. Bob was the first to pass out, then Maria, and then Simon. The last thing Kristin heard. The last thing Kristin heard before passing out from smoke connelation was the sound of a battering ram on the front door. Kristen woke up in an ambulance with a face mask attached to her.

2:40:15 She tried to speak what's going on, but the medic couldn't hear her. She tried to get up, but he pushed her back down. She had to find out if Simon was okay, so she yanked the mask off, pushed the medic away hard, and jumped out of the back. She looked around and saw another ambulance. The doors were being shut on it, so she ran up to look inside. The medic from her ambulance tried to grab her to pull her back, but she was able to break free. Right as the other ambulance began to drive away, she ran and caught up to it, jumping on the rear bumper.

2:41:02 She then looked in the back window and was able to see that Simon was inside. Thankfully, he was sitting upright with a mask on. When he saw Kristin, he gave her a thumbs up. The medic and an officer grabbed her off the back of the moving ambulance. Come on, the officer said, it's for your own good. You need medical treatment. Where's Maria and Bob? Kristin asked, there are a lot of teenagers roaming around here. The officer explained, I'm sure they're fine. Well, there is that one kid that was next to her that died. The medic said, might not be a terrible idea to get his identity.

2:41:51 The EMT guided her to a body on the ground and pulled back the sheet. All my friends are dead, Kristin said, while looking down at the corpse of Bob. Everybody move back, an officer yelled. At that moment, the center of the building collapsed from the fire damage. Kristin watched as it burned and hoped they were gone. She knew they could reform if they were cut in half, but if they were completely burnt to a crisp maybe not.

2:42:32 She hoped that was the case because she couldn't deal with any more loss, and she didn't want her or Simon to go through that much chaos and death ever again. Kristin's babysitting career was over at this point, so she found herself free on Halloween the following year, but she didn't want want to hang out with a group of friends, which is what she was always missing out on on Halloween, most of them were now dead. Instead, it was just her and her new friend Maria. They spent the night at Jonathan Allison's grave to make sure that nobody came for the dirt She, of course had performed a spell over the grave to remove all power from it, but she didn't trust that it worked and was worried that there would be other kids like Zeke Ones who wanted to come out here and try to bring back the dirt babies. That whole year, the old asylum sat in ruins after the blaze, and because of the savings in expense from not having to tear down the building, the state could budget to move forward to build a new

2:44:03 hospital with a focus on mental health in its place. Now, an excavator was on the property clearing out the old rubbish underneath the wreck of the building. Many things were found that were not burnt, but were merely squashed from when the building fell. And there you have it, my spookies, the dirt Babies are back where they belong, buried deep in the cold October soil, we hope. But if you listen closely on Halloween night, you just might hear the scratching start up. But you're not safe yet. Tomorrow is the night before Halloween, and we're taking you to strict Field's most haunted house. And that's saying something. We're heading straight into Halloween night at grim Manor wear two rivals one dare and a crumbling mansion full of restless ghosts make the ultimate Halloween Eve nightmare. So make sure you're subscribed because you will not want to miss it. And of course we have something very special for you dropping on Halloween Day, so head to your favorite podcasting app and subscribe, and while you're at it, leave us a

2:45:35 five star rating as it really does help the program. And speaking of, if you want to support us in a very direct way, head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash Join For as little as one dollar a month, you get two bonus episodes every single month and my undying gratitude. Speaking of, I want to give a very special thank you to our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who pay a little bit more to hear their names at the end of the show, and they are Johnny Nix, Kate and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike is Skewey, Jenny Green, Amber Hansford, Karen we Met, Jack Kerr and Craig co And thank you all so very much. If you want to have your name at the end of every episode of Weekly Spooky, well, just head to Weeklyspooky dot Com slash join and join over ninety other Spookies in supporting us. But now I have to get back to work because when October ends, Weekly Spooky We'll keep on going and growing. So for myself, for my executive producers Bobotopia dot Com and Rob Fields, my producer Dan Wilder, and my creepy composer Ray Mattis see you tomorrow.

2:46:42 Thank you for listenings. Make sure to find your way back next week, but for now you are safe. Trust me,