Note: This story is part of  Christine Hicks' Halloween Special! (friend her at facebook if you haven't yet!)

She would like for us all to write as many spooky tales as we can for Hallloooooweeeen. oooeeeeooo.  

 OVERHEARD AT THE MOORESTOWN DINER:

"I stopped going into the attic on the day that thing lit up the sky and  that earthquake happened! After that, the attic seems to be somehow heavier. I simply can't make myself climb those stairs to take a look."

 "My attic is fine...why you can come on over and we'll go up there and..."

"Shut up, Dave!"

"Just suggesting..you know"

"Did you hear about Henry's arm?"

"What about Henry's arm?"

Well, he was peekin' in Linell Marker's window and got poked by a branch. He may lose that arm! Seems like someone isn't telling the whole story, because Linell don't have any bushes by her bedroom window!"

"No she doesn't, does she? 

"Then what poked him in the arm?"

"I don't know. The doc said that he's never seen anything like it and it's getting worse, like it's infected or something. Henry went over to Mt Pilot General, and they said it would get better." 

"Do you believe that?"

"Hell no!" 

"Plus, we got other problems! Did you hear that another of those high school kids went into those caves and came back crazy as a bedbug? How many is that now?"

"Seven! LeRoy better find out what kind of drugs those kids are getting and stop it. Whatever it is , those kids acted like they were more scared to death than high!"

OVERHEARD AT THE ENTRANCE TO MUCHUGO CAVE:

"This place always creeped me out. It's all them Indian stories. Nobody makes up scary bullshit stories like you Yucubahs." 

"Yeah, my grandpa talks too much about invisible things that turn people inside out and poke at people. But he said that he hasn't heard of anything like what's happening to those kids. How far in did they go?"

"They walked in about 40 feet, then tried to go up a side tunnel. They said they came out in a cavern, but I never heard of no side tunnel or a cavern in there!"

"Well, maybe one opened up after that earthquake the other night."

"Yeah. And what was that light? Have we gotten any reports on that? The Army base says they didn't have anything to do with it, but they lie when they want to."

"The Army says no and they're bringing in some people to find out."

"Well, maybe they need to get some more people to take charge of this cave. I'm tired of sitting out here all afternoon, waiting to bust some heads if another bunch of those kids shows up!"

"Yeah! Wait...what the heck? Lookit this! Something poked me in my arm and now it's gettin' infected. Dang."

"You better have that looked at. Henry James had something like that and he's getting in a bad way."

"Nahh."

OVERHEARD AT THE MUCHUGO ARMY INSTALLATION:

"General! We just got reports that another three hundred of them went nuts at the regional airport at Kansas City! They had to shut down the airport and evacuate everyone, but not too many people needed to be told!"

"That means that it's spread to KC! Any word on  Wichita?"

"It's bad, General. Something to do with some kids who stole a bus and went over there from Moorestown the night of the event. Those kids were all over Wichita that night." 

"It's global, Major. We better go on lockdown. Close the base. 12 hour shifts and shoot anyone who gets past that gate. Dang that hurts...see this? It's like something poked me in the arm. I gotta go to the clinic. Call me when those Homeland Security folks get here..."

"Yes General!"

OVERHEARD IN AN UNMARKED GOVERNMENT VEHICLE TRAVELING FROM KANSAS CITY TO MOORESTOWN:

"This thing is out of control. It's global, Joe. You'd better call the wife and tell her to get to her mother's place in Maine. My wife and kids are already in Atlanta, and they're going to the coast."

"You are right. This thing is global and they don't even know what it is!" 

"If need be, I have a boat over there on... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

"It looks like a porcupine...whoa! Are those quills shooting at this car? One of them hit me!  Hey man, your face!!!!"

"HOW IN THE HELL ARE THEY COMING THROUGH THE GLASS..."

OVERHEARD AT THE KANSAS CITY AIRPORT:

"THEY'RE COMING THROUGH THE AIRFRAME!!! OUCH!"

OVERHEARD IN THE MOORESTOWN DINER:

"THEY'RE COMING FROM THE ROOF....OW OW !!!!"

OVERHEARD AT THE  ENTRANCE TO MUCHUGO CAVE:

"WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING OUT HERE? Get over here! Don't make me have to chase you down!"

"THOSE AREN'T KIDS! I-i-i DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE!!!!"

 The Centurion, satisfied that the initial innoculations had been completed, was able to take a rest from 32 continuous hours of flying. It was only able to take a few minutes to rest as it eavesdropped at various locations on its watch.   

There were a billion Centurions working the planet Earth. 

It flexed its aching, leathery wings, deactivated the invisibility cloak,  and settled down to rest in its temporary home. This Centurion was only 200 years old, very young for his rank. Over the next 700 years, its wings would grow fur and then the fur would turn white. Until then, humans would not be allowed to see it, or some new nonsense about "demons" would start up. 

This is why the Barcaloters, who looked like hairless Pandas with quills, were assigned to close up Human innoculation duty. The Centurion was once a Barcaloter. Those were the good days. 

The Centurion had commandeered the large and sprawling attic of a house in Moorestown. It no longer mattered if the residents knew that the Centurion was living in the attic because the innoculations were already at the equivalent of a global pandemic. 

The vaccines would now spread from human to human on their own, with an estimated infection rate of 100 percent. It would all be complete by what the humans called "next week".

All was well. After the humans completed their changes, they would have protections against the horrible thing that was coming for them in the next few weeks. 

The Humans were definitely not going to like those changes, either.

It was always best to innoculate histrionic and unstable  life forms like the Humans with speed and stealth. Otherwise the silly creatures would probably wipe themselves out.

The Centurion tried to finish chanting the 200 graces, but soon fell into a dreamless sleep.