The Marshmallow Ranch Gazette (Patreon)

Volume 2, Halloween Special

Tuesday, October 31st, 2017

Howdy, patrons!

I hope all of you are doing pretty well! Here at the Marshmallow Ranch, I have to admit I'm not doing so hot. I haven't been able to leave the house since last night, you see -- I think I might have caught a bug or something from a couple of trick-or-treaters who wanted to get started a lot earlier than everyone else. 

It was 3:15 AM when my husband and I were woken up from a dead sleep by a knock on the front door. My lovely husboo is in for a rough week at work, so I thought I'd be the one to get up and see what all the fuss is about. We live in a pretty quiet apartment complex, and it's highly unusual for anyone to be out and about that late -- much less knocking on someone's door. 

So I turned on the alcove light and looked outside the peephole. There were two kids out there, a boy and a girl, both pale with black hair. The boy wore a baseball hat under a hoodie, and the girl's hair was this wild tangle that obscured most of her face. I didn't get a good look at either of their faces, but what I could see of their skin was pale, almost powdered. 

I didn't know what to make of them, so I watched them for a second -- until the boy said "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to let us in?"

It startled me. I probably shouldn't have, but I was still tired, so I opened the door but just a crack. "Hi there. Uhm, who are you? Is everything OK?"

"We need to use your phone." The girl's voice was calm and quiet. Something about it unnerved me. 

"Do you need me to call the police? Was there an accident?" The thought that there was some kind of emergency woke me up in a hurry. "Are your parents hurt?"

"Our parents will be coming soon," the boy said. Both of the kids kept their heads down, like they were looking at my slippers. That weirded me out too. "But we need to use your phone." 

So I let them in. I took them into the living room and sat them down, then told them I would be right back -- I had to get my cell phone from the office. For some reason, I...didn't want to turn my back on them. So I walked backwards until I got to the office, then turned to get my phone from the charger. 

There was this immediate wave of cold nausea that washed over me as soon as I grabbed my phone. I whirled around and saw the kids just...standing there in the hallway. They were looking at me now, and maybe it was a trick of the light or something but their eyes were completely black. Like empty sockets, but with some dim light inside. The light from the office didn't reach them, and the light from the living room didn't help. It just made their faces more...shadowy somehow. 

I was gripped with this feeling that I didn't want them in the house. So I rushed over and gave the boy my phone, then tried to usher them outside. "I'll wait for your parents out on the bench where they can see you." 

They didn't say anything. They just walked out with me. The boy was jabbing at the phone button like he didn't know how to use it, but when I asked him if he needed help he just said "No." I didn't want to press the issue. I felt sick to my stomach, like I was just going to lose my dinner from both ends. I just wanted them to leave. 

I don't know how long we waited. But eventually there was a car in the parking lot, and the boy put down my phone, and both he and the girl got up. "Our parents are here," he said. I couldn't help but feel it was a threat more than a statement. 

Down the sidewalk, between us and the parking lot, stood this really tall guy. Our apartment complex is well-lit, but for some reason I couldn't see any details about him. Just...the silhouette of this man, with a suit and a tie and a hat. He stood there silently, and the kids walked towards him, and then they left together. 

When they were gone I sighed out a breath I had no idea I was holding in. Then I ran into the bathroom to vomit. I haven't been able to keep anything down since, and I'm hoping that my husband'll take me to the doctor when he gets back from work. There are these...blisters forming up my forearms that hurt like hell. 

I'm not sure how all of this will shake out, but hopefully I'll get part two of "Boundaries" out to you folks by Thursday or Friday. I'll do my best to keep you updated on Twitter -- if you're not already, you should follow me there at @serialjackalope.

Until next time, buckaroos. I'm going to lie down. I don't feel so great.

-Jakebe