31 Days of Halloween- Day 2
Title: Pipistrello
Author:lvtwilight09
Rated: M
Pairing: Bella/Edward Picture prompt #: 2
Summary: Bella and Edward invite the new couple in town to their Halloween get together, where they let them in on a few secrets about the town they live in. Disclaimer: I don’t own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does. I just enjoy trying to put her characters into spooky situations.
BPOV
October 31, 2011
Walking around the house, I put the finishing touches on the decorations for the party tonight, and check to make sure that the guest rooms are set up and ready. Hearing the front door shut, I glance at the clock and realize that Edward must be home from work and head downstairs to greet him.
“Hi baby” He says to me as he leans down to give me a kiss hello.
“Hey hun” I reply as I kiss him back. “How was work?”
“Short. I don’t know why I bothered going in. I should have followed your lead and just taken off.”
I bit my tongue to keep from saying ‘I told you so’ but the truth is, I did tell him. Everyplace here in Pipistrello closes at noon on Halloween every year. I didn’t see the point in bothering to open up my shop today at nine just to close three hours later. Plus I needed the extra time to make sure everything was set up here.
“So, who all is coming this year?” Edward asks.
“Emmett and Rose, Jasper and Alice, Angela and Ben, and that new couple who moved in down the block – Mike and Jessica Newton.”
“What about Kate and Garrett?”
“No, they went out of town. They decided to go to Salem this year…wanted to do the whole haunted, spooky Halloween thing.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, Edward rolls his eyes as he mutters under his breath.
“As if there isn’t enough spooky around this damn town,” he mumbles lowly.
“Hey,” I say back to him as I smack him with my dust rag. “You love living here. Even if this town does have its…quirks. Besides, we only have to deal with it one night a year. It isn’t that bad.”
I see Edward smirk, and I know I’ve won. He may put up a front sometimes, but I know he loves living here. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t go through an adjustment period the first few years as we got used to how things were done around here. I guess we should have asked more questions when we found a five bedroom, three and a half bath house within our price range, but we’ve been here now for ten years, and we couldn’t be happier, especially now since we were expecting our first child, a boy, due in January.
Glancing at the clock I realize that the trick or treaters will be coming around soon, and I still need to get showered and dressed.
“Edward, I’m going to go run upstairs and get ready. Keep an ear out for the neighborhood kids? They should be starting to be going door to door soon.”
Pulling me to him, Edward starts kissing up my neck, his hands traveling south to grab my ass.
“Mmm, but what if I want to join you and help you get ready Mrs. Masen” he whispers in my ear.
Taking a breath to regain my senses, because really I never can focus when he’s nibbling on my neck like that, I step back from him and say “Well then Mr. Masen, you should have thought about that and stayed home from work today like I did. As much as I would love for you to have your wicked way with me, trick or treaters will be coming round any moment now and our friends will probably be here in less than an hour.”
Sighing, Edward pouts as he lets me go, but I can feel his eyes on me as I ascend the stairs. Just as I reach the top step, the doorbell rings and I again have to bite my tongue to keep myself from saying ‘I told you so’ as the first of the trick or treaters pay us a visit.
Half an hour later, Edward’s headed upstairs to get ready and I’m back downstairs and making sure the food is all ready to go in the oven for when our friends arrive. As I move around the kitchen and try not to get too frustrated about my baby belly getting in my way, I’m grateful that we decided to forego the costumes this year and keep the get together low key…just dinner and some scary movies. I can only imagine what costume I would have ended up with, considering once we told everyone I was pregnant, Emmett started in with the suggestions for me being a bun in the oven for Halloween.
After another forty five minutes and about twenty trick or treaters later, Edward is helping me with the kitchen, and our friends should be arriving any minute. As if on cue, the doorbell sounds again and when I open the door, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice are waiting to be let in.
A short while later, Ben, Angela, Mike and Jessica arrive as well. We spend some time just chit chatting, and mostly getting to know Mike and Jessica since they’ve just moved to town a few weeks ago. I had met Jessica when she came into my book shop one day, and we got to talking. That’s when we realized we lived on the same street. We’ve hung out a few times since then, and she and her husband seem like nice people, although I don’t think they know everything they need to about living in Pipistrello.
Once everyone is in the house and settled, we sit in the dining room for a late lunch/early dinner and just spend the time catching up with each other. For the most part, we’re a tight knit group, but we’ve all been a bit busy lately and haven’t gotten to hang out as much as we used to.
After the food is gone, we head into the den and relax as we continue our conversations.
“So you guys bought the old Banner house down the street?” Emmett asks.
“Yeah. We fell in love it the minute we saw it,” explains Jessica. “It had everything we wanted in a house.”
“The price wasn’t bad either,” Mike adds.
As soon as Mike mentions the price, we all exchange looks. We all know why houses are so cheap here, but apparently the real estate agent never filled the Newtons in on the reason for the affordability of homes here.
“So how are you guys liking it here?” Rosalie asks.
“It’s great,” replies Mike. “I mean, we lived in Seattle before this, so moving to a small town is an adjustment, but everyone here has been really nice and welcoming.”
“Although,” chimes in Jessica. “I’ve never seen a town celebrate Halloween quite like they do here. You’d think it was a government holiday the way the kids have off from school and practically everything closing at noon.”
“There’s good reason for that Jessica” Jasper states. “Has anyone told you the history of our little town?”
Mike and Jessica shake their heads no, while the rest of us settle in and get comfortable. Jasper is the history teacher at the high school, so he knows the town history better than just about anyone. Plus he always was one for spooky stories, so he tends to enjoy sharing the history with new people whenever he gets the chance.
“Well then, I suppose I should fill you in. The story of Pipistrello is a perfect tale for Halloween.” Jasper explains, a hint of excitement in his voice.
“Pipistrello was founded back in 1821 by a small group of people who were looking to move west. They thought this area was ideal because there were fresh water sources, game available for hunting in the nearby woods, and the ground was good for farming. It was for them, an ideal place. What they failed to realize at the time though, was that within the woods, there were several caves with underground cavern systems. These caves were home to thousands of bats.
“At first the bats weren’t much of a problem, they only came out at night and never really bothered anyone. However, as more and more people settled here and set up farms, the bats became problematic, biting and feeding off of the livestock of the local farmers. The worst year was 1917. Besides the flu epidemic which hit the townspeople hard, the bats were especially vicious that year, and over three quarters of the livestock had to be put down because they contracted rabies from the bites.
“About ten years after that, a man named Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme moved in to town. He was a scientist, and had heard about the problems with the bats. He thought he could create some sort of solution to the problem. He thought he could devise some sort of way to sterilize the bats to keep them from breeding so that they would eventually be eradicated.
“Everyone on the town council agreed to the plan because the reality was that no one could afford the financial losses they were being hit with from being stuck with sick livestock that had to be put down. All the men from town helped him set up traps so he could catch the bats and bring them back to his lab and do his work.
“After a few months, Dr. Cullen’s sterilization plan seemed to be working. There were fewer and fewer bats being seen, and less and less livestock getting sick. Everything changed though that fall. Some said it was fate, some said it was coincidence, and others said it was the devil himself who orchestrated it, but whatever the reason, Dr. Cullen’s methods backfired. He had been using some sort of injection on the bats, and whatever he used caused them to mutate.
“It was Halloween night 1928 when the first attack happened. There had been very few to no bat sightings for over a month, so when the people saw a bat or two they really thought nothing of it. Within minutes, hundreds, if not thousands of bats started flying through town, attacking any of the townspeople they came across, including Dr. Cullen and his wife.
“Over one hundred people were killed that night by the bats. The records say that the bats literally sucked the soul out of anyone they bit. With Dr. Cullen dead, everyone panicked. No one knew what to do because Dr. Cullen never really kept records of his work. All anyone found in his lab were syringes and bottles of different solutions and chemicals.
“People started to get nervous about going out after dark after that, but the bats never showed up again, at least not until the next Halloween. The same thing that happened the year before happened again, except there were more bats than the last time. At least this time, people remembered what happened and as soon as they saw the bats, they ran into their houses and barricaded themselves inside until morning.
“That’s why there’s no school here on Halloween and all the business shut down early. It’s so people can have their fun and celebrate before night falls. No one has dared to venture out after dark on Halloween in this town on over seventy years. Every year without fail, the bats descend. No one knows why they only show up on Halloween, but as long as you’re inside, you’re safe. But if you dare go outside, you’ll end up bled dry with your soul sucked out.”
As Jasper wraps up his story, I catch Mike and Jessica glancing out the window, and looking at the now almost fully set sun.
“Oh Jasper, that’s got to be just the silliest superstition.” Jessica giggles.
“Besides,” chuckles Mike. “Even if it was true, why hasn’t anyone tried calling in specialists to deal with the bats in all the time that’s past. Surely with all the scientific developments that have occurred, something would be able to get rid of the bats.”
“This is not just some spooky Halloween story,” hisses Alice. “Have you ever looked closely at the town crest on the welcome sign by Main Street? Do you even know what Pipistrello means?”
“We saw the sign when we drove past the town hall when we moved in; I just glanced at it, but didn’t have an eagle or something on it?" Mike asks.
“It’s not an eagle you fool,” Rosalie growls as she tries to keep her temper. The whole bat thing has always been a sensitive issue for her family. They are one of the oldest families here in town and can trace some of their family roots back to the time when the first attacks occurred. Some of her ancestors were among those killed by the bats when the attacks first started.
“The eagle you saw on the crest is a bat,” Rosalie goes on to explain. “And if you read the writing at the bottom of the crest it says Nox Sine Fine which is Latin for ‘Night without end’. It was meant as a warning for people, to let them know what would happen to them if they ever ventured out at night on Halloween. And Pipistrello, the town’s name…it’s the Italian word for bat. Back before the attacks ever started, when the town was first founded, people were wise enough to know there was a problem. They named the town Pipistrello to let other people know what was happening here.”
By this point, Mike and Jessica are rolling their eyes. Clearly they’re just thinking we’re trying to tell them some scary story. I don’t bother trying to convince them, there have been others who doubted, but in the end, all it took was one glance out the window for them to see all the bats flying through town for them to believe.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts when Mike and Jessica stand up and head towards the door.
“Where are you guys going?” I demand. “We just told you what will happen if you go outside. It’s why everyone else is spending the night.”
“It isn’t safe,” explain Ben and Angela at the same time as they see Mike and Jessica putting on their coats.
Just as I finish speaking, the familiar woosh of the bats beginning to make their presence known as they fly through town can be heard. I look out the window, and in the moonlight can see that they are only a few blocks away from our house.
“Yes, yes, you told us” Mike says disbelievingly. “The evil scary bats are gonna munch on us and steal our souls. Jess and I are going home. We had a great time guys, really. And that was an awesome scary story too, but I have an early day at the office tomorrow and I’m quite sure that my wife and I will be perfectly safe walking six houses down the block to get home.”
Clearly there is no reasoning with them, and now I’m just getting mad. If they don’t want to listen, then that’s fine. We all gave them fair warning. Their blood is on their own hands. Edward places his hand on my shoulder in a silent effort to try to keep me calm. He can always tell when I’m getting upset and his touch always makes me feel better. After a moment, he pulls away and heads towards the front door to see our guests out.
“Just remember that we tried to warn you. We won’t risk go out there after you when you start screaming for help.” Edward tells them coldly as they walk out the door. As soon as they are outside, he shuts the door tightly and locks it.
We head back to the couches where everyone else it, and we all just sit in silence for a minute, wondering if Mike and Jess will manage to make it home, even though we know they probably won’t.
The silence is soon broken by a bloodcurdling scream followed by a man shouting for help. We know exactly what’s happening and who’s screaming, and we’re quite sure everyone else who lives on this block who heard the screams is probably wondering who didn’t make it home before the sun set.
Just as the screams start to die down, my cell phone starts ringing, the caller ID telling me it’s Jessica. I answer the call, and place it on speaker phone, knowing full well what she’s going to be asking, and completely aware that we won’t be able to give it to her.
“Oh my God, Bella!!! You were right….the bats…they, they got Mike. He’s dead. You’ve got to come get me, I’m trying to run back to your house. Please…help!!!” Jessica shouts through the phone.
“Jessica we warned you. I can’t go out there. I won’t put my baby at risk for you, nor will I send my husband out there and risk leaving my child without a father. I’m sorry Jessica, but there’s nothing we can do. If you can make it back to the house, then we’ll let you in, but we won’t go out there to get you.”
“Bella…please” Jessica screams. I can tell she’s crying, I can hear it in her voice. I can also hear her screams lessen as more of the bats bite her and feed off of her.
A few seconds later, we hear a thud against our front door. We rush to look out the window, only to find Jessica’s lifeless body lying on our front porch which is now stained with her blood. Her eyes still open and fixed on our front door. The bats still cling to her as they continue to suck whatever blood still lingers in her body.
- November 3, 2011 -
The funeral service today was short. Not many people attended. Some chose not to because they felt like Mike and Jessica got what they deserved for being so foolish and going out on Halloween night, and others didn’t come because the two hadn’t lived here long enough to really get to know many people.
Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, Angela, Edward and I all came though. We felt it was the least we could do since we couldn’t save them that night despite the warnings we gave them. News of what happened traveled through town quickly, and everyone seemed to share the same opinion…that it wasn’t our fault. We had warned them, there wasn’t anything more we could do once they set foot outside the house that night.
As the graveside ceremony ends, I walk over to where the Newton’s headstone is and lay a small bouquet of flowers by it and offer a whispered “I’m sorry…but you should have listened” before heading over to the car where Edward is waiting for me.
- October 31, 2017 -
“Anthony Masen! Get your butt in this house right now. The sun is about to set.” I yell at my five year old son. I know he can’t help himself. He may only be five, but Halloween is his favorite holiday…even moreso than Christmas. I think all the free candy has something to do with it.
“Aww Mom…come one, we have time for a few more houses,” my now cranky son whines as he stomps up the stairs and into the house.
I shut the door behind him and lock it, before my hands ghost over my once again pregnant stomach. Anthony should be getting a baby sister in just under a month.
“I’m sure you could manage to go to a few more houses, but Mommy’s belly won’t let her move as quick as you. Besides, you have plenty of candy in that pumpkin bucket you’re holding.”
Edward must have heard us come in, because he walks to the entry way from the kitchen.
“Dinner’s almost ready Anthony. Go on upstairs and clean up. You can keep your costume on for now if you want, but I expect clean hands and a clean face” Edward says.
“Okay Dad” Anthony shouts before he thrusts his candy bucket at me and bolts up the stairs. I can’t help but laugh a little.
Edward thoroughly distracts me as he pulls me into a kiss.
“Have fun trick or treating this year babe?” He murmurs, his lips still brushing against my own.
“oh yeah, tons. I think this was Anthony’s biggest haul yet.” I reply, stepping away from Edward as I hear our son running towards the stairs.
In a flash he’s back at our side and then heads into the kitchen because just like his Uncle Emmett…the boy can eat. Edward heads in after him to go start serving dinner. I go to follow, but glance out the window as the last of the sun sets and see the two bats sitting on the top step of our front porch, just as they have been for the past five Halloweens.
No comments:
Post a Comment