"Now remember Sally, never talk to strangers," Judy reiterated to her daughter.   "Yes mother," Sally rolled her eyes. "Sally!" her mother scolded. "Sorry," Sally responded. Judy wasn't sure if she actually was. "Just go straight to your aunt's house. Maybe…maybe I should go with you," Judy started. "Mother, I'm almost 15. I'll be fine," Sally reassured her. Judy sighed. "Okay. Well just use your head and you should be fine. Remember: don't take any shortcuts; I rather you be late and safe instead of…well, you know," Judy told her. Sally nodded. "Can I go now?" Sally prompted. Judy gave a laugh. "Of course pumpkin. Stay safe." Sally left the house. The quickest way to her aunt's house was to take an immediate left and to go through the woods. However, her mother would freak if she did that. The safer and much longer route was to go straight past all their neighbours' houses, through the extremely crowded marketplace, past more houses and then finally arrive at her aunt's doorstep. Sally sighed, adjusted her jacket and then set off to start her long journey to her aunt's house. If only she could take the shortcut. She was just approaching the marketplace when she heard a voice, "Hey there doll, you need a ride?" Sally cringed and looked to see who was speaking. Some guy in a black leather jacket driving a fancy car he looked like he couldn't actually afford. Giving a creepy smile that would give any mortal the creeps. Was that supposed to be friendly? "I'm not a doll and my mother told me not to speak to strangers," Sally told him off. The man raised a brow in surprise. "Really? So you don't ever talk to strangers? Tell me, were you born knowing all your friends? Your teachers? Your neighbours?" he asked. Touché. "Well I don't need a ride. Goodbye," Sally turned away and continued to walk. "Can I at least get your name? Or do you rather me keep calling you doll?" the man smirked. "I rather you not talk to me at all, thank you," Sally grumbled. The man in the car was slowly driving along, keeping pace with her. Her mother told her not to talk to strangers. Unfortunately she didn't say how to get rid of them. "Can I at least give you a ride? Surely you don't want to go through all this unnecessary walking," the man persisted. "Just leave me alone!" Sally snapped. "Sally? Dear are you alright?" Sally was surprised to see her aunt standing before her. "Auntie?" Sally asked, "What are you doing here?" "I was just out to get some groceries from the market. You okay? Is that man bothering you?" her aunt asked her. Sally looked back at the man in the jacket who was now trying to make himself scarce. "It's all good now that you're here. Can I help you out?" Sally asked her aunt with a smile. "Well I don't want to keep you back from wherever you are going," her aunt started. "I was going to your place though. Doesn't really make sense for me to go on ahead," Sally pointed out.   "Oh? Oh! Right, that's right of course. Well then yes, you can help me get some of the groceries. I'll need some oranges," her aunt pointed her towards one of the fruit vendors, "Here is some cash. If you could get me a dozen." Sally nodded, taking the money and heading off toward the stall. She looked back and saw the man with the car was no longer in sight. Good, Sally thought. Once she finished getting the oranges, she met up with her aunt who had just gotten the last of her things. "You're a quick shopper," Sally commented. "Don't like wasting time. Come, follow me back. We can have tea," her aunt gestured the way to her place. "That sounds lovely Auntie," Sally responded, following her back to her aunt's house. "Set the table dear, while I put the groceries away," her Aunt instructed. "Sure Auntie," Sally answered and started to set the table for tea. Sally's nose crinkled. Something smelt funny. She looked down at the dishes she was setting out. They seemed clean. Sally started to look around the dining room but there was nothing obvious to give off such a stench. But boy could she smell an awful smell. She could hear her aunt humming in the kitchen, seeming oblivious to the scent. Perhaps it isn't in this room, Sally thought, forgetting about setting the table and starting to follow her nose out of the dining room and down the hall. It was strangely dark at the back of the house, all the doors and windows shut. Sally stopped outside one of the doors. The smell seemed to be coming from whatever room lay beyond it. She lifted her hand up to the doorknob and then hesitated. Her mother always told her it was rude to poke around someone's house without permission. But the smell really bothered her. Placing a hand down on the doorknob, she slowly turned it and pushed the door open. The door produced a soft creaking nose as it turned on its hinges. Sally's other hand immediately went to cover her nose. The stench in here was unbearable. But she had to know what it was. Holding her breath, Sally removed her hand from her face and reached to the side of the doorway feeling for a light switch. Her fingers finally located it and she flipped it up, bathing the whole room in light. Sally let out an involuntary scream when she realized what was in the room. A dead woman was lying back on the bed, flies encircling her. Her eyes focused in on the corpse's face. It was her aunt. The same aunt that was shopping with her in the marketplace. How was that possible? She turned around to see what looked like her aunt in the hallway. Her exit blocked. Sally looked back at the corpse of her aunt and then back to the woman in the hallway. "Who are you?" Sally screamed at the woman in the hallway, "What did you do to my aunt?" The woman's face twisted into a strange smile. "My dear. Didn't your mother teach you not to talk to strangers?" the woman asked her, pulling out a long kitchen knife she had been hiding behind her back. "There is certainly no one stranger than I." Sally screamed and slammed the door shut in the woman's face. Bracing the door, she could feel and hear the woman try to break in. Uncontrollable sobs escaped from Sally's mouth. Was she going to die? She heard a loud noise and suddenly the woman outside was silent and still. Was that a gun shot? Sally was too afraid to move. She heard a knocking on the door. "You alright in there?" A familiar voice, male. The stranger from the marketplace. "It's okay to come out now. It's dead," he continued. Sally hesitated. She wasn't sure if she could trust him. "I'm not going to hurt you okay? I'm after them, not you," he said. "Who is this 'them' you speak of?" Sally choked out. "Not sure to be honest. I just know they take the places of real people. They kill them, leave them to rot and take the faces and voices of them. I know. It happened to my father. And then nobody has seen your aunt for a while and suddenly there she was in the marketplace. I thought there was something off so I followed you two." Sally still kept leaning against the door, her mind trying to process what he was telling her. "Please come out. I swear I won't hurt you," his voice drifted through the door. "If you mean no harm, then just go. I'll leave after you're gone," Sally told him, tears still streaming down her face, voice trembling, "I thank you for helping me but…" "You still don't trust me. Okay. Well, the important thing is you're safe. Take care," he responded, clearly sounding a bit dejected. Sally could hear his footsteps slowly fading as he walked away and the opening and closing of the front door. Sally waited a few moments before cautiously opening the bedroom door and peering around it. The woman's body lay slumped in the hallway, blood dripping out of her, eyes rolled back into her head. Sally crept out of the room and then raced to the front door. All she wanted to do now was go home. She ran out of the house and down the street. She had to slow a bit in the marketplace as it was still crowded and she was tuckering out. Some people gave curious concerned glances as they saw the tears on her face but made no inquiries. Out of the marketplace, she continued to plod along until she arrived at the front steps of her home. She banged on the door loudly. Her mother answered the door. Her face changed from curiosity to concern when she saw Sally's face. "I was wondering where you were. You okay?" her mother asked. "Auntie's dead," Sally blurted out, tears starting to flow again. "Oh dear! Come in, sit down. I'll get you a tissue," her mother stepped aside so Sally could get into the house. Closing the door behind her and locking it, her mother left to get Sally a tissue. Sally stumbled and sat down rather clumsily on one of the kitchen chairs. She looked down at her hands as tears continued to flow, as if her hands held all the answers. Her nose crinkled as a bad smell reached her. Sally instantly stopped crying and looked up in fear. What was that smell? -- My entry to the 2022 Writers Halloween Contest