ALL OUT WAR

1.

And so, it truly begins ...

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker's man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Prick it and pat it and mark it with a 'b'
And put it in the oven for my sister and me

She can see ... dark and ominous ... stacked shelving ... a store perhaps ... a toy store ... after hours. There is a boy walking slowly, he is maybe six or seven years old and is oh so frightened. He is calling out for someone, perhaps his mother but she won't be coming to him, she most likely knows not of where he is. Is he lost? Has he been brought here?

The boy is not completely alone here. There is laughter ... giggling ... sounds of a girl ... two girls ... one girl doubled up. She skips, they skip heading in opposite directions ... across isles ... then down isles ... crisscrossing isles again ... boxing in a very frightened boy who turns often unable to see who or what is close. He cries, he wants to go home, why isn't his mum coming for him ...? ... But someone is coming ... closer and closer ... the box shape skipping is getting smaller and they are closing in.

The boy sees her ... one of her ... skipping no more. Frightened, as frightened as he has ever been ... he takes one step backwards then another and another. 'Who are you?' he asks through snots and tears.

She grows ... morphs ... from being a girl his age or a little older to become a much older girl.

'I ...' she says, '... am the boogeyman ... the boogie ... GIRL ...'

The boy turns ... to prepare to run but instead runs into ... her ... her exact match ... her double. There are two of them and in turn ... they each strike. There is blood, much blood, splashing onto products and shelving as if they are a canvas to be painted upon ... one splash here ... another there ... until blood begins to gather and settle to pool and spread.

Majella Smith sees it. She sees it all, a vision without exact details. A couple hours pass. Majella Smith is at home with her father and sister. Nancy Ellis is here too. A news report comes on the television. The reporter is a woman introducing herself as Johanna Appleby. A young boy has gone missing, possibly abducted from a shopping center. He is six years old and police fear for his safety.

The missing boy ... Majella has had her vision, when a photo is added to the report, she will know that the missing boy is the same boy from her latest vision. It is a little after four in the afternoon, October thirty first, 2018 ... all Hallows Eve ... Halloween ... the boy has not long left to live and Majella knows this.

During the report coming from the location the boy disappeared from, the camera picks up a young lady, indeed Majella recognizes her.

'She was there ... at the Ball, right? One of our ... sisters.'

'Yes', responds Nancy. 'Her name is Charlotte Allen, and she is capable of dividing herself in two as if she were two people ... as if she were twins.'

'We've gotta go ... now.'

'Go where?'

'Go stop her from killing that boy ...'

The end starts now, and it will in more ways than one. As Majella quickly readies herself, a shadow gathers behind Nancy. She turns towards it and quietly speaks '... she is on her way.'

***

'Let me do it, will you?'

'No, absolutely not, go park your behind in front of the television and I'll bring everything right to you ...'

There is no way in hell, as it so happens to be, that Terrence Bolan is going to let his fiancée cook or do much anything else for the next couple of days or so at least. Yeah, almost two months has passed since her accident and Harmony Richards can state she has made a full recovery quite some time ago however, Terrence would not feel it right not to spoil her as best he can over her first holiday time event since that accident and besides, she is already changed into her dressing gown with her showered wet hair wrapped up in a toweled bun, she may as well enjoy being spoilt as best she can.

She might just milk this attention for all that it is worth though putting up a little resistance can be somewhat fun. After sharing a brief smacker on the lips, she does what she is told, sitting down on a cozy couch in front of the television.

A local news bulletin is showing a live report. A young boy has gone missing from a shopping district. The report urges anyone who may have any information to contact numbers given on screen. Harmony's demeanour changes watching this report, a playfulness has departed, and a seriousness takes over, pretty soon something else entirely takes over.

Harmony is not alone. Yeah, Terrence may be cooking in the kitchen, but there is someone else, something else in the living room with Harmony. A shadow gathers as if it were multiple shadows converging into one and it contracts on the floor before expanding up and on to a wall behind Harmony.

Her mobile phone rings, she answers the call and responds to it as if she were being given orders, instructions of some kind, orders she on some level was expecting and in a way is unwittingly compelled to do what is expected of her.

'...Yes ... I do ... I will ...'

Lost in a moment, lost within herself, in some kind of a robotic trance Harmony stands, leaves her phone on the couch, goes and gets her keys and vacated the home she shares with Terrence.

'Who was that honey?' Terrence asks referring to the phone call as he comes into the living room through the doors that lead from the kitchen and dining area.

He is surprised three times in quick succession. One being the fact that Harmony is no longer in the living room, two being the placement of her phone on the sofa and three being the fact that not only is the door to the hallway open but so too is the front door of their home. Has Harmony gone outside ... in a dressing gown and towel? She has more than done that ... she has taken Terrence's car out of the driveway and is driving it away. Where is she going? ...