An overwhelming feeling of dread overtook Roger as he glanced in the bathroom mirror. Unsteady on his feet, he dropped like a ping pong ball to the ground, compacting to the space available.

Rubbing his neck, he sat against the tub, "Halloween," he whispered.

Pulling himself up from the floor, he put on his costume and headed to school.

"Zombie Princess," he remarked to his lab partner in the hall.

"I wanted to be original," Jenny smiled, "And you're Evel Knievel. Will you be doing any tricks?"

"Indeed, I will."

"Is that right, underclassman?" the football team captain put his arm around Jenny.

"Tonight, at the height of Trick-or-Treat on Birch Ave," he announced to the crowd, "I will be doing a ramp-to ramp motorbike jump three car lengths long."

"Wow," Jenny chuckled. "that's pretty brave."

"Right," the jock huffed, "I'll be there underclassman, to watch you crash and burn."

Jenny winked at Roger as she allowed herself to be guided away.

Building his momentum, Roger performed various tricks throughout the day. Each more complicated than the last. Gliding by on luck, the young gambler didn't refuse a challenge, narrowly missing a shard of glass that almost took an eye. In the crowd, he began to notice a man. Someone dark and mysterious, but each time he tried to get a closer look, the man vanished. Arriving home, Roger again felt an overwhelming dread as he passed by the hall mirror.

Moon high in the sky, he took the stage. The street lights provided pockets of brightness that dramatized the length of the jump Roger was about to attempt. The bike growled into the night like an angry bear being awakened early from hibernation. The daredevil took a deep breath as he sighted in his jump. Helmet on, he revved the engine and took off at light speed. Pedal down, the brave adventurer rolled off the first ramp into the air. Looking down, he noticed the same man in the crowd, but this time he was darker and angry. His eyes glowed bright red taking Roger's breath away.

The bike bounced onto the downward ramp. The crowd gasped as it wobbled side to side. Roger turned the handlebars fast and hard, spinning the motorbike around in a circle before coming to a stop. The masses erupted in cheer. Roger's thick brown locks floated in the breeze as he ripped off his helmet. Regaining his breath, he scanned the crowd for the man he had seen, but he was gone.

Surrounded by ghosts and goblins, he climbed off his bike, displaying his colors proudly for his fans.

"Thank Knievel," he whispered to himself before bellowing out the crowd, "Happy Halloween!"

Playing to the crowd, Roger stepped on a stray lollipop. His body flung forward, sending the crown of his head onto the tire's hard rubber, snapping his neck in two.

"Happy Halloween," a deep voice echoed through the street as parents pulled their children close to their side.