Does Halloween frighten you? Would you rather hide in the shadows than open your door?

 

Have you wronged somebody on Halloween night? Do you live in fear of the repercussions of doing so? People, in a town off Highway 65, cringe at the thought of . . .

 

 

Johnny’s Return

 

Johnny died 30 years ago, Halloween night, 1989.

Murdered on Highway 65, his 1988 Chevy found just north of the clay factory.

His body dismembered, parts strewn around—

One ear missing—clothes, nowhere to be found.

 

Mystery surrounding his death, to this day unresolved.

Eerie, the prospect of what will be discovered.

Johnny angered many, pleased few.

Both horrified and guilt ridden, townspeople cringed in fear.

 

Headlines in the weekly paper heightened tension in the once quiet town.

Many suspects, little concrete evidence.

Days passed, no answers.

Coroner’s exam, results inconclusive.

 

Years have passed; trail remains cold.

Each Halloween since, gruesome memories return.

Each Halloween since, fear runs amuck, hearts tremble.

Each Halloween night, every six years since Johnny’s body was found,

        horrible things occur.

 

Halloween 1995, the Smith’s cat mutilated, found in backyard, no clues                

        to perpetrator’s identity.

Halloween 2001, Robinson family car run off the road by 1988 Chevy,                    

        four injured, car not found.

Halloween 2007, McGuthrie house burns to ground, ninety-year-old                        

        grandmother inside, arson suspected.

Halloween 2013, former prom queen found strangled in park, middle finger        

        on right hand missing, still no leads in case.

 

Thirty years have passed, the year now 2019, Halloween tragedy strikes               

        once more.

Town again in disarray, screams of horror penetrate the silence of the night—         

        “Oh no! Oh, my God!” 

Body found just south of the clay factory off Highway 65, dismembered,                  

        parts strewn around—

One ear missing—clothes, nowhere to be found.

 

Another gruesome crime, town in disbelief.

Headlines read, killer returns, similarities to Johnny’s death uncanny.

Could it be, town quivers at the thought, Is the killer among us?

Police have no clues, townspeople retreat to their homes.

 

Doors bolted, trust amongst neighbors gone.

Shades drawn, knocks on doors unanswered.

Phones ring. When answered, just eerie silence on the other end of the line.

People horrified, all around are suspect.

 

In the blackness of night, treachery abounds.

Dogs bark, uneasiness all around.

Cries in the shadows, heard aloud.

Pleas for safe harbor, silenced, unfulfilled.

 

Authorities scrutinize crime scene, evidence found.

Autopsy completed, identification conclusive.

Body parts, all Johnny’s remains.

How can this be? Has Johnny returned? But why?

 

Johnny’s soul, still not at rest.

No love for a town, which treated him with scorn.

Killers all, blood to spill.

No place to hide, darkness draped like a shroud.

 

Disbelief, alarm, townspeople cringe.

Town under siege, broken in parts.

Johnny has returned, revenge his to take.

A town unrelenting, Johnny unforgiving.

 

Night draws to a close, a new dawn breaking.

No sign of Johnny, but with each passing Halloween comes the promise           

        of his return.

No rest for the “wicked,” damned be they.

Turn not your back, trust no soul.

 

Life is hell, anticipation the devil’s design.

A town lost, all in panic.

Sleepless nights cloud peoples’ minds.

Johnny’s case still open, frigid, cold.

 

All still suspects, nobody cleared.

Townsfolk shy away from one another, eyes never meet.

Secrets abound, truth elusive.

Shame on faces shows, anxiety increases.

 

People pray with all their heart Halloween does not come again.

But it will and with it another night of living dread.

Atone for your wrongdoing, your indifference; pray for Johnny’s forgiveness.

Pray for the rescue of Johnny’s soul. 

 

Step forward, those of you complicit in Johnny’s demise.

Release yourself from the devil, repent, and pay for your crime.

Not doing so, may keep you free from earthly authorities, but not from the hell       

        that Johnny will rain upon you.

For Halloween comes once each year, and on that fateful night, on the shoulder     

        of Highway 65, you may find yourself among the dearly departed.

 

The legacy of Johnny’s death lives on in the town off Highway 65.

So search within to forgive Johnny’s transgressions, so he may forgive you.

Pray for Johnny’s salvation. Pray for Johnny‘s forgiveness—

Or Johnny will prey upon you.

 

 

Copyright © 2021 Alan Lowe. All rights reserved.