October 14th

Standing on the front porch, Noah grew nervous. He looked himself over, made sure he looked nice, and reached his hand towards the lighted button. The doorbell rang and he waited. When she opened the door, he gasped. She looked so beautiful it blew him away. Her dark hair hung in ringlets past her shoulders onto the lacey purple dress. She smiled big, showing her white teeth and making the cutest wrinkle in her nose. He stared into her green eyes, trying to speak but not sure what to say to her. They'd been dating for a few months, and she always made him feel this way; this was what he got for dating a girl who was so far out of his league.

"Hey, cutie," she said. "Come in."

His lips trembled trying to get the words out. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke.

"My god," he said. "You look… wow."

She stepped outside, pulled him close to her, and kissed him. They smiled at each other; she took his hand and led him inside.

"Don't worry about my family. They'll love you."

She took him into the living room where her father was watching the television. Noah made sure he offered a firm handshake.

"Nice to meet you, sir," he said. Her father smiled and squeezed his hand tightly. It seemed to be his way of demonstrating how strong he was (and how much of a threat he could be). Noah already knew Annalise's brother, who nodded towards him with indifference. Her mother was in the kitchen. Noah headed towards that area to offer his assistance.

"No!" Annalise cried out. "She has it taken care of."

Noah spent the next thirty minutes with his girlfriend on the sofa. When supper was prepared, they sat around an oval-shaped table. Noah sat directly across from Annalise, and they rubbed their feet against one another.

"So," said her father as they ate. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

"Dad!" Annalise cried out.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he said. "Noah, are you a good kid? Staying off of drugs? No intention of getting my daughter pregnant?"

"N… n… no," Noah said.

"Good," he said. "You have sex with her, I'll cut your dick off."

"DAD!" Annalise shouted.

"Okay. Okay," said her father. "I'm kidding." He looked over at Noah with a face that indicated that he was not kidding at all.

Noah ate his steak, answering the remainder of the questions with simple answers. They asked what his interests were, what his plans were after school — basic questions to ask a teenager boy when trying to get to know him. At the end of the meal, Noah stood and offered to take his plate to kitchen. Annalise grabbed his arm.

"You don't have to do that," she said.

"No, go ahead," said her mother.

"Mom," she said, somewhat urgently.

"Go ahead, Noah," said her father.

As he walked into the kitchen, he could head their whispers.

"I really like him."

"You knew this was going to happen."

"It has to happen. Better now than later."

She's going to break up with me, he thought.

On a table next to the kitchen door, he saw a jack-o'-lantern with an intricate picture carved into its side. It's wasn't a face - more like a drawing. One body lay dead while a person standing over them was hunched over like a dog, eating their carcass.

"What the hell is this," he said softly to himself.

He opened the kitchen door, and immediately dropped his plate. Lying on the counter, cut open with most of the meat missing from the torso, was a human body.

Noah backed away. That steak had been unusually delicious, and this new reality made him want to hurl. He turned around and saw Annalise and her family standing in the doorway.

"I like you," she said. "I really do. I might have even let you be my first — but I can't deny what I am."

She closed her mouth. When she reopened it, her jaw extended much wider and revealed a set of unnatural pointed teeth. Her parents and brother demonstrated the same act.

"What are you?"

Annalise looked at her father. "Ghouls?" she asked.

"Close enough," he said. "We eat people, so that part should worry you."

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