HELL'S NIGHT
CHAPTER 17- GETTING READY
“Shit, shit, shit!” Madison mumbled, shuffling around her house searching for the babysitting supplies she would need later that night.
Madison had been sleeping good for the first time in a long time after her friendly encounter with Tony, but the phone rang and ruined it all. Taking a quick glance at her bedside clock and seeing the numbers 12:15 displayed in bright red, she knew she had slept in way too late. It was already quarter past 12, and she had a lot to do to get ready for babysitting, and then the party.
Still half asleep, she managed to pick up the receiver and utter “Hello?”
Madison hated being woke up by a phone call, then answering with a tired groan and having the other person feel ashamed and offering to call back later. So when she did finally answer, she was surprised to hear Sheriff Robinson on the other end of the line. She wasn’t sure if it was her brain adjusting to waking up or if it was even true, but his voice sounded shaky as if something was wrong.
Without any chit-chat whatsoever, which Madison was so accustomed to whenever the Sheriff called, Don cut to the chase and told her he needed her sooner than originally planned and that he would also need her to stay later. Then, he quickly offered more money before Madison could say no or even get a word in edge-wise. The serious tone of his voice told Madison that it was non-negotiable, and that he was really counting on her, so she agreed to be there around five o’clock.
Hanging up the phone, Madison then sat down and laid out her afternoon plans. First, she would have to call Kayla and tell her about the time change, and that would probably take an hour or so. Then, she would need to shower, and that was good for another hour or hour and a half, depending on how good the hot water felt. And after that, it would probably be easily pushing four o’clock, and she still wouldn’t even be close to ready for the long night ahead of her.
***
“Whew, thank god I found these babies,” Madison smirked as she found her pack of Camel Lights cigarettes hidden under her mattress. Glancing back at the clock that read 4:10, she figured she had time for a cigarette or two, so she sat down on her windowsill and lit one up. Still wearing her white tank top and lace panties, she hit play on her stereo and took the first, most soothing drag of her cigarette as the end of it glowed bright orange. A few seconds later, D-12’s song “Devil’s Night” began blasting out of her speakers as she cracked the window and blew a plume of smoke out into the crisp, chilly autumn air.
It was a cold, windy, overcast day, and the sun was just beginning to set on the horizon. She watched as the naked tree branches swayed in the wind and heard the cheering voices as the first trick-or-treaters made their way into the streets of Haddonfield.
Her mind drifted as she thought about the night ahead of her, trying not to be overwhelmed. On the same note, she didn’t want to get her hopes up too high either, and she knew that, so she had to be careful. Reaching the filter of her cigarette, Madison flung it out the window and finished getting dressed.
About fifteen minutes later, she was out the door with her backpack slung over her right shoulder, cradling a pumpkin under her right arm. Hopefully this will keep young Sherry entertained for a while, she thought as she started down the sidewalk toward the Robinson house.
Halloween night was just beginning.
Proceed To Chapter 18
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