THE MOMENT
"Let's catch a break, it looks like we've got a few minutes...," Tommy made the suggestion after peeking through the blinds and out into the darkness. The rest of the group were all trying to catch their breath. They ran back to the house to regroup after accidentally awakening an ancient evil slasher. It was supposed to be an uneventful weekend in the woods until someone suggested a ritual, 'for fun'.
"What are we gonna doo??" Blake asked in a panic while still huffing air. Sheila, Kelly, Pete, and Tommy had all pretty much recovered from the run; but, Blake's condition made it harder to breathe when he was nervous.
"We're not carrying you if you fall behind, I'll tell you that much," Pete chuckled as gave Blake a friendly punch on the shoulder. Pete and Blake were best friends; and, everyone in the room knew he meant what he said despite their relationship. Not that any of them could blame him, especially not Blake himself. The whole thing had been his idea to begin with.
"Yeah, yeah, I said I was sorry!" Blake replied. His breathing was still heavy; but, he was getting it more under control.
"Maybe you should go out there and tell that freak you're sorry for summoning him; maybe he'll accept your apology and stop chasing us," Sheila added. She was the newest member of the group and didn't have a high opinion of Blake going in.
"I couldn't have known how it'd turn out!" Blake tried to defend himself. "It seemed harmless when I researched it!"
"This is the worst way to learn you shouldn't read everything on the internet," Tommy chuckled. He remained by the window, still peeking out every now and then to see how close the undead man was getting. They should've been making a plan already; but, the killer seemed to be taking a slow, sinister approach. Tommy knew not all of them would survive the night, and it was a chance for them to spend a little more time together before the horrors continued.
"Son of a bitch!" Kelly suddenly turned toward Blake. "We don't have internet or cell service out here!" she glared at him. "The only time you could have researched it is before YOU invited us all up here! This was your goal from the beginning!"
"It's not what you think!?" Blake said. He stood up in a panic and glanced at the door. And then, nothing happened. After a silent moment, Blake looked over at Tommy. He glanced out the window, then shrugged. "Oh. uhhh, I HAD TO DO IT!" he continued his defense. After that, everyone looked at Tommy again. He shrugged once more and made a gesture with his hand to keep them going.
"What does that mean you HAD to!? I didn't see anyone holding a gun to your head demanding we summon an undead killing machine!" Kelly said. She was Blake's oldest friend, if not his best. She'd had many years of dealing with his issues and she knew they'd come to a head one day. This was not how she imagined it. After the group checked with Tommy once more, Blake answered her.
"It was a test run...," Blake sighed. "... for my mom..."
"Really!??" Kelly shouted even louder. "YOU NEVER MET YOUR MOM! DAMNIT! CUT CUT CUT CUT!"
"oh yeah...," Blake nodded. "Sorry..., I forgot my lines... we're not even supposed to be here anymore...,"
"I'm the only one that can call for a cut," a new voice spoke up as white particles gathered in the center of the living room. "But, since you've already broken character anyway, I'll take this opportunity to listen to what you have to say; don't expect me to always stop just because one of you yells, 'Cut'." The white dust coalesced into a solid shape, it was a large CRT TV sitting on a golden A/V cart, with a faceless figure on the screen. It was a gold mannequin wearing a red suit that spoke without a mouth.
"Helios, what the hell is going on?" the actress who played Kelly asked immediately. "Is the killer barging in through that door or not?"
"Yeah, eventually," Helios chuckled. "You'll have to forgive him, he's not as athletic as a bunch of healthy 20somethings. You guys are just too fast, you got to this location, and through your lines too soon."
"We did it normally, why'd you pick such a slow threat?" the same actress asked. Like the Kelly character she embodied, she was always willing to speak her mind and get to the bottom of things as quickly as possible. "It's not much of a horror movie if we can survive just by staying ahead."
"It depends on the audience, I guess," Helios shrugged. "It might not be scary for any of you, you're all humans. But, it is the seasons of scares after all. I'll tell you, to certain monsters, there's nothing more horrifying than being out of shape and unable to catch your next meal."