Showtime on the Devil's Stage!

This is my entry into the Halloween 2026 story event. I decided to make it as dark and as horror-filled as I could. After all, You're supposed to be scared on All Hallows' Eve, right?

=========================================================================

The announcer on the TV was at the end of the story and gearing up to repeat it. It was like an instant replay.

Harriet Cranston was your 'go-to' person for information about our neighborhood. She and my mom, Terri, were having coffee in the living room. Mom was in the kitchen refilling coffee mugs, praying we would hurry to pick her up, as our house was right on the way out of town. My family loves to ski, and Dad's boss let him have the keys to his family's lodge for a week after he landed two new clients who were, as my Father says, "Like riding the gravy highway on biscuit wheels." Meaning they would make Dad's company a hefty profit over the years if they used his firm. Not to mention that 12 inches of fresh powder had fallen the night before and was still coming down nicely.

Dad's job was to pick up both of my sisters at their house, then drive over to pick me up from school. He loved the snow, no matter how it came down. So Dad picked everyone up. Mom, however, had to stay at home while she tried to remember where she had left her new snowsuit. She had found all of her missing gear and piled it by the front door earlier.

Harriet screamed, "OH, MY GOD!... TERRI!!" Mom ran into the room. She saw Harriet shaking and pointing at our big-screen TV. Mom turned and looked just in time to see the instant replay. The dashcam from a truck and the car behind the semi showed the semi ahead had a blowout on the cab's right front tire, causing the hub and rim to bite hard into the highway, whip the rest of the truck like a whip, and swing around Dad's SUV with the rear tires. The semi continued to go over the side of the bridge. The rear wheels hit the SUV, sending it into a spin and causing it to follow the semi over the edge.

The media proved that they don't have a heart when they froze the last frame. They zoomed in on the SUV. The last anyone in the country saw of my Father was through the SUV's windshield. The sadness in his eyes and the terror on his face, looking death in the eye. But what they didn't show was the defeat in his eyes right before it went over, knowing it was the end, and his hope that it would be over soon. He knew everyone in the family, but Mom was in the SUV. I just hoped the drop was as short as possible, knowing no one could have survived. Mom collapsed like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Her eyes were open, and her body was functioning normally; it was her mind that had disconnected to protect her from the truth and the shock of what she had seen.

Almost everyone, that is.

I had been away visiting Aunt Rosie, one of Mom's sisters. She was always afraid of the long, thick icicles that always built up and asked me to dislodge them all while she held the ladder steady. I thought it would be easy. I'm a 16-year-old boy. I'm Superman! Right?

That's when I found out how wrong I was. The front is done. The side of the house with the tall sticker bushes is done. I started the back where Aunt Rosie had her 'rock-gardens'. There was one right where I needed to set the ladder, so I did, after adjusting a few rocks in the garden to steady it enough to climb up.

Aunt Rosie's phone went off as I was telling her I was going up. She turned to see who was calling her, and just as she took her eyes off the ladder, the rocks shifted, and then my Aunt pushed the ladder over. Suddenly, the world shifted to the right. I briefly remember wondering what was happening when the fireworks show started.

I started to come around, hearing echoes that slowly became voices. I became aware a little more and saw daylight in the room. People were moving around me, and somebody was crying. I went black again.

I came to later and noticed a couple of people around me. I noticed the sound of someone trying to learn to play the music on metal drums. That's when I noticed my eyes were narrowed to slits, like a hockey goalie's mask. I glanced down as far as I could and saw both legs wrapped in casts. Both casts were purple, black, and red from blood soaking through, add to that I couldn't move my head or talk. I lost it. My entire body started shaking, and the scream I let out was like someone had gorilla tape across my mouth. Then, the pressure in my head rose to a very painful level for a moment, and then suddenly was gone. I thought I noticed the color red coming down across my right eye. Thankfully, I didn't remember anything after that, as the darkness slowly took me.

I surfaced later for a moment and saw what looked like a blizzard outside the window. The next time I did, I noticed it was sunny outside while a bird flew quickly by the window. Both times I surfaced, it was only for a moment before I went back under. This time, the leaves were beginning to change, and I was able to remain that way for a while.

I noticed that the room felt different, almost breezy. I enjoyed it, but what I really needed was someone to put another layer of cloth over my eyes. I couldn't handle the direct sunlight with just one layer.

Wait...

SUNLIGHT??

I couldn't move my hands to remove the cloth covering my face, so I tried moving my head back and forth. The cloth had slipped enough to show me Grandma Webber's face. Then, I heard her say, "She's waking up, get her into the van and dose her again!" Then she turned and spoke to someone walking beside her, "Well, it's a good thing she held out until almost all the surgeries were finished!" Grandma spoke loudly to the driver, "Go on, take her to the home. I'll be along shortly." She slammed the doors shut, and off I went. I slowly faded away from reality again.

=============

My eyes snapped open, and I was totally awake for once. I still couldn't move my head, but I could see enough to know I was in another hospital room, and this one had no windows. About 20 minutes later, Grandma Webber and all six of my Aunts came into the room, following along. They stood encircled around me so I could see them all looking at me.

"Well, Johnathon, I think it's time we explained what happened to you, as I believe you have a lot of questions as well. As the ladies go first, it is your turn to be respectful and to listen to everything we have to say. Then, you may speak. Understand?

"As you know, all of your Aunts and I have varying knowledge in the medical field. But we just wanted to relax and be ourselves while we were with family, so we didn't let any family members know we were all among the top surgeons in our respective fields. Your Mother is in quite a state, thinking she lost all of her family at once. So I called all my daughters together, and after much discussion, we all came to the final decision that was best for everyone in the family. We had to call in some very large favors and even had to blackmail a few of them to achieve our desired goal."

She took a deep breath and looked all my Aunts in the eye before returning to me. "Your Mother's mind has collapsed into itself, and there is no way to reach her. Your Aunt Rosie was the cause of your condition, leaving you badly broken, and she will never be free of that guilt. Yet, in a way, you became a blank canvas to do with as we please. We needed you to help return my daughter to me, so we made you into a Hermaphrodite for several reasons."

"Your Mother would never let you go because you're her only child now, and we didn't want it to look like an incestuous relationship between a Mother and son, so we made it a mother-daughter relationship, as that would be more acceptable in the family, as well as to all our friends. To make up for what we did to you, we made it so you can have any sex you want as you continue through the rest of your life. We all knew this would make you forget about everything that's happened and be happy."

I never knew how fucking crazy Mom's whole family was, but it finally fell into place. That's the reason why none of the men had ever stayed with them for more than a few years before running off.

"Mr. Knapps is going to work with you for a few months, Johnathon. After he gets done with you, all of Johnathon will be gone, and all that will be left shall be an obedient daughter named Jessica, who only remembers to obey her Mother, Terri. Mr. Knapp is well-versed in the drugs needed to make you accept your brainwashing permanently. I want to thank you for your sacrifice in saving my child." They all filed out, and not one of them ever looked back at me as the door closed.

The man I expected to be, Mr. Knapp, stepped up and injected two syringes into the IV and another into my left thigh. "Don't fight it, Jessica. Let the drugs take hold and float through your body to your mind. I have something I believe you will find interesting, honey." He put earplugs in my ears and covered my eyes with PlayStation goggles. He flipped a switch on the side of the goggles as lights and patterns exploded before my eyes, and something was being whispered to me through the headphones, too low for my fuzzy mind to grasp.

For the next 6 months, I was subjected to Electroshock therapy, physical and sexual abuse, and more and more drugs. I would be given certain drugs that kept my body charged sexually while he was playing in the earpieces. He just expanded on that idea while he kept placing triggers in my mind that refused to let my body cum. After months of reprogramming my mind and body to function only when my triggers were used, I was told that I was addicted to any cum from a male or female. That if I wanted to continue living, I had to become a slave to my Goddess, Mother Terri.

'Johnathon' was no more. I was Jessica, submissive to my Mother, Terri. Serving her as well as her Mother and sisters, even sexually if she so directed. I was always required to keep my makeup fresh and perfect for them at all times, even if I was commanded to serve any one of them sexually.

My Grandma and Aunts did everything they could for two weeks to see if I would break. After it was all done, Grandma gave him an envelope and a medium-sized box, the size of a new men's dress shirt box.

Mr. Knapp looked into the box and saw four folders, each thick with papers. "This is the last of all the pictures and papers you have on me?" He asked.

Grandmother replied, "It's all there. The envelope contains your 'tip for a job well done.' Just remember not to go very far away. I might have other jobs for you." She chuckled.

Mr. Knapp turned to me, took my hand in both hands, and kissed the back of my hand. "Jessica, it was a pleasure to serve you so you could find your true path," but no one noticed the pattern his fingertips were tapping on my palm underneath. He tipped his hat to us and gave me a strange wink. "My friend," he said to me first, then turned to Grandma and her sisters. "Laddies," he said, and walked through the front door of the assisted living center, got into his car, and drove away.

It seemed as if my vision blurred a bit, but returned to normal a second later.

Grandma said to her daughters, "It's late. Why doesn't everyone go to sleep here and drive back home in the morning?" She placed her hand against my cheek. "You need your rest, Jessica. You'll be meeting your Goddess tomorrow to begin your lifelong service to her. Let me tuck you in so we all can get a good night's rest, shall we?" Grandma takes me to a room as I prepare for bed. She kisses my cheek goodnight and leaves for her room. I have a hard time sleeping, but then I hear someone whisper.

"Johnathon"

I look around the room, but no one is there. I lay back down and closed my eyes again to get some rest.

"Johnathon"

I thought it came from the bathroom, so I got up and peeked around the corner. There was nothing there, so I stepped in to make sure. I made a complete turn and froze when I looked into the mirror. Mr. Knapp was standing in it. I looked into his eyes and heard the phrase, "frogs in winter." I felt like my old memories had opened up under my feet and swallowed me whole, as my mind was flooded with both old and new ones. My head jerked back sometime after Mr. Knapp said, "Let's dance."

I had been turned loose as my memories assaulted my mind, making me remember everything. Then he told me to return to the room where he had brainwashed me. He told me to pick up the trash bag from the wastebasket, and he left me a present there. I reached in and felt something hard, so I pulled it out. In my hand was a 9mm Glock with a silencer taped to it.

His voice in my mind told me that my Grandma would have someone waiting for him when he started driving home. Then he was to be killed to keep the secret about me buried. He had also left a video recording of all his meetings with the women in my family, as well as what happened to me, to help prove my story, between the planter on the porch and the front steps. He continued telling me that Grandma had sabotaged his car. His daughter and wife were killed in that car. When Grandma found out, she fabricated evidence that made it look like he had done it to blackmail him.

The blizzard of memories began to settle in my head.

"I could never get close enough to exact my revenge, but you, Johnathon, they won't let you go and keep you close to them. Johnathon, I gave you back your life as best I could, and now you can take revenge for us both by turning all the evidence in to the police and having them all sent up for life in prison. I'm sorry they attacked one of their own with such carelessness, to use him as they use everyone else to make their evil work unhindered. I left you the gun for your own protection against them. You need to finish this for both of us. There is a switch on the back of the phone that will let you dial anyone on the outside. 911 should be your first call. Farewell and Godspeed, my friend. I can't tell you about the pride and strength you have shown me!" His image faded from the mirror.

The family I had lost ran through my mind, even the last picture of my Father. The off-handed way my Grandmother told me about the life they had planned for me to live, their attempt to wipe my mind clear with drugs, trying to make sure I no longer existed, right up to the pain and suffering they handed to me as they gutted the remainder of my normal life. The bathroom temperature in the room felt like it was -10. I no longer recognized my reflection in the mirror, but I knew a fire burned inside me. I looked into the mirror and realized the feeling trying to consume me had a name: Justice!

I went down to the switchboard and ripped the wires out. No one was coming to save them tonight! I found the patients' rooms, as well as the vacant rooms they were using.

I knew Grandma would be upstairs in a room close to mine; the others were all downstairs on the first floor. I went into the kitchen, grabbed a handful of steak knives, and began making my rounds among those patients who were so deserving of my attention. I slipped into my Aunt Thelma's room first. I saw that her phone was unlocked. With a vengeful smile on my face, I set her phone on its side and set the timer to take a picture.

When the numbers got close to 20 seconds, I took a knife in my hand, and the other was wrapped up tightly in her hair. I pulled her head up and banged it hard on the metal bars along the bed's sides. Before she could scream, I started using the knife to cut her jugular open. Her eyes were wide and scared as the phone took the picture. I held it before her eyes as she lay dying. "Damn, Thelma, it's a perfect selfie of us, don't you think?" Her body shook a bit and then stopped moving. "Hmm, well, at least I liked it." I saved the picture to memory, took the phone, and exited the room.

Aunt Susan was in the next room. She had a nightlight on because she was afraid of the dark. "Hey there, Susan, I would like to give you my input on the situation we have here. As you guys never let me have my say about anything. I'll get right to the heart of my problem with you." I savored her fear as I shoved the knife into her chest. My hand was over her mouth to keep her quiet. "Let's take a selfie so we can treasure this moment always! I'll leave the light on so the dark won't scare you anymore, Bitch!"

I checked the patient list and found the room where my Aunt Cathi was. She never really liked me, and I didn't like the either. I strolled into the room, grabbed her by the hair, and bounced her head off the concrete walls three or four times. Then I shoved the knife into the roof of her open mouth, making sure enough of the blade ended up in her brain above as best I could. I sure hope she liked the selfie I took.

Aunt Brenda was my next stop. She looked so righteous, and she showed her prideful smile when Grandma told me what they had done to me. I wanted something special for this cunt! I looked for the breaker box that fed the hallway she was in. I found a length of wire with a plug on its end. Then I used a section of wire to run an arc over the breaker to her room. I slipped into her room, taped her wrists to the metal bedframe, and then used the tape to keep her mouth closed. I was already sitting on her legs and securing her ankles to the metal frame at the foot of the bed. I hit her hard across the face, leaving a splatter of blood that continued along the wall beside her.

"Do I have the cunt's attention now?" I smiled at her, laughing. "So, where is that 1000-watt smile of yours, Brenda? Well, if you can't show it to me, I'll guess it needs to be recharged. I pulled out my dick and pissed all over her. From her open eyes to her feet, "Still won't show me? Well, I have ten reasons why you should." I grabbed one of her fingers on her right hand and ripped the finger back hard, smiling when I heard the bones breaking. Her body was trying to get away from the pain. "Remember when I said I had 10 reasons? I ripped another finger sideways and made sure the bones were being broken in the most painful way I could. "I have 8 more reasons why you should show me!"

I continued breaking her fingers one by one until I had every one of them twisted and broken going every which way. "You know, it's not polite not to show me that smile you had on when all of you had me tied down, enjoying the misery I was in." I stripped the ends of the wire bare and wrapped them around both of her big toes. I leaned close to whisper in her ear, "There are only three of you hellspawn left. I wouldn't want to separate you all, seeing how close you all are. So I will have to settle for recharging that beaming smile you showed me earlier." I kept flipping the switch on the wire on and off; you could see the effect in her eyes. "I guess I'll just keep trying to charge that smile."

I took a short video of her thrashing around the bed in pain, then shut it down so I could show it to her. "See how your skanky ass is flopping all over like you were getting fucked? Oh, wait, you really are fucked!" I laughed in her face, then I turned towards the door. "Come on, Auntie, show your new family member how you can beg for more!" I walked out of the room while the wire connected to her toes was still plugged into the socket. I turned off the overhead light and closed the door.

Aunt Silvia was next up. She had always been religious, or so she says. She always said her life was prepared to meet the Lord. What a fucking hypocrite! I saw her coming from the kitchen, stuffing a large bowl of ice cream into her mouth as she came up the stairs. I entered an empty room and pulled the cords off the window blinds. I looked back down the stairs and saw Silvia go back into the kitchen to grab a handful of cookies, then start back up the stairs. I quickly tied the cord to the railing, made a loop in the cord, and pulled it back through, making a generic hangman's rope.

Silvia got to the top of the stairs. Her mouth was stuffed, almost overflowing. She had gagged herself with all that food; she couldn't cry out for help if she wanted to. She was surprised when she felt my weight on her back and even more surprised when she felt me slip the cord around her neck. "Hey Silvia, when you see God, tell him there's more headed his way!" Then I pushed her body over the railing. She received her final reward, a short drop and a sudden stop.

Aunt Rosie and Grandma were all that was left. I had to think up something special for the two of them. Both of them deserved my undivided attention.

I wasn't coming up with much until I saw an extension ladder leading up to an unused 2nd-story window. I just smiled.

After getting everything set up, I made the journey to Aunt Rosie's room with two rolls of tape. I slipped inside and nudged her arm a bit. When her head came up off the pillow, my fist connected with her chin, knocking her out. I taped her hands together as well as her mouth shut, then dragged her body to the window where the ladder was waiting. After I secured her to the top of the ladder, I threw a cup of water in her face to wake her up.

"Time for you to wake up. You need to claim your reward for all your hard work, bon voyage!" Then I gave her a hard shove, pivoting the ladder on its bottom legs, sending her to the parking lot below. I heard her hit the ground and smiled as I saw the blood splatter spread out.

Dear old grandmother was the last one on my list. She deserved something extra special. Looking through the nurse's supply closet, I came across a bottle of chloroform. (Perfect!)

I soaked the cloth and held it to her face. She started to struggle, then her eyes went wide as she recognized me. "I changed my name to Karma. I've come to collect my due!" I smiled as she slowly passed out. When she came to, she found herself strapped to the bed, unable to move. Her eyes were wild as she stared at me. She watched as I changed the leather gloves I was wearing for a pair of surgical rubber gloves. I showed her the tray containing the medical instruments I planned to use. I slipped on a doctor's gown as I explained to her, step by step, what I was going to do to her. "I may not be as good as you when it comes to cutting into someone, so if I make a mistake, just be sure to scream out and tell me what I'm doing wrong. If you're ready for me to proceed, nod your head." I grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head up and down on the bed a few times. "Glad you agree, guess it's time we get started then!"

I started at her feet and worked my way up, never doing enough damage for her to pass out for long. (I had a chart showing all the body's veins and arteries to make sure she lasted till the end. I wanted her to be able to enjoy the entire time we had together.)

I bagged up everything I had used and wiped down everything else I had touched or might have touched, then threw it into the dumpster behind the 7-11 near the house and walked into the house through the back door. A cop stopped me in the kitchen and asked who I was. I told him I lived there, and then asked him what he was doing in our house. He took me to see my Mother. In her mental state, she held her arms out to me when I yelled, "Oh, my God! Mom, what happened?" Her mind only registered that one of her daughters had somehow survived, and she wrapped me in a fierce hug, not letting me go.

The investigation went on for months, but without finding any clues as to who was responsible for all the murders, the police filed it as another cold case. The press called it "The Halloween murder spree."

The way I see things, the female side of my brain can now give the male side of my brain someone to talk to when the physical side of me has to shut down to recharge.

***************

"Can we ask you a question?

If we find a man or woman who wants to have sex with us, can we still call it group sex?"

Happy Halloween XXOO!!