"Well, tomorrow is Halloween. Do we have enough candy?" JJ asked.
"I think that thirteen bags of candy is more than enough," Alex assured him.
"Thirteen? What happened to the other two bags?"
"Um..." Karen hedged, "I think they must have been stolen."
"Or eaten," Kris interjected, " they might have been eaten."
"By the thieves," Shannon clarified, "eaten by candy thieves."
"Uh-huh," JJ eyed them suspiciously, "whatever you say."
"Hey, turn this up," Alex said, pointing at the TV.
"Scientists say that they have estimated the trajectories," the balding newsman reported, "the so-called 'Party Popper' asteroid group is on a course that will take it extremely close to Earth. They say that the possibility of collision with Earth is unlikely, but astronomers all around the world are keeping a very close eye on these party crashers."
"Party Poppers," Karen mused, "I like that."
Alex and JJ exchanged a meaningful look, then both retreated quickly to their respective rooms. A few minutes later they both returned, each with a large duffle bag. Alex dropped his on the floor by the dining room table, then began clearing off the papers, old mail, and unwashed plates. JJ dropped his beside the coffee table and started cleaning it off as well.
"Uh, what's going on?" Shannon asked, watching the two men start unloading the contents of their bags onto the tables.
"Rampant paranoia," Tony said confidently, "overactive survival instincts are kicking in."
"Close," Alex corrected him, "What happens whenever there's even a rumor of impending doom?"
"People panic," Tony answered without hesitation, "and they sometimes riot, loot, and otherwise act like complete idiots."
"Exactly. And we just want to be ready if anyone around here starts acting like complete idiots."
The supplies that they were breaking out consisted of a variety of survival gear; MREs, water filters, waterproof matches, thermal blankets, and other such things. Then they were disassembling and cleaning pistols. Pieces of each were scattered about the tables as they cleaned them methodically, just as they had learned in the army.
"While the boys play with their guns," Kris said primly, "let's work on our Halloween costumes."
"Great," Karen said, "you're better at sewing than I am."
"I'm going to go get stuff for my costume," Tony said as he grabbed is jacket, "I'll scout the locals and let you know if pandemonium is breaking out in the streets,"
"Thanks," Alex said flatly, "be safe."
Tony rolled his eyes as he opened the door. His comment had been meant sarcastically, after all, but Alex just took it in stride. That meant that he really thought that there could be trouble. That actually made him stop and think. If Alex was that worried, then he probably should be too.
Nah. He just hadn't had an excuse to play with his toys for awhile.
"Hey guys," Karen called out, "turn the TV to the news." Her laptop was playing a news story.
"Once again the Party Poppers have changed scientists' minds," the bright-eyed reporter's perfect smile glared brightly on the television. "There is now concern that this group of meteors may, in fact, be on a collision course with Earth."
"Oh my Goddess!" Kris gasped, looking up from her sewing machine.
"Efforts are underway to estimate the size of the objects," the reporter continued, "that will determine the threat, if any, to our planet if there is a collision. Stay tuned to channel..."
Alex turned the TV off, "That's why I hate TV today. Even the 'news' has to dramatize everything. That's what people want; drama. Why do you think footage of disasters or terrorist acts keep playing over and over for days, and on every channel that claims to deliver news."
"Well they have to do something to keep their viewers interested," Karen made the excuse.
"It's as bad as what MTV did; turn to 'reality' shows to keep from losing viewer interest. Then again, they're basically the same thing."
It was a couple of hours later that Alex and JJ were lugging their payload of decorations and treats into the mall. Their muscles bulged with the weight of the bags and boxes they were carrying. The mall was already filling with people, mostly parents with their children, and most in costume.
"Hey Alex, JJ," someone yelled behind them.
"Who is that?" JJ asked.
The person running towards them was actually more quickly shuffling in their direction. His arms and legs were wrapped in tubes covered with aluminum foil, the oversized shoes causing his faltering gait. His torso was enclosed in a large silver cylinder, and his head was covered in a silvery edifice that was of questionable stability and function.
"What are you supposed to be." JJ asked, "Bender?"
"What's a bender?" John's voice echoed from inside of the helmet.
"Really? You don't know who Bender is?"
"No I don't. I'm the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz."
"I can see it," Alex said, "you just need an axe."
"I was going to pick up a plastic one in the costume shop."
"Good luck with that."
Setting up the VFW booth was more involved than they had anticipated. John and JJ continued to work on getting it finished while Alex started handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. He loved to see all of the kids in costumes, the fancier the better. But JJ had other preferences.
"Man I love Halloween," he said as he watched a pair of college girls walk by in sexy nurse costumes, "especially in a college town."
"It's not supposed to be about the sexy outfits," Alex said.
"Why the hell not?"
"Originally," John put in with a lecturing tone, "All Hallows Eve was a time when spirits and demons were supposed to be able to walk the Earth. People dressed in the scariest costumes they could in order to frighten the demons away."
"Actually, before that it was called Samhain," Alex was lecturing now, "and it was considered to be the one time of the year when the veil between the living world and the afterlife was the thinnest. That meant that it was the easiest time to speak with the dead."
JJ added, "so the Pagans could honor their loved ones and their ancestors."
"I didn't know that," John sounded surprised.
"Yeah, the Church stole it ad turned it into something scary. Their way of undermining other religions that weren't Christianity."
Alex looked disappointed, "now it's all about the sexy cheerleaders and sexy nurses and sexy zombies. I guess it's true what they say; sex sells."
"Yes it does," he was staring at a tall shapely woman with long raven black hair. She was wearing a black body suit that had white skeleton bones painted on it. Her face was painted white, and made to look like a skull. Her sizeable breasts were covered by what appeared to be the top half of two skulls, and a jawbone framed her pelvis.
"Guten Abend," said a man with a German accent, "How are vee dis evening?"
The German man was of average size, but had some wild curly brown hair that stuck out from under a bowler hat and an unruly moustache. His round glasses were reminiscent of Harry Potter, and he wore a brown tweed suit, complete with a vest and pocket watch.
"Tony?" Alex peered at his eyes, trying to pierce the costume.
"Indeed, sir knight," he maintained the accent, bowing slightly to them.
"Candy anyone?" Shannon came skipping up dressed in black nursing scrubs with spider web designs. She was also wearing a tall pointy witch hat, and carrying a wicker basket filled with granola bars, sugar free gummy bears, and other mostly healthy treats.
"What are you supposed to be?" JJ asked.
"Duh. I'm a witch doctor."
"Now zat ees vut I call zexy!"
"Obviously you're a knight," she said to Alex, "but what are you, JJ?"
"You can't tell?" he was wearing white jeans and tee shirt, but over that he was wearing a large white trash bag in which he had made leg holes. The bag was then filled with crumpled up white paper and wrappers. On his head was a hat made out of folded newspaper.
"He's white trash," Alex said, rolling his eyes, "in more then one way."
"You bet I am!"
Shannon laughed, then said, "we were just about to head to the park for Kris' Samhain ritual. Are you guys planning on coming?"
"Alex shook his head, "not until we're finished here. But we might show up later on."
