Mike’s parents had left him home on a cold Sunday night while they went to the theater, like they always did on Halloween. Of course, it was expected; his parents never really minded leaving him alone, and he never gave them a reason to doubt they could. He was a lazy kid, sure—but he didn’t mind that at all.

After all, he could have both pizzas for himself, watch TV on the sofa all night, and stay up as late as he wanted since his parents wouldn’t be back until around 1 AM. It was the best part of the week.

So there Mike lay, sprawled across the sofa with a bucket of salted popcorn and the remote, the TV’s glow flickering softly across the dim room while rain spattered against the window.