I gazed outside at the purplish clouds that slowly flowed over my house and sighed knowing it was time to once again complete the ritual. I had considered moving away over the years but couldn’t face thr thought of leaving behind my hometown.

I went to the shop and could see many of the other locals were stocking up on supplies. None of us acknowledged the presence of the others as it had become an unspoken rule to pretend like everything was normal.

I gathered up all of the items I needed and hurried home as I had spent longer in the shop than I had intended. The sky was now a dark crimson colour that seemed to warn that there be bloodshed tonight.

I had just completed the last of the milkshake when I heard the ominous sound of someone gently tapping on the front door. I took a couple of deep breaths to steady myself before walking over to open it.

I let out a gasp as I saw the young Wilkins boy who had hung himself last year. There were maggots falling out of his now empty eye sockets. He reached out his hand and I carefully placed the milkshake onto his hand.

I held my breath as he took two quick sips and waited to discover my fate. A small smile crossed his face and I let out a sigh of relief as he had enjoyed it. He once again reached out and I tried to hide my revulsion as I took the milkshake back.

He began to hobble away towards the next house leaving a trail of maggots behind. I could hear screams in the distance and knew that I would have one less neighbour in the morning.

I closed the door behind him as I saw others like him coming up the street. I hoped that everyone tonight would enjoy my milkshakes otherwise I would be showing up at someone’s door next year. I heard footsteps approaching my door and knew that it was going to be a busy night