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Stay Where You Are, We Will Find You

November 1, 2025
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Cartoon illustration by Mark Armstrong. Halloween corn maze. Piece of cheese is navigating his way through tunnels in a pumpkin. He's avoiding scary hazards like piranha, pendulum, spider, monsters, fiery pit, etc. He's creeping down the last tunnel where a hungry rat is waiting for him.

blank vertical space, 16 pixels highA Halloween thriller for you.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

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There were a lot of cars in the field. Some school buses, too. It was the sort of place where bad things could happen. I wondered who was watching and where the cameras were.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

The voice behind me said, “Go ahead, it’ll be fun. We’ll meet you at the graveyard, then get something to eat.”blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I looked over at the graves. There was a pile of dirt next to one that had something sticking out of it.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I ducked into the entrance. Something dry and crinkly scraped my neck. There weren’t any signs, you could go either way. I started down the corridor to my right. Something black lurched into the passage, and I could see the glint of a knife.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I ran the other way and around a corner. I tripped and fell into some kind of web. The strands sagged and bobbed like big hairy rubber bands. I screamed and clawed my way free.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I almost fell into the pit. It was filled with green bile that roiled and bubbled. A bloody hand bobbed on the surface. One of the fingers was missing.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I leaped over the pit, and ran down the passage. An arm with a meat cleaver crashed through the wall and missed me by inches. Left, right, left again. I turned the corner and almost ran into a wall. Dead end. I stood there, trying to catch my breath.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I heard a noise behind me. The wall crackled and hissed, and a body fell into the passage. There was a hatchet buried in its back.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I ran back the way I came. I lost track of all the turns. I slipped in some orange slime and felt the world go black.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

My head was pounding and I felt cold. Above me the sky was black and I could see stars. I felt something slide across my face. I sat up with a scream and brushed it away. A slimy, sticky seed. I was covered with them.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I heard a voice that seemed to come from all over. “We have closed the facility. Do not panic. Stay where you are. We will find you…”blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I heard sirens and the crackle of a radio. Above me, the thudding of helicopter blades. A searing white light penetrated the walls and was gone.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I broke through the wall. It whispered and hissed and pulled at my clothes. I crashed through a second wall, then another, and another. Finally I was outside. Suddenly, everything was louder. I could hear dogs barking and running feet coming closer and closer. “Do not move. We will find you…”blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I crawled through a drainage ditch filled with brackish water. A rat scurried over my hand. “There he goes!” cried a garbled, electronic voice. “He’s headed for the orchard!”blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I charged across the field and into the trees. Branches raked my face, then I was slipping and sliding on rotten apples. The rotor blades thudded and pounded into my brain. Then I was trapped in a bright white light.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I fell to my knees, gasping for breath. The barking got louder, and I could see black shapes running towards me across the field.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

“Stay where you are,” blared a mechanized voice, “we’re here to help you…”blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I knew it was over. I could feel Death’s icy hand on my neck…blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

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It was 9:12 AM. Herman Plunkard was eating a donut and watching television. He finished the donut and took another, his fourth, out of the box.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

“Listen to this,” he said, as his wife Winifred came into the living room with a little watering can. She watered their 27 cactus plants every morning, whether they needed it or not.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

“Some stupid kid got trapped in that corn maze out on Route 70. His folks called the cops, and they shut the place down to look for him. Kid thought they were tryna kill him. Been watchin’ too many zombie movies. They finally caught the little dumbass in some apple orchard.”blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

“Hush, don’t say such things!” said Winifred. “Our pretty widdle pricklies are very sensitive, aren’t you, dears?? You could stunt their growth…”
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About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, branding, social media, and content marketing. My images are different, like your brand needs to be.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

You can view my portfolio, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

Questions? Send me an email.blank vertical space, 40 pixels highPhoto of illustrator Mark Armstrong. Mark's written a children's book and he's going to self-publish it. He'll be sharing his progress and his research on self-publishing in a Substack newsletter called "Mark Armstrong, Children's Book Author." You can subscribe for free.

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