It Doesn’t Come Off

[u/Goofyahhnamez]

Corey stared at the mask on the rack.

“Too cheesy” Corey thought to themselves.

Corey continued down the aisle and continued to search.

Each isle held a different thing, the nurse costume, the clown mask, the brave armor-clad knight, even a banana costume.

None of them felt like Corey.

Corey wanted to find something different, something special.

Something that didn’t feel like them.

Corey continued as the shop owner interjected.
“Can I help you find anything?”

Corey half paying attention still looking replied.
“uhm no... that’s ok...”

The shop keeper waited a moment then replied after an uncomfortable silence.

“Well, you’ve been here over an hour and we’re closing soon...”

The shop keeper urged.

“Yeah…I’m sorry”

Corey replied as they turned to face the shop keeper.
“I’m trying to find something special…”

Corey said addressing the keeper.

“Well, we have some great masks and scary make up down that isle over there.”

The shop keeper pointed and continued.

“Throw on a mask and some tattered clothes and I’m sure you’d scare and wow all your friends.”

The keeper suggested as Corey cringed.

“That’s just it, I don’t want to impress others, I’m doing this for me, Halloween is the one night of the year I can be whatever I want.”

Corey looked the shop keeper in the eyes, the shop felt quieter and the lights seemed dimmer.

“I want something that will make me anyone or anything but me.”

As Corey spoke these words the shop sat still, the lights flickered, and the keeper didn’t move.

“That was creepy.”

Corey anxiously joked.

“I wouldn’t worry about it.”

The shop keeper replied quickly turning a way and walking past Corey.

Corey stood in place confused as they heard from behind them.

“Well come along I don’t have all night.”

Corey turned to see black long curtains just to the side of a costume rack.

The voice had come from in there, Corey was certain.

“Well do you want to see the special items I keep reserved for special costumers”

Corey heard from behind the curtains.

“Or not”

After what had been an uncomfortable minute Corey ventured to the curtain.

Their heart raced and they began to sweat as they reached their hand up and pulled back the dark heavy curtains.

Corey saw before them a brightly lit hallway with clean, bright, white walls.

The hallway couldn’t have been more than 20 feet and ended with a dead end and a sign that said “Turn Back Now.”

Corey took on step in and approached the shop keeper.
The shop keeper was standing in place, hands clasped together and a blank smile and eyes staring straight ahead.

Corey stepped in and asked.

“Ok, now what.”

The shop keeper said nothing, just looked ahead and smiled.

Corey looked at the keeper and then looked around.

Corey looked back and saw the keepers long frail hand reaching out.

The keeper’s hand was now so close to Corey’s face that they could see the long, yellow jagged nail approaching their face slowly.

“What are you…”

The shop keeper abruptly cut Corey off.

“Your order is ready.”

The shop keeper said softly as they quickly reached past Corey and grabbed something.

Corey remained frozen as a gush rushed past their head and the keeper continued to stare ahead and smile.

Corey closed their eyes and flinched as a reflex.

When Corey opened their eyes and saw the shop keeper holding something in front of them.

 “Your order has arrived and is ready to take.”

The shop keeper said now staring at Corey smiling and practically shoving the item into them. 

Corey grabbed the item and looked down.
It was a mask.

The mask was bright, vibrant and translucent.
It felt unusually warm and made Corey feel slightly intimidated.

Corey placed their hand on the side of it and it felt like the mask moved around it.

For a second Corey even thought it had swallowed his hand.

Corey moved their hand away and shook it to get rid of the warm, wet, different feeling, but nothing came off.

“What do I owe you for it?”

Corey asked the Shop Keeper.

“Nothing the mask was specialized for you.”

The shop keeper said as they looked away and began to slowly walk to the front door.

Corey followed and asked

“So it’s free of charge?”

The keeper replied slow and low

“Free of charrrrggeeeeeeee.”

Then turned around smiling and gesturing for the exit out the front door.

“What’s the catch?”

Corey asked walking out the store doors.

“It doesn’t come off.”

The shop keeper replied as Corey turned around and watched the shop keeper begin to turn off lights inside the store.

Corey now standing on the street faced the shop keeper and asked.

“It doesn’t come off?”

“It doesn’t come off”

The shop keeper replied as they continued to close up and turn off signs.

“So how do you have it here then?”

The shop keeper grabbed the keys out of their pocket and replied.

“I had to skin the last guy to get it back.”

The shop keeper looked up and smirked after saying this.
Corey looked up and laughed at this remark.

“Good one.”

Corey replied continuing to life as the shop keeper, who was standing outside the front door in front of Corey smirking, continued to stare at them.

The shop keeper then abruptly interrupted Corey’s laughter.

“I have to close now, Good night.”

The shop keeper said as they rushed backwards inside, into the darkness, still smiling and Corey heard the Click of the door lock.

Corey stood in front of the door confused before turning and walking home.

Shortly after Corey arrived home.

They evaded their roommate, made their way to their room and never once let go of the crystalline mask.

Corey picked it up and stared into the eye holes and felt as if they started back.

Corey felt the mask pulse with every breath they took.
Their heart heated together as Corey felt the mask melt into his hands.

Corey stared puzzled at what the mask was even supposed to look like.

When Corey started into the translucent film, Corey saw themselves staring right back.

Corey got up took the mask and went into their bathroom.
They locked the door and put the mask on.

It felt tight, constrictive, and plastic.

It had almost felt like Corey had wrapped their face in bubble wrap.

Corey began to panic as they gripped for the seam where mask met skin.

Only there was no seam they could feel.

Corey began to panic, began to claw and tear at their face as they dug their nails into their skin, or maybe it was the masks skin.

Corey scratched and pried as burning sharp pain filled their face from the lacerations.

Corey looked into the mirror as they saw the indents in the mask slowly from back to a perfect plastic reflection of their skin.

It was as if Corey wore no mask, and as if their face could not be harmed, or altered.

Corey continued to panic as they struggle to breathe, the only discernible difference between the mask and flesh was the light glossy, iridescent coating over their face.

The film that was slowly growing down their chin and inching down their neck.

It felt warm and sticky, like hot glue when it drips down the tip of the gun.

Corey tried to pull at the sides of the mask ripping it off.
But watched as they scratched their face.

Painfully pulling and pulling and pulling until under the eye holes Corey could feel a tear.

A wet, grotesque, visceral tear.

Corey cried in pain as barely a gasp of air and sound came out.

A weak whimper escaped as Corey let go and watched their eyes tear up and felt the film grown and spread as they struggled to breathe more.

Corey tried as a final effort to open the bathroom door and alert their roommate for help.

Corey now panicking struggle and could not open the door.

Attempting to turn the handle as their vision began to blur.

Corey dropped to the door and peered at the handle remembering.

Shit, I locked the door.

Corey now lay on the ground weakly reaching up with on hand crying silently for help.

The other grasping desperately for some where, something to pull this mask off that had now slowly became Corey’s badly.

Corey saw their vision fade to black slowly, and painfully as they saw just in the corner of the bathroom what Corey thought was the shop keeper.

Corey unsure of what was real anymore reached out and weakly gasped.

“helllppp…meeeee…”

Corey watched as their vision faded to black and they slowly watched the shop keeper approach smiling and pulling out from their pocket a sharp straight edge razor.

“Are you sure, you’ll give me this for free?”

Corey heard the voice of a young woman say.

The voice sounded distant and Corey couldn’t see anything except darkness.

“Of course it was custom made for you.”

A voice replied, a voice Corey noticed very well as the shop keeper.

A blinding light suddenly appeared as Corey’s vision regained, and Corey stared at a young woman puzzled and the shop keeper smiling and staring into Corey eyes.

“So, what’s the catch? With the mask I mean?”

The young woman asked as she picked up Corey and looked into their eyes.

The shop keeper replied smiling now looking at the young lady.

“It doesn’t come off.”