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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/adorabletapeworm on 2024-10-31 16:59:29+00:00.

Previous case

We had all the preparations in place, but I still didn’t feel ready when the sun got low in the sky.

(If you’re not familiar with what Orion Pest Control’s services are, it may help to start here.)

Crows had been stalking Wes all day, trailing him like a hungry, sentient shadow. Their calls were haunting. It sounded like they were mocking us.

An hour before sunset, he joined us as we built up the bonfire. In the distance, excited barks could be heard in the woods. The only time Wes reacted to any of the Hunt’s scouts was to nonchalantly flip off one of the crows that got a little too close. The birds merely cackled.

As someone that has seen what Hunters can do when they’re angry, his brashness made me nervous.

“I wouldn’t have done that.” I told him.

“I figure the more I annoy them, the less likely they are to come after the rest of you.” He explained, eyes shining menacingly at the remaining birds.

Wes kept watching the sun’s progress in the sky, seemingly eager for it to disappear behind the horizon. Meanwhile, Reyna and Cerri were silent, Reyna’s eyes shifting towards the crows surrounding us anxiously. Cerri just wordlessly watched as the lamb that had been donated for this Halloween burned. Victor was also watching the sun’s descent, but unlike Wes, he seemed tense.

The last of our preparations were completed mere hours before the bonfire, one of them came from Wes, who had shown up with a cutlass. That was unexpected. I didn’t realize he knew how to use a sword.

“It’s not iron, unfortunately,” He informed us, producing a water bottle. “So the plan is to coat it in saltwater. As long as I can break some skin, it should still mess a few of ‘em up.”

Not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all.

The other last minute thing was that a few hours ago, the boss handed me a gold necklace, saying, “Don’t ask how I got this.”

I stared at him, trying not to smile, “Did a cat wander into a jewelry store?”

I’m sure yinz can guess what face he made. “I told you not to ask. And I’ll have it back before they ever realize it’s gone, so please try not to lose it.”

I heard Cerri mutter under her breath, “Cat burglar.”

So that was that. Presumably, we had all that we needed. Just had to survive until sunrise.

The very moment that the last rays of the sun died, a chorus of howls arose from the woods, making my heart beat faster. That was our cue to part ways. Before doing so, we wished each other luck. I hoped it wouldn’t be for the last time.

Once Wes and Victor departed with their escort of crows following them, I pulled my mask over my face, securing it with the same spiked collar that I’d made for the viscera-eater. My costume was nothing special. Just a burlap scarecrow mask and a thick flannel. Admittedly, the mask was somewhat scratchy, but still more tolerable to me than cheap latex. At least I could breathe in it. And it would at least keep my face and hair covered.

The next step was to find the Dullahan. Unfortunately, I had no information about where or who it intended to take. However, I did have an educated guess as to where to start.

Generally speaking, the Neighbors all seem to have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to the ‘burbs, considering that it had been constructed right over where a decent chunk of the forest once stood. There were also more people there for it to hunt than out in farm country. To top it off, far too many of those suburbanites prefer to live in denial about our ‘small town superstitions,’ thus making them easier targets.

As I drove towards the housing development, I also kept my eye out for any stray crows or dogs. I didn’t see any, but with it being dark, spotting those birds would be harder than ever. To say I was becoming increasingly paranoid would be an understatement.

What can I say? The mechanic cheerfully telling me that he knew my other fake name had shaken me up. Just as he knew it would.

I reassured myself that I had my hagstone. I had Ratcatcher. And at the very least, I didn’t have to worry about Iolo being the one to seek me out. Just had to pray and hope that the White Son of Mist wouldn’t decide to wander off after me instead. On that note, I prayed for my coworkers as well. Hoping that they’d beat the odds and find some way to escape the Wild Hunt.

And just for good measure, I prayed that Gwyn ap Nudd wouldn’t be the god that answered me.

The suburb was lively when I got there. Trick or treat was ending, the cul-de-sac bustling with tired kids following equally exhausted parents to get the last of what was in the homeowners’ candy bowls. Toilet paper hung from the trees of one house, flowing gently in the wind. Clearly, that person didn’t get the memo about raisins.

I parked on one of the side streets; with how many people were walking around, I determined it would be quicker on foot.

After a while, the crowds began to dwindle. Kids cried, some not wanting the night to end, others simply because it was way past their bedtime and every inconvenience felt like the end of the world to them. Soon, I noticed that only a few others were walking around.

Hooves clopped on the payment. My heart began to beat faster. This was it.

A little girl’s voice caught my attention, “Wow! Mom, look at that costume!”

In response, a booming voice announced, “A costume, you say? ‘Tis no disguise, fair maiden!”

What?!

I whirled around to see exactly what I feared. What appeared to be a large man clad in shining black armor sat astride a massive black horse. This armor was lined with silver, a crest featuring a horse’s head emblazoned on his chest. The rider had no head. Not where it should’ve been, anyway.

The Dullahan’s head was attached to the saddle by a thick chain, secured right at the bottom of what was left of the Dullahan’s neck. To my horror, four more heads rested next to it, their eyes wide open in frozen terror, mouths agape. Blood dripped from their necks.

The horse pawed at the ground impatiently, snorting and shaking its head as the little girl’s excited parent gushed, “That looks so realistic, man! How did you do that?”

“Pon my word, good fellow!” The gargantuan rider replied as he raised the reins to guide the horse forward. “There is no trickery afoot!”

No. Fucking. Way. It’s got to be one of the equestrian people around here, right? There’s no way this could be the Dullahan. Right?!

While the rider was distracted, I edged closer with the intent to get a closer look at the head. The skin was loose over its skull, looking as if it was waterlogged. As I got closer, a terrible smell could be detected. Like moldy cheese and rotten meat.

The Dullahan’s dark eyes turned to look at me. When it opened its mouth to speak, I could see that its black gums held sharp, brown teeth.

As the horse walked past me, the head smiled and politely said, “Good evening, scarecrow!”

Am I dreaming?

“Uh,” I stammered. “Good evening.”

The horse began to quicken its pace into a trot.

“Wait!” I shouted before the Dullahan could disappear, then quickly added. “Please!”

The horse stopped, its rider guiding it to turn so that the side that the head was secured on was facing me. “Yes?”

I’d anticipated for this meeting to go completely differently. I’d thought that I’d be running for my life, at this point. I had no idea how to proceed at all. Despite his knightly mannerisms, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that the Dullahan was dangerous. Those poor souls it had taken could attest to that.

The Dullahan waited patiently.

Eventually, I asked, “May I accompany you? This is Wild Hunt territory, after all. I feel rather unsafe walking alone.”

“I could think of no greater dishonor than to leave a frightened thing such as yourself to your fate. Come along! Time is short!”

What the fuck am I doing?

I toddled along beside him and his horse, trying my best not to stare directly at the Dullahan’s head. I was only a few feet away, now. Strange. Neither the horse nor its headless rider were reacting to my hagstone. That wasn’t promising.

The sour smell of its head made me gag, though I tried to conceal it. Maggots squirmed around his wide eyes. He didn’t seem to mind, only occasionally blinking when they got too obnoxious. They had appeared to have eaten away at his lips and cheeks as well, making his smile look much wider than it should’ve been.

My eyes trailed up, noticing that at the rider’s hip was a grotesque weapon. A whip appearing to be made out of someone’s spine. I didn’t want to imagine how it would feel to be flogged by that thing.

Of course, I would know all too well soon enough.

Naturally, I was shaking. My throat was tight, partially from fear, partially from trying to suppress nausea. What the fuck was I doing?!

“Madam Scarecrow!” I don’t think I’ve mentioned yet that he practically shouted every word he spoke in his thick Irish accent. I flinched when he addressed me again, “What brings you out at such an hour? And flying solo, no less!”

“I was… I got off of work late.”

The Dullahan then began to ramble about the dangers of traveling alone for a ‘lady such as myself,’ warning me about the desires of men and the even crueler desires of Huntsmen. Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out how to proceed. I had the necklace Vic gave me in my pocket. The head was within re…

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