“Oh my God, Charlie is going to flip out” Leah giggles excitedly.

Her friend Marcy stands behind her, with a grin on her face. “Are you suuure this isn’t going too far? I don’t want Charlie to, like, break up with you over this” she says.

“Oh come on, my Halloween pranks are a tradition!” Leah replies. She admires herself in the mirror more closely. While the voice coming from her lips sounds like a young woman’s, her reflection looks like anything but.

Her face appears grey and wrinkled, with pale, sickly lips and sagging cheeks. An unruly mop of long white hair hangs down to her shoulders, giving her an even more deranged appearance. She laughs, and the wicked-looking crone in the mirror copies her movements precisely.

“But you said Charlie is really scared of hags!” Leah announces. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

The hag shakes her head. “I’m telling you, he’s a good sport. It’s why I love him! Besides, you spend all that time and effort making such an awesome mask. I have to put it to use!”

Her friend Marcy was one of the best special effects artists in the business, and she had recently landed a top job at a studio pioneering the latest and greatest technology.

“Speaking of which, how do I turn on that voice modulator thingy you mentioned?” Leah asks.

Marcy sighs, giving in to her friend. She reaches out and gently presses on the side of the hag’s wrinkled neck. “It’s right here” she instructs.

Leah feels a slight buzzing sensation. When it subsides, she opens her mouth and says “Muahaha. Hello, Charlie…” in a much raspier, throaty tone.

She looks up at her friend with a delighted expression on her weathered face. “Awesome!”

Marcy chuckles. “It is pretty great, the things we can do now.” She appears to pause for a moment, thinking. Then she continues “Oh, what the hell. If you really think Charlie will be a good sport, I did make you something else.”

The old hag’s bushy eyebrows raise. “Oh really?” She asks, in her gruff voice. “What?”

Her friend turns and walks over to a tall closet on the side of her workshop. She opens it, and Leah gasps.

Inside is what looks like the entire deflated husk of the hag whose face she’s wearing. The entire “skin” is wrinkled and grey, showing unsightly signs of age and decay. The hollow limbs dangle limply, ending in hands and feet with yellow, cracked nails. A pair of drooping breasts hang from the suit’s chest, and the stomach area appears flabby and loose.

“Oh my God!” Leah exclaims excitedly. She presses the side of her neck as Marcy had done, wanting to continue in her own voice. “You really made this just for me?! Thank you! It’s amazing!”

Her friend smiles proudly. “Well, it was a fun challenge. I figured maybe I could reuse it if you didn’t want it.”

Leah looks at her incredulously. “How could I not want it! This is going to take my prank to the next level!”

Marcy giggles. “Okay, then.” She checks her watch. “Unfortunately, I have to get going, but the suit is pretty easy to put on. Let me know if you have any problems with it.”

Leah nods vigorously, already thinking about wearing the fake skin in front of her, and fully assuming the appearance of the old hag to scare her unsuspecting boyfriend.

Minutes later, with some assistance from Marcy, Leah is holding the hag’s deflated face in her hands once more. She traces its vacant eye sockets with her finger, grinning widely.

Marcy folds the suit and places it in a brown cardboard box, and Leah drops the mask on top of it, admiring the disguise.

Marcy then hands her a tube of what looks like grey paste. “Make sure you cover up the mask’s seam with this stuff” she instructs. “Otherwise, it could lift.”

Leah nods again, accepting the tube and placing it in her purse.

“Thank you so much, Marcy!” She says, giving her friend a quick hug. “I’ll see you at the party on Saturday?” She asks.

“Mhmm” her friend replies. “Good luck with the prank!”

Leah collects her prize and departs.

THE EVENING BEFORE HALLOWEEN

Leah lets herself into her boyfriend’s apartment, closing the door behind her. She walks into the bedroom and turns on the light, setting her box down on the bed. Grinning, she opens it, and pulls out her disguise.

In a moment, the deflated form of the old hag lies spread across the comforter. Leah lifts one of its limp arms, shuddering at the lifelike feel of the wrinkled skin. Charlie will never be able to tell its me inside this thing, she muses.

As if on cue, her phone buzzes.

Hey babe, I’ll be home in a half hour. You there already? The text reads.

She types her reply.

Yep! I’ll be here. I’ve been hearing weird noises outside, can you let me know if you see anything on your way in?

Grinning wickedly, she strips off her clothes, then picks up the suit.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER

Charlie unlocks the door to his apartment and steps inside. Strangely, all the lights appear to be off. With a puzzled look on his face, he turns on the kitchen light.

“Babe?” He calls out. “I’m home!”

He flips on the light switch for the living room and then lets out a startled shriek.

An elderly, disheveled woman stands in the middle of the room, wearing tattered black clothing. Her thin, pasty lips are curled into a wide grin, and her frazzled hair frames a grey, wrinkled face.

“What the FUCK!” Charlie exclaims. “Who are you and how did you get in here?!”

He glances behind the woman and sees that the sliding glass door leading to his balcony is wide open, letting in the cold autumn air.

Did she…fucking climb up here? That’s impossible! He thinks.

“Hello, Charlie” the woman croaks in a low, raspy voice. “I’ve been watching you…”

From behind the hag’s weathered face, Leah savours Charlie’s reaction as he retreats, until his back presses against the marble countertop.

“Wha…what the fuck does that mean? Get out of here or I’m calling the cops!”

The old hag looks like she’s about to speak again, but then her eyes widen in surprise as someone else enters the room.

“Charlie!” His girlfriend Leah exclaims. “Who is this?!”

The hag’s mouth has fallen open, exposing her yellow, crooked teeth. From behind the wrinkled prosthetic face, Leah is frozen in shock at the sight of another version of herself clutching Charlie’s arm. She has a look of fear on her face, which is a perfect copy of her own. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she wears the same leggings and hoodie the real Leah had on before donning the disguise.

“I don’t know, Leah! I just got home and she was standing there! You didn’t see her when you arrived?” Charlie implores his girlfriend, his eyes locked on the unsightly hag.

Still speechless, Leah watches her doppelgänger reply in her own voice. “No! I swear, she wasn’t here!” The blonde glances over at the open door. “Holy shit, do you think she fucking climbed?”

“Wait…wait…” the hag sputters, in her scratchy tone. “Who are you?” She asks, pointing a dirty, grey finger at the supposed “Leah”.

“Jesus Christ, who are YOU?!” The girl angrily retorts, still clutching Charlie’s arm.

“I…I’m the real Leah!” The hag attests. “Charlie, she’s an imposter!”

“What?!” Charlie snarls. “You’re fucking crazy!”

The girl who looks like Leah speaks in a fast, panicked tone. “Charlie, I called the non-emergency police line after I heard those noises and they said a woman escaped from a mental hospital nearby. They said she had severe psychological issues and considered her to be dangerous. This must be her!”

Charlie’s eyes widen in fear. “That’s it! I’m calling the cops!”

“No, wait, Charlie!” The hag pleads. “It’s just a prank, look!”

She appears to press on the side of her neck, then continues “See, it’s me under here!”

But her eyes look panicked when the voice that comes from her withered lips is still raspy and hoarse. “Wait…no…it’s not turning off…” she stammers, pressing desperately at her flabby neck.

“Oh my God, she really is crazy” Leah moans, backing up with Charlie deeper into the kitchen and away from the woman.

“You’re a liar!” The hag shouts, pointing at the blonde again. “Look!”

Then, she appears to scratch at her collarbone, her cracked fingernails prodding at her wrinkled skin. The panicked look in her eyes intensifies as she struggles. “I…I…I can’t find the seam!” She wails gruffly.

“Charlie, go get your baseball bat!” Leah exclaims.

“What? I’m not leaving you here alone with her!” Charlie replies.

“Just go! I’ve got this!” His girlfriend pleads, her eyes locked on the imposter.

Reluctantly, Charlie retreats down the hall to his bedroom.

As soon as he’s gone, Leah’s face breaks out into an evil sneer.

The hag’s eyes widen as the deception is confirmed. “Who…who are you?” She rasps.

Smiling, the imposter pulls her phone from her back pocket. She taps at the screen and turns it around.

The hag gasps when she sees the image displayed. The hollow face of her friend Marcy stares at her through the screen with vacant eye sockets and gaping lips.

The imposter’s grin widens. “You should be more careful about who you trust. You never know if they are who they seem…”

The fake Leah deletes the photo and retreats into the kitchen, a look of fear effortlessly returning to her face.

Charlie returns and sees the situation the same as he’d left it, only now he has a baseball bat firmly gripped in his hand.

“Get out, NOW!” He yells, pointing the bat at the deranged-looking woman.

“Please, just leave us alone!” Leah’s doppelgänger tearfully begs, clutching Charlie’s arm again.

The old hag appears speechless, unable to form a reply.

Then, suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. Charlie’s feet remain firmly planted in between the hag and the young woman he thinks is his girlfriend. The fake Leah backs up slowly to the door and calls out “Who’s there?”

The reply comes in a masculine, commanding tone. “My name is Walter Rhodes, miss. I’m with the Jensen Treatment Centre. We got a call about an escaped patient.”

The imposter looks relieved and quickly opens the door. A slightly overweight man in a white lab coat is revealed.

“Yes, she’s right there! Please help us get her out of here!” Leah pleads.

The old hag finally manages to speak. “Charlie, please! It’s me, Leah! I’m wearing a mask of this old hag, it was just supposed to be a prank!”

The real Leah cringes at the sound of the gruff voice she’s unable to stop using.

Charlie looks at her angrily. “Yeah, sure” he retorts. “Then who’s that?” He asks, pointing at the frightened-looking blonde woman.

“I don’t know!” The hag replies. “But whoever it is, she’s wearing my face!”

“This is a common fantasy of hers” the orderly explains. “We’ll get her squared away.”

From the pocket of his coat, he extracts a blue syringe.

The old hag’s eyes widen in terror, and she takes a step backwards.

“N…no…this can’t be happening” she trembles. “Charlie, you have to believe me!”

She pulls at her skin, and the wrinkled flesh stretches.

“Ugh, gross” the fake Leah groans.

The orderly approaches the old woman, but Charlie holds out a hand. “It’s okay, I think I know how I can calm her down” he whispers just loud enough for the masked Leah to overhear. “We’ll just play into the fantasy a bit.”

Oh my God, he really doesn’t believe me, Leah panics.

Charlie approaches her carefully. “Hey, it’s okay, everything is going to be fine. I believe you. Is it you in there, Leah?”

“Yes!” The hag croaks, even though she knows it falls on deaf ears.

Charlie is close to her now, and as he leans in, she expects to hear him whisper more comforting lies.

Instead, he says “It’s not so fun when the prank is on you, is it, babe?”

The hag’s mouth falls open as her double and the orderly both start to laugh. Charlie then tosses the baseball bat gently onto the couch and proudly announces: “Gotcha!”

“Oh my God, Charlie!” The hag screeches hoarsely. “What…how did you…who is THAT?” She demands, pointing at the now-giggling doppelgänger.

With wide eyes, she watches “herself” smile, then reach into the neckline of her hoodie and scratch, lifting up a skin-coloured flap. She slides both of her hands into the seam, working them higher underneath the - now clearly fake - flesh. The real Leah looks on in awe as her chin folds upwards and crumples into itself. The imposter’s fingertips can be seen sliding past her lips from the inside, before those also peel away loosely. Her nose and eye sockets soon follow, becoming hollow voids, before the entire mask snaps off with a rubbery squelch.

“Oh my God, TIM!?” The hag croaks, upon seeing the big grin on the face of the young man who had just been wearing hers. Tim was one of Charlie’s closest friends, and had evidently been chosen to impersonate her for this elaborate prank.

The revealed imposter chuckles, his longish blonde hair still wrapped tightly under a wig cap.

He holds up the mask, and Leah stares agape at the hollow, slack recreation of her own face. “It was fun being you, Leah!” Tim jokes with another laugh. “How’d I do?” He playfully prods the mask’s soft, flaccid cheek.

“I’d say you did great, Tim” Charlie comments with a laugh of his own. “You sure pulled it off!”

Tim places a fingertip underneath the mask’s lower lip, working it like a puppet. In a mocking falsetto he jeers “Charlie! What is this old hag doing in your apartment!”

Leah folds the suit’s wrinkled arms across her chest. “Ha, ha. Very funny!” She scorns, still forced to use the hag’s unpleasant voice.

She turns to her boyfriend with a scowl on her face, but it quickly melts into a smile. “Okay, you got me. I suppose I deserved it.”

He laughs. “Five years of relentless pranks on Halloween? Yeah, I’d say I owed you one in return.”

He leans over and gives her a kiss on her thin, withered lips, then recoils. “Ew, those are gross.”

She gives him a playful slap on the shoulder, then adopts a menacing look on her prosthetic face. She runs her tongue over her yellow, crooked teeth and hisses “Come here, darling. Give me another kiss…”

Laughing, Charlie holds up his hands and backs away. “No way, I’m not making out with you while you’re wearing that mask!”

Breaking character, Leah cackles in the hag’s raspy tone. “Oh, fine. So can I please get out of this thing now?”

Now it’s the “orderly’s” turn to chuckle. “Yeah, I can help you with that.”

Leah looks over at him. “Marcy, right?”

The man grins. “Aw, how’d you know?”

Leah rolls her eyes. “Well, even before the imposter over there unmasked, I knew it couldn’t be you. You’re too tall. And I also knew you had to be involved to make the masks, so…”

The fake man laughs. “Fair enough. Come on, let’s go to the bedroom. I’ve got the solvent in there, and we can get changed.”

Leah begins to follow the disguised Marcy, and as she passes Charlie, she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Uck!” He exclaims, wiping his face. The old hag just sticks out her tongue before disappearing down the hall.

Chuckling to himself, Charlie gets a beer out of the refrigerator and then turns on the television. Five minutes later, Leah walks into the living room carrying the now empty mask of the old hag. She sits down on the couch next to him and holds it up so he can see.

“You didn’t think I was still pretty? On the inside?” She jokes, pouting while stroking the mask’s knotty hair.

Charlie laughs. “Sorry, babe. Please never wear that again.”

He reaches his hand out and touches the hag’s wrinkled, sickly face. “Marcy did a hell of a job” he murmurs.

“Mhmm” she agrees, tossing the mask onto the coffee table with a hollow thwack.

“They’re still getting changed?” He inquires, taking a sip of beer.

“Yep. You should have seen the way Marcy’s head looked sitting on top of the chubby orderly. It was hilarious.”

He laughs again. “I bet.” He shifts towards her on the couch and, leaning in, he whispers “Since we’ve got some time…”

His lips are about to press against hers, when she lets out a squeal and places her hand on his chest, pushing him back.

“Leah!” She calls out. “He’s trying to kiss me! I didn't agree to that!”

Charlie’s eyes widen at the realization that his “girlfriend” is still Tim once again wearing an utterly convincing mask.

“Dude!” Charlie yelps. “Not cool. We almost made out!”

The real Leah comes around the corner, laughing. “Sorry, babe. I had to at least try to get you this Halloween, even if your prank was epic.”

The fake Leah on the couch next to him gives him a sympathetic look. “Sorry, bro” Tim says, using Leah’s borrowed face and voice. “She begged me to!”

The imposter gets up and stands next to her double, and the two Leahs grin wickedly. The real one reaches out and touches her doppelgänger’s face.

“Damn, these things look real” she mutters.

“Well, thank you very much” Marcy chirps, returning to the room. Charlie lets out a big laugh at the sight of her wearing the orderly’s husky frame. She grips the fake man’s floppy, deflated face in one of her hands.

“Your boyfriend should know how real they look. Isn’t that right, Charlie?” Marcy continues.

The real Leah’s eyebrows raise and she turns to her boyfriend. “Oh? Why is that?”

Charlie smirks mischievously. “You know that mask Tim showed you in the picture? I was wearing it recently…”

Marcy takes her other hand out from around her back, and tosses Charlie another bundle of fleshy material. He sticks his hand inside the neck opening and holds it up for Leah to see.

Her eyes widen at the sight of Marcy’s hollow face, framed by her long, reddish-brown hair. Charlie places a fingertip underneath the chin and mocks in a high-pitched voice:

“Are you suuure this isn’t going too far? I don’t want Charlie to, like, break up with you over this.”

Leah gasps. “That was YOU!?”

Charlie and Marcy burst out laughing. Her boyfriend admits “Oh yeah. I mean, we needed this mask for the prank, so I just asked Marcy to mould it to my face. And…viola!”

Damn! I can’t believe I spent an hour with ‘Marcy’ and didn’t realize it was Charlie in a mask, Leah thinks.

Charlie drops the Marcy mask into his lap, and her vacant mascara-laden eye sockets stare up at Leah and her twin.

“So, can we call a truce and all agree that I’ve won this year?” He asks with a big grin.

Leah replies “Yes, this has been very impressive. Well done” she relents. Then her face breaks out into a wide smile. “But there’s always next year!”