Last Act: October

"“Ye [you] may burn my corporal body, but my spirit will survive through the ages! I curse you and your future generations! Down to the last member of your clan! October shall bode ill for you and yours!' - Meg Clayton"“Last Act: October” is a black-and-white horror comic story written by Don Glut with art by Mike Royer. It was first published in September 1969 in the first issue of the horror magazine Vampirella, published by Warren Publishing, along with several other comic stories as part of the anthology.

Plot Summary
The woman, Meg Clayton, was charged with witchcraft and was to be burned. As Squire Pilkington, the man who caught the witch, approaches her he asks if she wishes to repent and possibly be shown mercy in the afterlife. Meg Clayton refuses and instead curses Pilkington and his future generations so that the month of October will bode ill luck for his family for generations to come. Pilkington ignores her curse as he ignites the pyre and watches her burn. Nine days later, he dies after being kicked by his mare—who was usually calm and gentle.

Centuries later, Miss Hortense Pilkington, a descendent of Squire Pilkington, walks down a dark street on the last day of October on her way to her babysitting job. She is startled by a group of children in monstrous costumes because she fears the curse reaching her tonight. She is the last of her family—all the others have died under disastrous and unfortunate circumstances in the month of October.

She narrowly escapes being run over by a car, but she arrives safely at the door of the house and opens the door to be greeted by Satan. She is frightened, but the sinister red man quickly reveals himself to be the father of the child she is babysitting. He and his wife are dressed in costumes and are leaving to attend a Halloween party.

As they leave, Miss Pilkington criticizes their choice to celebrate the “pagan Halloween,” referring to it as an “evil tradition of the Devil.” She locks the doors and windows as they leave and prepares to care for the child, Teddy. The young boy asks Miss Pilkington to read him a horror story before bed, but she is horrified by the “blasphemy” and refuses, offering to read a different story instead.

The telephone rings and when she answers it the only sound she hears is laughter before it cuts into silence. She ignores the call and puts Teddy to bed, but as she walks into his room she trips over his toys. But she remains safe. Teddy goes to sleep and Miss Pilkington retires downstairs, desperate for it to be midnight and for her to be safe from the curse.

She then hears a noise and walks to the front door, but there is no one outside except for the thunder from the storm. She returns to the living room but the lights cut off, returning after a moment. It’s only five minutes left till midnight when she hears Teddy call for her to come to his room.

He tells her he had a horrible nightmare and she comforts him with a kiss goodnight, but as she reaches over him he latches his clawed hands across her back and sinks his fangs into her throat. And Miss Pilkington dies.

Collection

 * Vampirella Archives Vol. 1

Trivia

 * The story that Teddy asks Miss Pilkington to read is the twenty-ninth issue of the magazine Creepy, which is a sister publication to Vampirella by Warren Publishing.