- List of names of whom entered the contest -
CD-Mann
ChibiHearts249
Dreaded_Desired
Eternal Dream
Moonlight Aqua
Noblesse Oblige
Sugar Lips
Takushi Rena
---
- Story titles in Random Order -
"Spooks of Halloween Town"
Ira
CLASSIC: The Condemned Mini-Expansion
Sleepy Hollow: The Midnight Moon
There are no Strings on Me
Pumpkin Food
Creepy Pasta
Halloween Story
TMI: Venturing out on Halloween
--
Spoiler: CLASSIC: The Condemned Mini-Expansion
Show
CLASSIC: The Condemned Mini-Expansion
WARNING
When this light is on, light levels are insufficient and cannot prevent possession. Never enter the Valley of the Lost in poor lighting under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
A blue traffic sign stood beside a set of concrete stairs leading down to a sandy ravine that looked long abandoned. Atop the sign, a yellow light shone brightly through the dusk.
Can you hear me, Birdbrain?
“Get out of my head, you harpy.” I said aloud. “Bryer might be cool with your weird psycho spells, but I sure ain't.” There was a moment of silence where I sighed. “I know the doohicky is in this spooky valley, but couldn't we wait until tomorrow to pick it up?”
Absolutely, Chive. I could feel the sarcasm in my mind as Alice's voice rang through my head, Please, feel free to spend the next fourteen hours out there. In the middle of no where. Alone. I would love to see you do it.
“Alright alright, I'm going.” I yelled out to the empty air.
It's your own fault. We had a schedule, but you decided to skip over it and do things your own way.
“Yeah yeah yeah. This'll be easy anyway.” I walked towards the sign and tapped it twice as I passed it, heading down the stairs leading to the valley. When I made it to the bottom, I felt the temperature drop by a small amount. I need to find that box and get out as soon I could. I wasn't a fan of magic, and I was pretty sure it wasn't a fan of me. I walked calmly for a bit before breaking into a steady jog.
“Where am I going?” I asked aloud.
Straight ahead for five meters, then turn west. I nodded to myself in acknowledgment, knowing that she couldn't see me, hoping my lack of response would annoy her. My footsteps rang out dully as they hit the sand underfoot. I blinked and, in an instant, my surroundings changed. Gone was the empty valley, replaced instead with a dark dankly lit room. A single swinging light bulb hung above me, and as I stopped to consider what was happening, I noticed a drain at the center of the room, along with a dried red liquid.
“What.” I tapped at the drain to make sure it was real and not just some sort of illusion, and sure enough the metal drain clanged against my foot. “Alice? What's the deal?”
What?
“I'm not in the valley anymore, I'm in some kinda room.” I turned my head to the side and saw a humanoid figure slumped against the wall, its arms chained to a pipe. “A torture room.” I added as I inspected the body. “Looks like some poor chump was chained up here until--” Did he just twitch? ...Nah, of course not. “until he died.” walked towards the opposite wall and tapped the concrete in front of me. “This place is real. No tricks or anything here.”
I think you were somehow teleported. Look around, you might find a way out. Sure enough, as soon as I turned around to face where I came, I found a wooden door that looked as if it had rotten away.
“I see it, yeah.” I told her as I walked up to it and easily pushed it open. I was about to walk through it when I heard a soft jiggling noise behind me. I turned once again and found the body twisting around on the floor, it's arms shaking violently. “Zombie.” I breathed. “Dude's a zombie.”
What are you going to do? Alice asked, surprisingly concerned.
“The same thing I do with everything made of magic.” I walked into the door and closed it behind me as the undead man began to cry out and bang his cuffs against the pipe. “I leave it alone.” The zombie was chained up, so the chances of it escaping where pretty slim. Plus, if that zombie taught me anything, it was the paranormal was becoming active. I didn't have much time to waste. The door lead me into hallway, and as I ran through it, I became aware of spirits observing me. Mostly wisps floating around. Any one of them could decide to manifest themselves into a physical form in order to possess me. Gotta keep going. I bashed through a door, though as soon as I did, I felt a sick lurching sensation in my stomach as the floor gave way beneath me. I crashed into the room below, only to crash through the floor of that room as well. Before I hit the next floor, I steeled myself and rolled against the hard floor. As I did so, I heard the foundation of the rooms above me begin to give out completely, and I ran forward, once again bashing through another wooden door. To my surprise, I found myself outside, back in The Valley. I turned around just in time to see the building collapse.
“Who the hell builds a torture room on the third floor?!” I whispered angrily to myself.
After a quick internal talk with Alice, I righted my location in The Valley and began making my way towards the item I was looking for. I dashed across the sand as the setting sun caused my shadow to race ahead of me. I could still see some spirits stationed all around me, and as time passed, some materialized in front of me. People of an age gone by surrounded me, wearing clothing that reminded me of the Victorian era. I wagered that since they were transparent, I could run right through them, so I ignored them. As I ran passed an elderly looking man, he held his arm out and sent a fist at me. I felt the cold flesh-like projection smack me on the cheek, knocking me to the ground. I slapped the sand in frustration as I bounced back, unsheathing my knife. It's kill or be killed out here, and some of us are already dead. I swiped at the man's throat, only to have it pass right through him.
“What the hell.” I said as the man gave me a straight poker face as threw another punch. This time I managed to keep my wits about me and dodged under it, running passed the ghoul. “They can hit me, but I can't hit them?!”
They're GHOSTS. Alice yelled at me, They choose what material plane effects them and when. Of course you wouldn't be able to hurt them.
“That's...” I jumped over a ghost child who was looking at me funny, “...just...” side stepped passed a ghastly woman who swiped at me with a parasol, “...great.” I kept running, unable to properly defend myself against these grim monsters. Maybe it was just that area that had a ghost infection, because after a bit more dodging and weaving, the area was completely ghost-free. Despite this, I knew I was far from safe and Hastened my step. I felt something small collide against my forehead as a trickle of blood softly flowed down to my nose. Before I could make out what was happening, I saw a rock float off the ground and burst towards me. I managed to duck underneath it but as soon as I did, another rock flew at me. Then another, and another. “Poltergeist.” I groaned as I dove behind a boulder. “I hate poltergeists so damn much.” I wiped the blood off my face while leaning against the large rock. To my surprise, the rock itself began to float upwards, causing me to fall on my back. I quickly realized what was happening and jumped to my feet, running as fast as I could. Behind me, I could hear the loud thud of the boulder slamming back down to the ground. Just ahead of me was another set of stairs leading into a darkened room, of which I suspected was my prize. I literally dove inside and into safety. Candles lit the room, revealing to me four walls made of human skulls. In the center of the room stood a circular wooden table with a very small box sitting on top of it. “This feels like a trap. I can practically smell it.”
Most likely, but that box has what we're after. I nodded again as I walked towards the table. The skulls seemed to rumble slightly as I reached it, and I wasted no time opening the box, revealing a small ring with a gen engraved in it. As soon as I did, the skulls popped out from the walls, gaining skeletal bodies.
“Skeletons!” I yelled, “A billion and one of them!” They slowly began walking towards me, their bones rattling with every step. “Alice, extraction! Now!” Nothing happened. I pocketed the ring and pulled out my knife, swinging at the nearest zombie, knocking it aside. “HARPY, GET ME OUTTA HERE WITH YOUR FREAKING MAGIC.”
Say 'please.' Oh for the love of...
“PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE YOU WENCH.” In an instant, darkness surrounded me and I found myself sitting against a wall with Alice Reyes standing over me with a small smile.
“Easy, right?”Spoiler: Spooks of Halloween Town
Show
SPOOKS OF HALLOWEEN TOWN
"You remember the plan, right?"
"Yup!"
"We go in, seal the Keyhole, then leave, okay?"
"Okay!"
"And nothing else!"
"'cept trick-or-treating!"
"...trick-or-treating?!"
The night was dark – black and bleak. The only speck of light in the sky, drifting behind the clouds, was a full, yellow moon. It cast its light down upon the dark, silent world below, shining into an alley on the edge of town.
Within this alley were pumpkin lamps and a crooked path. Yet, beneath one of the lanterns laid an odd sight: two shadows, a pair of children, arguing. Bickering.
"Is that all you're thinking about?!" quipped the black-haired boy. He squirmed uncomfortably in his costume.
"Yes!" beamed the girl, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I've never done it before! It sounds fun!"
A sigh slipped past the boy's lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"We're not going trick-or-treating, we can't go trick-or-treating! We have super important hero business to attend to. We gotta keep the worlds safe!"
The girl's bright, cheery attitude started to dampen. Stomping her foot down, she threw her fists at her sides.
"But, Aex! It's Halloween!"
The boy scoffed, "Don't care!"
"But--!"
"Don't. Care!" he threw his arms over his chest, giving a huff, "We've meddled in the affairs of other worlds too much already. We can't keep doing that."
"But why is that a bad thing?" the girl turned her head to the side.
"You know why! If people know that other worlds are out there, who knows what'll happen? We gotta keep it secret!"
"Thennnnn..." she grinned, "we pretend like we're from here and go trick-or-treating!"
"No, Rena!" Aex threw his foot down, "We seal the Keyhole and leave. That's that, end of discussion!"
Turning his back, the boy charged down the dark path, heading towards a large, iron gate presumably leading into the rest of the world. However, as he moved forward, something slithered through his ears.
A mutter. A whisper. He could have just ignored it, but that would've been way too easy.
The boy wrinkled his brow. He turned and looked back.
"...'cuse me?"
For one moment, Rena's arms were folded, her frown twisted in annoyance. Then, she stopped, realized that Aex was staring back at her, and gave a yelp, throwing her arms behind her back.
"N-Nothin'!"
"You called me a scaredy cat, didn't you?"
"Oh nooooooo," she shook her head, rocking back and forth on her heels, "I didn't say nothin', nope! Maybe it was a ghost that said it!"
Aex's face flushed.
"D-don't you dare say that!"
Rena blinked. "Umm... what?"
"Ghost!" he spat the word, disgusted.
"What's the big deal 'bout that--?"
"You know why!!"
His eyes started to shift side to side, looking up and around. His hands fidgeted, and he looked like he was about to run away screaming.
Turning her head to the side, the girl frowned. "Are you okay?"
"Perfectly fine, don't ask!" exclaimed the boy, throwing his back to her. He raised his hand to scratch his forehead.
"C'mon, let's go-- AHH!"
The boy stumbled back, nearly ripping the mask off of his forehead.
"...oh. Oh?"
He stopped, staring up at the mask. A grumbling sigh escaped him.
"Great! It just had to be a ghost, didn't it?! Stupid costume!" he exclaimed with a whimper, throwing his arms across his chest, "Gah, I freakin' hate this place!"
Rena skipped up behind him, grinning, "I like your costume!"
He grumbled, not looking at the girl. He surveyed the creepy, suit-and-bowtie-like costume. "Your opinion doesn't count. I mean... you're a freakin' Heartless!"
The girl's grin grew bigger and brighter. She spun around, showing off her costume complete with a dark, hooded t-shirt, capris, and black-and-grey striped sleeves and tights; there was even a Shadow Heartless mask on her forehead!
"But look! If I put on the hood thingy, then I gots antenna! See?"
She threw the hood over her head, giggling as the antenna fell down and tickled her nose. Aex, however, groaned, crossing his arms tighter.
"L-let's just find the Keyhole. Now. The sooner we get outta here, the better."
Without another word, he stormed for the gate. With a yelp, Rena followed behind him.
As they headed towards the gates, the iron bars, with a loud groan, rose from the floor and up to a crooked frame overhead. Slipping through, the pair came upon their next destination: a courtyard.
Rena was intrigued by all of the fun sights: a fountain spewing green liquid, a strange building that almost looked like a cat, and the full moon off in the distance... It was all so new and fascinating!
Aex however, being the stick-in-the-mud that he was, was focused on something else. As if ignoring the world, he focused on an electronic device in his hand, the blue glow of the screen lighting up his darkened features.
"The biggest spikes of energy are further in the town, maybe on the outskirts," he said, "If we head out there, we'll probably find the Keyhole."
Rena smiled hopefully, "Then we can go trick-or-treating?"
The boy sighed, "How many times do I have to say it? No trick-or-treating--!"
"AHAHAHA!"
A gasp and a scream came from the pair, and their gaze shot out into the courtyard.
"What was that?!" Aex squeaked, hands shaking. "A ghost? Vampire? Zombies?!"
Rena scratched the back of her head, "I think it's just somebody tryin' to be scary..." She gasped, grinning, "Or what if it's 'cause of someone trick-or-treating! Let's go find out!!"
She grabbed Aex's hand, he screamed in response.
"Rena, no!!"
"Stop bein' such a guppy fish!"
"I'm not scared!"
"Yes, you are!"
He grumbled, wiggling his hand out of Rena's vice grip.
"I'm not scared, I'm not scared of anything, but we have more important things to worry 'bout besides begging for candy--!"
"AHAHAHAHAHA!!"
"Ahh!"
He whirled around, whimpered. "Why does it sound like it's getting closer?!"
Rena sighed, "It's not! It's just somebody playing a trick or somethin'!"
"It's a great trick!" he said, laughing, "You can stop! We got it now, monster thing!!"
"But Aex--!"
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
He screamed, stumbling back.
"It is getting closer!"
"No, it's not--!"
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
"Stop lying to me, Rena!"
"I'm not lying--!"
"HA! Are you scared of me, ol' boy?!"
Aex's gaze drifted across the courtyard. He could've sworn he saw something moving down the sidewalk.
"I'm not scared!" he exclaimed, tightening his shaking fists. "I am never scared!!"
"Ha, I think so! Let's find out!"
His eyes bugged, staring at the sidewalk. The walkway was completely empty, there was nothing there.
"I-I saw something there," he said as he stumbled back. He stabbed a finger at the walkway, "Rena, there was something there!!"
She grumbled, "You're crazy..."
"I am not crazy!!" he said, whimpering, "You saw it, too, right? Tell me you saw it, too!"
His eyes darted around the courtyard. He looked left, right, and left again, determined to prove that he wasn't just seeing things.
But he wasn't. No, he couldn't make up the shadow standing over him, its amber, glowing orbs looking down on him. The monster smiled. Then, it attacked.
"BOO!"
"Ahh!"
A shriek burst from the boy. He stumbled back, scrambling to get away.
Something hit his sneakers. His eyes bugged.
The last thing he heard was a thud on the concrete, the wind rushing past him. A heavy pain shot through his head. Then, the world went black.
-----------------------
"Gah!"
A sharp throb shot through his head, sending the boy shooting forward into a sitting position. He hissed, grabbing the sides of his skull.
He felt drugged, dizzy... Disconnected from the world. Lowering his hands, he fought to push himself into a stand, but couldn't quite keep his feet on the ground. Stumbling, he blinked, rubbing his eyes to bring the world back into focus.
He looked around, trying to make sense of what just occurred. What did just happen, anyway? The scene was fuzzy, even though it should've been fresh in his mind. Had it been a long time since anything happened, or was this something else entirely? All he knew was that his head hurt, as if it had been struck; perhaps it had to do something to do with his suddenly fuzzy memory.
Whatever it was, he managed to string together the chain of events, even if he could only hazily remember the events themselves.
Something had attacked him. Considering what the place was, he gave his best guess, assuming it was a monster. He cringed at the thought, though he was glad that he was unscathed by the encounter.
Groaning, the boy finally managed pushed himself to a stand. After wobbling and regaining his balance, he looked around the courtyard.
Everything was the same as it had been before. But, with a "Huh?," he spotted something off in the distance.
A few paces away, a figure was collapsed against a wall. He narrowed his eyes, looking closer.
Rena? Rena was collapsed... Sleeping!
His reaction? He scoffed, chuckling.
In any other situation, he would've run to Rena's aid, begging to know if she was alright. However, this time was different. He couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't in a bad or malicious way; it was only because, after everything that happened, it seemed, well, ironic.
"Rena, Rena, Rena..." He said with his fists on his sides, chuckling to himself, "What? Did you get so scared that you passed out? You should've listened to me but noooooo, you said I was making it up! You said I was crazy! Well, joke's on you 'cause you're the one who got scared and fell asleep!"
Clicking his tongue, he looked up at the clouded sky. A pensive moment passed by, the boy flipping through his thoughts. A sigh escaped him, then he closed his eyes.
"Better go wake her up..." He tensed up then lowered his shoulders. He looked back at Rena, "The sooner we leave... the better..."
The boy then headed on his way to aid his dozing comrade. A layer of fog was beginning to settle onto the surroundings, making it a bit difficult to see what was ahead. However, as he approached, the pumpkin lantern on the wall above her brought her features more into view. He looked closer and wrinkled his brow.
"Rena?"
He picked up his pace, speeding closer. Her features became more and more clear. Just steps away, he could see it all.
Her breathing was slow, shallow. There were scuffs and scratches across her face, tears in her clothes. It was like she was fighting to hang on, that she couldn't wake up.
"Oh no..."
His voice quivered. He raced forward and leapt to her side, kneeling down. He shook her shoulder.
"Rena! Are you okay?"
She wheezed in response, never stirring.
"No, no, no..."
Aex ripped a potion out of his pocket, delivering the healing elixir. Yet, moments after the potion sunk in, nothing changed. Rena didn't wake up.
"No... No!" he hissed, grabbing the girl's arm. "Rena! Wake up! Please wake up!!"
Something grabbed his arm, ripping him back! He was thrown to the ground.
"Gah!"
Pain shot across his back. He hissed, looking up through a cringe. A figure stood over him.
Red eyes. Blue skin. Claws... The creature looked down on him, seething and hissing.
Eyes bugged, he stared up at the ragdoll creature. It looked as if it had been real once, human even, but something had changed it... Like it had become some sort of undead monster...
A shriek sliced into the air. Aex reeled back, leaping away from the ragdoll's claws. He leapt to his feet, stumbling back and ripping his weapon off of his belt.
"Hang on, Rena!" he said, voice quivering.
He looked up, watching the ragdoll swaying as it stared at him. It snapped its jaws at him, hissing, yet didn't move closer to apprehend him. It wasn't going to fight him: it was going to stand between him and his friend.
The sound of footsteps welled in the boy's ears. He whirled around, eyes wide.
Off in the distance, a horde was coming. Monsters, creatures of all sorts, were approaching, their red eyes set on him. They were gaining on their prey, and Aex was in the crossfire!
"Ahh!" he squeaked. He threw his hand out impulsively, stumbling forward to get to Rena. The ragdoll got in his face, snapping its jaws and pushing him back.
He stumbled to the side, staring at the creature. His eyes shot to the stampeding monsters.
He looked at Rena. He turned to the monsters. Then, he made his decision.
"Run."
With a "Nngh!," he dashed out of the courtyard, taking the first sight of sanctuary that he could find. The monsters crowded around their prey, leaving the boy to escape.
Bursting through the gate, he slammed the doors behind him and tumbled down a set of stairs, collapsing on the ground.
The sound of hisses and inhuman screams filled his ears, screeching off in the distance. They begun to fade out and disappear, but it still left the boy shaking. Eyes wide, he fought to catch his breath and collapsed back in the dirt.
He was safe. Safe... But Rena...
"Rena..." he mumbled, voice quivering, "Rena... those... things... Holy shit..."
Pushing himself to a sit, he stared blankly at the ground. His mind raced, fighting to piece together what had happened.
"There's..." he stuttered, "There's... freakin'... zombies. And... and they got Rena, holy shit..."
The pieces finally came together. He shook his head, blinking and fighting to get back into reality.
And that's when he let go of the loudest, most frustrated groan he could muster.
"GAAAAH!" he screamed, slamming his fists to the ground, "Of course, there's zombies! Freakin' of course! I bet nothing like this ever, ever happens here normally! I mean, it seems like a pretty peaceful town, aside from the fact that, oh, it's a whole town based on Halloween shit! But the freakin' zombies just had to show up now! Of course! Of course! Why not just throw in some freakin' ghosts and vampires and skeletons and Frankenstein andandand maybe evil porcupines while we're at it?!"
He threw himself back down the dirt with a scream. His blue orbs focused up at the clouded sky, watching the clouds drift across the grey moon. A strange mix of a grumble and a whimper escaped him. He wasn't sure if he should be frustrated beyond belief or terrified beyond his wits.
"I hate this place," muttered the boy, whimpering. "I hate scary shit and monsters and especially this..."
If he could, he would've marched through that courtyard, gotten on his ship, and taken off. It would be far better than sticking around here!
But then what would happen to Rena? He could've said, screw it! Screw whatever happens to her! I'm too scared to be here, I can't face my fears and save you, too! Why even bother to try? He knew it wouldn't have worked.
"I could just leave," he said, narrowing his eyes, "I could just... abandon her or whatever.
"But then..." he sighed, "then, if Master Yeal and Luna were here... ugh, they'd knock some sense into me. 'cause that's a freakin' stupid and awful idea... That's not being a hero, that's being a damn coward..."
He sighed, sitting upright. Staring at his hands, he balled them into fists.
"But how'm I supp'sed to find her?! It's not like those things are gonna leave some clue or whatever to where she is--!"
SHISH!
His eyes bugged. He turned and looked up.
The world must've been listening to him, because it gave him exactly what he needed; at least, that's what he believed it to be.
Shooting up towards the sky, a beacon in the night, was a spire of purple energy, pulsating in waves through the clouds. It was almost like it was beaconing him closer.
"...oh." he blinked, turning his head to the side, "That's... well, kinda... convenient..."
Brushing the dirt of his clothes, the black-haired youth hopped to a stand, staring at the purple energy emanating in the distance.
He should've been running already. Abandon any second thoughts and just started running towards it. That's what heroes do: they jump right into action and save those in trouble.
Yet, he was standing there, feet turned inward and hands fidgeting. He couldn't move.
"I-it'll be fine, Aex," he said, "There's no way, no way, that... any of that stuff would happen. It'll... be easy! Yeah! I'll just swoop in, save Rena, then we'll get outta here! No monsters, no scary stuff, nothing bad!"
He grumbled, looking up at the energy spike.
"I have to be a hero," he said, "I can't be scared. I have to be a hero..."
Taking in a big gulp of air, he pushed down his fears, as much as he could, and started running.
He couldn't be scared. Because, if he was... he wouldn't be able to get Rena out of this.
-----------------------
"So, I follow this weird... light thing... And I find this."
After traversing through graveyard after graveyard, Aex came to his next destination: an old, wooden bridge. Stepping onto the platform, he headed deeper into the outskirts of town.
That's where he discovered what he needed to find. The boy's eyes looked to the skies, specifically to what was reaching for the skies. Just looking at it tore at his nerves. He balled his hands into fists, fighting to hold back the whimper that was crawling up his throat.
"It just had to be a creepy old mansion..."
True to scary story form, there was indeed a mansion – a haunted house – standing before him. It was crooked, built out of decaying, wooden planks. The monument twisted up towards the sky as if trying to reach out and take the full moon, to claim it as its own. Behind it was the familiar spire of purple energy, the thing that lead him to find this place. However, he was still having doubts.
"There's no way Rena's here," he scoffed, folding his arms, "No way! She's probably still in that... courtyard place with all the..." he gulped, "zombies..." A shudder slipped through him.
He coaxed himself to believe the truth – that Rena couldn't possibly be in this place... And it was right! It was impossible for Rena to be there, of all places. Far too convenient, far too sinister...
"I'll just... go back through the courtyard," he said, fumbling with his hands, "head back to the gummi ship, and maybe circle around to see if I can find her somewhere. Yeah, perfect, let's do that."
Turning his heel, he spun around and, with haste, headed the opposite way, back the way he came.
"AHHHH!"
But that didn't last long.
Gasping, his gaze shot back towards the mansion. The high-pitched shriek rattled in his mind.
"That's..." he stared off, shaking, "That's Rena!"
click!
No time to lose! He had to go!!
Dashing across the wooden platform, he headed towards the towering mansion.
"RENAAAAAA! I'm coming to get you!!"
He ripped a metal rod off of his belt, the rod telescoped out into his reverse-grip sword on command. He charged up to the door, kicked the gates open, and looked into the mansion.
It was dark. Pitch black, zero light, dark. His vice grip on his sword slacked. Any heroism he had left was gone.
"U-uh..."
He stared down at his stretched out shadow on the floor, watching it look back at him. He could've sworn he saw it motion for him to move forward, coaxing him and showing him that it was alright. Yet, he still stood in the doorway, shaking from cold feet.
"Rena?" he called out, adjusting the mask over his face. "Renaaaaa? Y-you okay...?"
No sound, no answer. Looking down at the light across the floor, he slid one foot pass the doorway, as if testing the waters before he jumped in. His hand gripped the sword tighter, the metal ratting in his grip, as he slid the rest of his body into the room.
He stood in the doorway, a few steps away from the gates.
At first, he chuckled, grinning.
"T-that was easy!" he said, sighing, "See? Nothin' to be afraid of--"
SLAM!
He stumbled around, screaming. He nearly dropped his weapon, too!
The doors had shut. The light was gone. He was on his own.
"Oh shit..." he mumbled, eyes shifting around the ceiling, "U-uh... it's okay, Aex, c'mon!"
His mind was beginning to race, heart slamming against his ribcage. He glanced around frantically, mumbling curses under his breath.
"Get ahold of yourself," said his quivering voice, "Nothin's here... nothing's here..."
He turned to his palm, focusing on it as best as he could. He imagined the spell that he need – a Fire spell to light the way through the dark – but his eyes couldn't focus. He hissed, pushing himself harder. It had to work! It had to!
CRUNCH!
The boy's eyes bugged. It sounded as if something, or someone, was stepping on shards of glass. He gasped, stumbling back.
Was someone really there? Wincing and terrified to find out, he pinched his eyelids shut.
"Which one should we do next?"
"Oh, tell the one about--!"
"No! No more scary stories!!"
"Huh?"
Blinking, the boy peeled his eyelids apart, looking out in the room.
But... it wasn't a room anymore. It was the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night. He could see figures off in the distance, shadowed in the darkness where the only source of light was a roaring campfire. Curious, he approached.
"F**k, kid, when did you get to be such a scaredy cat?" piqued one voice, belonging to an older figure who wore goggles and a smirk.
"I-I'm not scared!" said a younger, more frazzled voice, "I-I just think we should tell other stories! I mean, there's plenty of other stories, why does it always have to be scary ones?"
The girl beside him scoffed, her blonde hair looking orange from the fire's light.
"You're a chicken and you know it! That's why!"
"I-I am not, Luna!!"
"C'mon, Master Yeal, tell another one! Aex can take it!"
"Ha! Alright, let's see..."
"W-wait, no!"
The boy's gaze transfixed on the flames, watching them dance around as Master Yeal begun the story.
"So, I heard 'bout this one story a while back..."
"What happened?"
"Well, ya see..."
The flames started crackle. They started to climb higher, the edges fighting to lick the sky. Yet, these were no longer flames...
"W-wait, stop!!"
"And then?"
"And then..."
Aex stumbled back, watching as the flames drew intricate shapes. The world was growing darker, closing in around the group up ahead. Soon, the only thing left were these flames.
"Really?!"
"I know! Creepy, right?"
"I-I don't wanna hear this!!"
"Aex, lighten up! It's just a story!"
The boy watched as the flames turned white, tracing shapes on the ceiling. But, they weren't shapes. They were faces.
"I-it's not just a story!"
Skeletons, ghosts, zombies, monsters of all shapes and sizes... Anything and everything that was straight out of a horror story was now looking down on him and crawling closer.
Aex stumbled back, breathing fast. He blinked, fighting to push the images away, but no avail. They were only beginning to crowd him.
"It's real!"
"It's real..." he choked, staring at the monsters before him.
He was outnumbered, outmatched... He couldn't escape them.
Suddenly, the faces burst into laughter, cackling at the tiny boy before them. They grinned.
"We'Re JuSt StOrIeS, aEx!"
"No!"
He slammed his hands against his eyes, pressing his palms against his eye sockets.
He could hear them laughing. Cackling. Mocking him. Just like Master Yeal and Luna had...
"You're made up! You're not real!"
"WhAt ArE yOu So AfRaiD oF?! hAhAhAhA!!"
They were right... They weren't just stories. No. In his head, they were just as real as he was.
"N-No... I gotta run," he hissed, doubling over. Their laughter rattled his thoughts, consuming his mind. "I have to run!"
Pinching his eyes shut, he dashed forward, heading away from the door and deeper into the mansion. He had no idea where he was going, but anywhere was better than there! He had to get out; he had to find Rena!!
SLAM!
"Gah!"
The boy collapsed to the ground, his eyes bursting open. He stared ahead.
"What the..."
Out of impulse, he turned and looked back. The monsters, the faces, were gone... He breathed a sigh of relief. Safe. Good. With the comfort of knowing that he was, for now, safe, he tried to figure out what he had run into.
Hopping up to a stand, he focused on his palm, beaconing for the light he needed so desperately right now.
"Fire," he whispered, coaxing the spell to work. This time, fortunately, it did, giving him the chance to see what was ahead.
Glass. Wait... it was glass? He looked closer, watching streaks of red and yellow dance across the smooth pane. He could see his reflection, the fire's reflection, and parts of the dimly lit room around him, but what he was most curious about was what was on the other side of the window.
On the opposite side, there was a room. And he could've sworn someone was hiding in it.
"Hello?" he piqued up, looking around anxiously, "Anyone there?"
Silence. Of course. Perhaps he really was just looking into the other side of an empty room. He sighed, shrugging.
"Rena's gotta be here somewhere," the boy turned, looking around. He went to rise up and walk off, but something caught his attention.
A sob. A cry. Then, a voice.
"I just wanna go home..." said a distant, muffled voice, quietly sobbing, "I'm scared, I wanna go home..."
Aex leaned in, looking through the window.
Huddled in the very back corner of the tiny room was a figure, looking very small and minuscule as they pulled their knees to their chest and curled up in a ball.
The boy gasped. He slammed the side of his fist against the glass.
"Rena!"
The figure's eyes shot up, their entire figure leaping upright. Suddenly, they dashed to the window, slamming their hands against the glass.
"Aex!"
Rena was now standing before him, looking just like before. Clothes tattered, her skin covered in scratches. The light was fading from her eyes, but she was fighting so hard to hang onto any hope she could find, hope that was slowly slipping away.
But she didn't need hope anymore. Because Aex was going to save her.
The boy didn't miss a beat. He ripped the sword off of his belt.
"I'm gonna get you out!"
He raised the sword over his shoulder, now up to bat, then he struck.
"Ha!"
SLAM!
One strike. Nothing.
SLAM!
Another. Nothing. He hissed.
SLAM!
Another strike. Another. Another!
"Aex, wait--!"
"No!"
"Stop--!!"
"No! I have to save you!!"
He slammed and slammed his weapon against the glass, each hit echoing through the room around him. But, no matter how much he fought, the glass wouldn't yield.
Dropping the sword, he hissed, fighting to catch his breath. He looked at his work.
Unfortunately, nothing had changed. No scratches, no scuffs, nothing. The glass was untouched.
Rena's big eyes looked so dull, as if all of the light had been sucked out of her. She hung her head, looking up at him.
"I-I couldn't break it, too..."
Her voice was muffled in his ears from behind the glass. He froze.
"No..." he hissed, "No! There's gotta be some way to get you outta there!"
She shook her head, hugging her arms.
"I-I dunno..." Twisting her frown, she refused to look up, "I'm... scared..."
Aex focused on the girl before him, his eyes wide.
"Scared...?"
He had been scared, terrified even, of this place and all that it held within it. But it was all in his head. None of it was real.
But Rena... Rena's situation was real. And her only ticket out of this horrible mess was standing on the other side of the glass.
Knitting his frown, the boy raised a gloved hand, placing it against the glass.
"It's okay," he said, wearing a genuine smile, "Don't be scared, okay?"
Rena focused on him, her eyes bright.
"No matter what," he said, "I will save you."
The girl knit her brow.
"You promise?"
He nodded, grinning. "Pinky promise, even."
A warm smile spread across the girl's features. She grinned, placing her hand in the outline of the boy's own.
"T-thank you..."
SHISH!
Light burst into the room. Rena's dim eyes bugged.
"Aex!!"
The boy leapt forward, slamming his hands against the glass.
"Rena!"
He slammed his fists over and over against the pane, pleading to the glass to just yield and let him through.
His blue orbs focused on the ground beside Rena. For a split second, he saw something: a figure, their shadow stretching across the floor. That's when his blood started to boil.
"No! Leave her alone!!"
The girl shrieked. Then... silence. The room was pitch black again.
Rena was gone...
The boy collapsed, his fists against the glass. He hissed, grinding his teeth.
"No..." he shook his head. "No..."
"Ha! You wanna find her again, don't you?"
The boy's eyes shot for the skies. He snarled.
"What'd you do to her?!"
The voice cackled.
"You'll just have to find out! Unless you're too scared to!"
The boy growled, balling his hands into fists.
"What? You think I'm gonna be afraid of a coward like you? Screw that!"
The boy didn't waste a second. He scooped his sword off of the ground, cast another Fire spell to light his way, and dashed forward.
No matter what, he was going to find Rena. He was going to save her. He was going to be the hero!
----------------------
The long, winding halls of the twisted mansion guided him further and further into the bowels of the beast. He dashed forward, following the fire light as it guided him onwards.
"AH-HAHAHA!!"
The scream made him lurch to a stop, sending him stumbling into another room. He hissed, regaining his composure.
"Where is she?!" he screamed to the heavens, snarling.
Nothing. The voice just kept laughing, cackling.
"AH-HAHAHAHA!!"
The boy stomped his foot, growling louder.
"What'd you do to her?! Tell me!!"
He slammed his sneaker to the floor, sending the sword slamming down after it. When it did, it sent a shockwave across the room.
SLAM!
It slammed into the wall.
CRACK!
And the door started to disintegrate...
"Huh?" the boy knit his brow, watching pieces of wood collapse to the floor. He looked deeper into the doorway.
Someone was there... Aex's fingers twitched, his sword rattling in his grip.
A shadowed figure had come into view, standing at the end of the hallway. A weak light streamed into the room and traced their outline, giving a clue to who, or what, they were. Hunched forward, the figure begun to move closer, taking slow, almost-stumbling steps.
The figure's form soon became revealed. He stared.
The figure's stance was very strange, almost zombie-like or even uncoordinated. A pair of glowing red eyes peered from underneath stray pieces of hair. Their skin seemed greyed, dulled but not from the light. And, in their clawed grip, was a very familiar weapon...
He gasped.
"...R-Rena?"
It was Rena. The child had been twisted, distorted by whatever had happened in this place. He ran up to her, grabbing her by the shoulders. He couldn't comprehend what he saw; he only stared at the child.
"Rena..." his voice shook. He gripped the girl's shoulders tighter, watching as she stared blankly at the space in front of her, "I'm so sorry..."
"There's gotta be some way to fix this," he muttered, "I promised -- I have to find a way to save you..."
She looked up at him, her red eyes twitching.
"Help me..."
He nodded, gulping, "I am..."
SHISH!
But how was he supposed to save her when he couldn't even save himself?
"Ahh!!"
Stumbling back, he reeled away from the slice of the Keyblade, watching the metal glisten in the darkness. Rena reeled back, snarling with a very animalistic sound. With a "ha!," she dove in for the next attack.
"Rena!"
Ripping his weapon off of the ground, he blocked the attack, throwing the girl back.
"Wake up, Rena! I know you're still in there!"
She hissed, diving in for another attack. A slice across Aex's torso, a slam of her foot into his chest, and a dive against him. She slammed him to the ground, kicking the weapon out of his grip. It spiraled away, leaving Aex defenseless.
He hissed, trying to push the girl off of him; but to no avail -- something had made her ridiculously stronger, filling her head with animal-like instincts. He couldn't beat that!
"You're not a monster, Rena!" he hissed, trying to push the girl off of him, "Snap out of it!"
He slammed his hand against the girl's head, shoving her back. She leapt back with a loud hiss, stumbling across the floor. Eyes bugged, Aex shot to his feet.
The girl had collapsed, breathing heavy, shallow breaths. A bright red stain was beginning to well up under her greyed, decaying skin. She hunched over the ground, her Keyblade some distance away. Aex watched, trying to figure out what happened.
"Rena?" he gulped, cautiously stepping closer, "I-it's okay... I'm gonna help you..."
The girl's blood-shot eyes tilted up. They stared back at him. The girl slowly rose to her feet, regaining her composure. She cocked her head back.
And then she started to laugh.
"Help me?" she giggled, "You're a little late for that."
SHISH!
The boy's wide eyes stared at his torso. He stared at the malicious blade ripping a hole straight through his chest.
"W-What?"
Static broke through the darkness, shooting across his eyes. His hands shook. He stared at the horror.
"N-No..." he hissed, grabbing the blade. His grip was slipping. He was starting to fall.
"I-I'm supposed to save you, Rena," he muttered. His hands were slipping away. "I'm supposed to be the hero..."
The world was turning black. The blade was disappearing from his eyes, and so was the red-eyed monster starting back at him.
All he heard was a sickeningly sweet giggle.
"Oh, Aex," said the girl with a smile, "How can you save me when you can't even save yourself?"
His eyes burst open. He stared up at the gallery of twisted faces staring back at him.
"Ahh!" he screamed, fighting to stumble back. But no avail – he couldn't move!
"WaKe Up, AeX!!" cackled the faces, crawling closer.
The boy hissed, tugging at the bonds holding him back. He was trapped in a web of chains, a sitting duck in a spider's web. He whimpered, closing his eyes tight.
"It's just a dream," he muttered, laughter filling his ears. "It's just a dream, it's gotta just be a dream! This can't really happen!"
"WaKe Up, AeX!!"
"I-I'm dreaming..."
"WaKe up!!"
"None of this is real..."
"Wake up!"
"It's all in my head..."
"Aex!"
He pinched his eyelids together tight.
"This is all in my head! It's not real!!"
"Aex, I think you're talkin' in your sleep again..."
The boy's eyes burst open. Staring back at him was a familiar face: Rena. His eyes bugged.
"R-Rena?" he grinned, "Holy shit, you're okay!"
The girl knit her brow, sitting upright.
"Yeah, 'course I'm okay-- Bwah!"
Blinking, she stared off into space for a moment. Then she looked down at the boy clinging to her torso; it looked like some sort of hug or something...
"Are you... okay?" she laughed hesitantly.
"I was so worried!" he said, shaking. "I thought you had turned into one of those monster... things!"
The girl held up her arm, letting it fall limp. She gazed at it curiously.
"I don't think I'm a monster..."
The boy sat upright, crossing his legs. He gave a great, big sigh of relief. He paused, looking up at Rena who was staring at him sideways.
"Wait..." he knit his brow, the wheels in his head turning. "That was a dream, right?"
The girl shrugged absent-mindedly.
"I dunno, I was kinda just sitting here and watching you talk in your sleep..."
The boy frowned, suddenly looking a little panicked.
"Then... how'd I fall asleep?"
"Ohoh! I know that!" she grinned brightly, bouncing a little as she raised her hand, "We were walkin' into the town 'n stuff, remember?" she waved her hands as she talked, "But someone started laughing or whatever, and then you kinda screamed and got all panicky 'n stuff and I was like 'why're you goin' crazy, Aex, you're being kinda weird' and thennnnn... you fell backwards and hit your head and fall asleep!"
Aex's eyes bugged. He blinked.
"U-uhh... so... I was the one who got scared and passed out?"
Rena grinned, "Yup! You were screaming a lot, too!"
The sweat started to drip down Aex's face. He wore a swiggly, panicked frown.
"O-oh..." He looked to the side frantically, sweating nervously.
"Ohoh! And then, after you fell asleep, this skeleton guy named Jack showed up annnnd we fought this big scary guy named Oogie Boogie--!"
"W-well, that's all over! No need to stay here anymore!" he scrambled to his feet, looking around. He mumbled a question, wondering where they were, then quickly grabbed Rena's hand as soon as she hopped to a stand.
"C'mon, let's go," he said, heading for a door to the side of the room. (Was this place a laboratory or something? There were big metal doors everywhere...) "No need to stick around this creepy place, so let's go!"
The girl stumbled behind him.
"Ahh, Aex, wait--!"
As Aex raced for the door, he realized he was basically sliding across the floor in place, not going anywhere. Something was pulling him back, dragging him to a halt. He blinked, knitting his brows.
"What's wrong?" he looked back at the girl, who was dragging her heels into the steel floor.
She stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, with that absent-minded moment gone, she grinned sheepishly.
"I... kinda did something..."
The boy wrinkled his brow.
"What...?"
He knew he shouldn't have asked. Because, moments later, he was doing the one thing he vowed he would never do. The one thing that he made a pinky promise and a swear to never, ever do!
Trick-or-treating. It was trick-or-treating. And Rena (almost) literally had to drag him along.
"No!! I'm not going!"
"C'mon! Don't be a guppy fish, Jack said it'll be lots of fun!"
"Noooooooo!" he cried, "I hate this freakin' place!!"Spoiler: Ira
Show
Ira
Dante felt like he was going to be sick.
He curled up in the corner of his room, hiding his face in his knees as he took a deep, shuddering breath. He tried to ignore the ice in his veins, and he tried to block out the reminder that his bastard friends had locked him in his f.ucking room. But at the same time…
That’s what you do with a monster, right?
Dante felt the cold spreading through him like wildfire. He hated it when this happened; he despised it when his bastard of an old man tried to take over. While there were a few perks to being cambion, the half demon offspring of a human woman, no way were they worth the rest of the shit he had to deal with, especially since he had the dubious honor of being the son of Moloch, archdemon of wrath. Avoid becoming that sonuvabitch’s gate, yeah, sure; how the hell was Dante supposed to keep his damned temper all the time and keep the Prince of Wrath from descending on the world? It wasn’t humanly possible, even if you had the patience of a saint!
Which Dante didn’t.
Desperately, his hand scrambled across his desk, trying to find his pack of smokes. Maybe, if he could get his nerves calmed down, he could think enough to find a way out of this and get some comeuppance. Yeah, he just needed to calm his nerves…
Did you miss me?
Dante’s eyes widened as the words whispered around in his mind, their jade and gold shade taking up nearly all the space as his pupils contracted to small pinpricks. No way, no way in hell. That little f.ucker could just piss off. Dante didn’t have time to deal with this shit right now!
Come on. I know you’re bored.
The cigarette pack was empty. Dante’s fingers curled, crumpling the empty pack into a tight ball as he gasped, a cold sweat slowly breaking out on his brow; he shivered, goose bumps creeping up and down the flesh of his arms. This was nuts, this whole damn plan was insane. What the hell had he been thinking? He wasn’t going to get off the Demon’s Bane and detox this way; he was going to lose his damned mind, he was gonna get possessed, Moloch would wear his meat suit like a whore’s dress to the prom, and by then, Dante was gonna be dead.
I’m still here…
“Go the f.uck away!” Dante’s voice was hoarse as he screamed, trying to get that whisper of Moloch’s to shut up and leave him alone. Dropping the empty pack, Dante’s hands scrabbled at his head, tugging at his hair and scratching along his face and throat, leaving bloody furrows in their wake as his nails slowly grew longer.
I’m haunting youu! Moloch said in a sing-song, breaking into a cackling taunt right at the end.
Dante bellowed, clambering to his feet as he flew across the room and pounded on the door. Screw this shit, Dante was going to demand Lucas let him the hell out of his room now! Dante’d clean up later. Maybe he’d try shooting the Demon’s Bane this time instead of smoking it, though. The cigarettes didn’t seem to be working as well as they used to; Moloch’s all too intense presence in Dante’s brain was more than enough evidence for that fact. Feeling a prick at his lips as his canines lengthened, the cambion drew a shaky breath trying to will his head into a semblance of order so he could get out of his room and get a more refined hit of the Demon’s Bane; maybe he needed the shit in a more potent liquid form to finally send the demon in his head packing.
Dante? Mor’du’s deep rumble sounded in the young man’s head, alarm in the usually unshakable bear’s voice. Dante, block him out!
But even as Dante tried to listen to Mor’du, the bear’s presence faded from his mind, light as a web of spider silk, as Moloch pushed him out.
Right. I don’t think so. Time for some fun, kiddo…
~---------~
“Are you sure we’re doing the right thing, here, Lucas?”
Lucas didn’t answer Christa right away. He had his violet eyes trained on his hands, studying long, thin fingers as he lost himself in thought. Finally, the words floated out of him as he said slowly, “I don’t know, Christa, but it’s better than the alternative. Dante’s got too much of that Demon’s Bane in his system. He needs it out, before he takes too much of it to get the results he’s looking for. We just need to be patient…”
Both of them fell silent for a moment, the implications of what Lucas had and hadn’t said hanging between them. Lucas and Christa used the Demon’s Bane too; so did Eric, Delilah, Angie, and Jason, for that matter. Demon’s Bane was a plant that was exactly what its name implied: It blocked demons and diminished their power, or just down and out killed them if the demon was incredibly weak. As cambion that were sired by the Big Seven, Lucas and his group of Hunters needed every edge they could get in the war at times, especially when their sires tried to use them as their Gates into the mortal realm. The half-demon Hunters