[Halloween Night]
The air smelled like candy and carved pumpkins. Orange lights glowed along the front walkway, and a fog machine puffed out lazy clouds near the steps. The sky was clear.
Jake adjusted his Scream mask, tugging it straight over his head. "Okay, this thing's awesome," he said, his voice muffled behind the rubber.
Prudence laughed, tightening the bone necklace around her neck. Her witch doctor outfit looked handmade, with a black coat decorated in painted symbols and beads. "You look like a horror movie reject," she teased.
"Yeah, but a cool one," Jake said, grabbing his candy bag.
Laura walked out behind them and made both kids freeze. The right half of her body looked normal—jeans, a tank top, casual as ever. The left half looked like something out of a zombie apocalypse: gray skin, veins painted up her arm, fake wounds dripping with dark red paint. Her eye on that side even had a white contact lens.
Jake blinked. "Whoa… you look messed up."
Laura grinned, half-zombie face twisting into a smirk. "That's the point, genius. Halloween's not for looking pretty."
Lily came running out from the hallway wearing her little Michael Myers jumpsuit, plastic knife in hand, and the classic mask. "I'm ready!" she shouted.
Prudence bent down, grinning. "You look terrifying, Lily. You sure you're not gonna scare the other kids?"
Lily lifted her toy knife proudly. "That's the plan!"
From the porch, Charlie leaned against the doorframe. Lisa and Kate stood beside him. "Alright, monsters," Charlie said, "remember the rules? No eating candy until you get back, stay together, and if someone offers you homemade caramel apples, politely decline and run."
Laura saluted him. "Copy that, Captain."
Prudence grabbed Lily's hand. "We'll be back before ten."
Charlie smiled. "Have fun. And Lily..."
She turned back. "Yeah, Daddy?"
"Give them a good scare."
She giggled. "Okay!"
The little group headed down the street. Houses were lit up with pumpkins and fake spider webs. Kids in costumes ran from porch to porch, their laughter echoing through the night. Laura carried a flashlight, swinging it casually as they walked.
Jake spotted the first house with glowing purple lights and a massive inflatable skeleton. "Let's start there!" he said, running ahead.
"Slow down, scream boy!" Laura called.
Lily followed close behind, her small legs pumping fast. "Wait for me!"
Prudence caught up, laughing as she adjusted her witch hat. "This street goes all out. Look at that place. They've got dead bodies props hanging."
Laura looked around, half-impressed. "Yeah, Malibu's not kidding this year."
They reached the first door. Jake pressed the bell, and a spooky organ tune played. The door opened to reveal a woman dressed as a vampire, holding a candy bowl. "Well, don't you all look terrifying," she said with a grin.
"Trick or treat!" they all yelled, Lily's voice the loudest.
The woman handed out candy, and Lily held up her bag. "Thank you!" she said before running off to the next house.
They kept going, block after block. Jake's bag started to fill up fast. "I swear, this is the best neighborhood," he said, munching on a mini chocolate bar when he thought no one was looking.
Laura caught him. "Hey! Rule breaker."
Jake froze, mid-bite. "Just one!"
Prudence rolled her eyes. "He's ten. Let him live."
Lily tugged on Laura's hand. "Look! That house has ghosts in the tree!"
Laura turned and laughed. The decorations were cheap plastic sheets hung from branches, but the way the lights hit them made them look like they were floating. "Creepy. I like it."
They walked up the driveway, and a motion sensor triggered a loud shriek. Lily jumped and then started laughing. "That's so cool!"
Jake leaned down toward her. "You didn't even scream. That's impressive."
"I'm Michael Myers," she said proudly. "Michael doesn't scream."
Laura and Prudence looked at each other and burst out laughing.
They hit a few more houses, Lily patted a couple of dogs she saw on the way, and soon Jake was competing with her to see who could fill their bag faster.
...
[Back at Charlie's beach house]
The doorbell rang for the first time that night.
"Showtime," he muttered, grabbing the bucket of candy from the counter.
He opened the door to a group of kids in matching skeleton suits. "Trick or treat!" they shouted in unison.
Charlie smiled. "Well, that's terrifying. You win tonight's creepiest synchronized chant award." He dropped candy into each of their buckets. "Now go haunt someone else's porch before my skeletons wake up."
The kids laughed and ran off, their glowsticks flashing in the dark.
He closed the door, turning around and nearly dropping the candy bucket.
Kate and Lisa were coming down the stairs.
Kate's black leather outfit hugged every line, her painted whiskers and tail buttplug leaving little to the imagination. Oh, she was wearing fishnet stockings. Lisa's plaid skirt and tied white shirt looked straight out of a teen movie, her hair in neat pigtails and glasses perched low on her nose. She was a naughty schoolgirl.
Charlie blinked. "Okay, wow. So… Catwoman and detention. That's… quite the theme."
Lisa adjusted her glasses, trying not to laugh. "You like?"
"I'm pretty sure this is the part where my brain short circuits," Charlie said.
Kate smirked. "You were supposed to dress up too."
"I was going to," he said, setting the bucket down, "but then I remembered I'll have to take it off either way. So..." He smirked and was about to go to the girls and just kiss them before taking them to bed.
But...
The doorbell rang again...
Charlie exhaled through his nose, muttering under his breath, "Perfect timing." He picked up the candy bucket again and pulled the door open.
On the porch stood three kids: a tiny vampire, a werewolf with a crooked mask, and a princess with sparkly wings that glowed faintly in the dark. The vampire hissed dramatically, showing plastic fangs. "Trick or treat!" they chorused.
Charlie forced a grin. "Nice commitment, Dracula. You almost scared me."
The vampire puffed up proudly. "I practiced in the mirror!"
"Yeah? Looks like it paid off." Charlie dropped a handful of candy into each bag. "Alright, there you go. Sugar and cavities for everyone."
The princess smiled up at him. "You're the guy from TV, right? My mom says you used to be drunk."
Kate, standing behind him, snorted and tried not to laugh.
Charlie froze for half a second. "Used to be," he said quickly, offering a tight smile. "Now I don't drink. It's bad for the liver and overall body. And I figure, I'd like to live a long life."
The werewolf peered around his leg. "Cool house! Are those real skeletons?"
"Only on Mondays," Charlie said. "Careful, they bite."
The kids screamed and laughed, bolting off the porch as their bags bounced behind them.
Charlie shut the door, sighing. "Alright. Now..." He rubbed his palms together with a grin that said: I'm gonna eat you two up.
The bell rang again.
He stared at it. "You've got to be kidding me."
Lisa walked over, still grinning. "You're popular tonight."
He turned back toward her, eyes running down her costume again. "Yeah, well, I was hoping for a different kind of trick or treat."
She gave him a look. "Patience, Mr. Harper."
He opened the door again. This time, a group of teenagers stood there: zombies, mummies, and one kid dressed as a taco for no clear reason. They held out pillowcases, looking half-bored.
"Trick or treat," one of them mumbled.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "You guys look like you're too old for this."
The taco kid shrugged. "Free candy."
He sighed. "Fair point." He dumped a generous handful into each bag. "There. Now go cause minimal chaos, alright?"
As the teens shuffled off, one of them pointed toward Kate and Lisa behind him. "Nice costumes, man!"
Charlie smirked. "I know." He closed the door again. "Now, where were we?"
The bell rang again.
He froze, gripping the bucket tighter. "If this is another group of freeloading tacos…"
Kate was laughing openly now. "Go on, Dad of the Year."
Charlie muttered, "I swear, Halloween's testing me." He swung the door open.
This time, it wasn't kids.
Standing on the porch was Rose.
Her black witch costume shimmered in the porch light—lace gloves, pointed hat, and that same knowing half-smile. The silver necklace at her throat glinted as she tilted her head. She looked hot and dangerous with a killer smile.
"Trick or treat," she said softly.
Charlie blinked, completely thrown. "Rose?"
She smiled. "You didn't think I'd miss Halloween, did you?"
Behind him, Lisa and Kate exchanged a knowing glance. Lisa had a talk with the girls about Rose and as usual, they were okay with her joining the group.
Charlie set the candy bucket down slowly. "You really know how to make an entrance."
Rose stepped closer, her tone light but her eyes steady. "Old habits."
Lisa gave her a little nod. "Nice costume."
Rose glanced at her and smiled. "Thanks. I almost went with the nurse, but I figured witch suited me better."
Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… it fits."
Rose's gaze lingered on him for a moment before she said, "Sorry for dropping by without a call. I was in the neighbourhood and thought to swing by. I'm not intruding on your private time, am I?"
Before Charlie could say anything...
"Of course not. C'mon in," Lisa walked to the door, took Rose's hand, and they walked in.
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[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
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