Time seemed to accelerate and, before anyone realized it, the night of October 31st had fallen over the neighborhood.
The Halloween atmosphere saturated the air.
In the Connor house entrance hall, the three little ones were already formed in a line, ready for their incursion into the world of sugar collection.
Fortunately, they had decided to set aside their "work suits" in favor of more traditional outfits.
Emma had opted for a zombie costume, Esther was dressed as a classic scarecrow with a fake pumpkin head that completely hid her face, and Lillith... Lillith wore a red velvet cape with a hood, playing a "Little Red Riding Hood" who clearly was not afraid of any wolf, but was probably the one who ate them.
"Dad, Mom, we are leaving! Do not wait up for us!" exclaimed the three in unison, before opening the door and disappearing into the darkness of the night.
"..."
Seeing how their small silhouettes moved away, Lief had the premonition certainty that this Halloween night was not going to be exactly quiet for the neighborhood.
"Dad, Mom, I am going out too. I am meeting up with some friends," he said getting up from the sofa and adjusting the collar of his long trench coat.
"Go, honey, and be careful with the hooligans who throw eggs," Sarah warned him from the kitchen.
Lief left the house, inhaling the air. The streets were alive, groups of children ran from door to door shouting "trick or treat," and the illuminated pumpkins flickered on every sidewalk.
He walked with his hands in his pockets, heading to the agreed upon corner, near Carrie's house.
From afar, he distinguished a figure waiting under the light of a streetlamp.
Carrie wore a classic witch's robe, of a deep black, and a wide brimmed pointy hat.
She held a carved wooden wand that looked quite old and authentic. Her pale skin seemed to shine with a luminosity of its own in the night, and in that attire, she looked like a sorceress.
It was a costume that, ironically, fit perfectly with her true nature.
"Lief!" Carrie saw him approach and happily waved her hand, her smile illuminating the shadow of the hat.
"Carrie, you look incredible," said Lief upon reaching her side, looking at her up and down with sincere appreciation. "Your costume is really great. It fits you like a glove."
"Thank you, it was hard to decide, but–"
Just as Carrie started to reply, a fiery figure silently materialized next to them, emerging from the shadows as if she had been summoned.
"What are you talking about so happily? Did I miss the joke?"
It was Jennifer. And her interpretation of Halloween was... audacious.
She wore a blood red leather suit, tight as always and that left very little to the imagination. A small pair of black bat wings sprouted from her back, and two dark horns adorned her head, while in her right hand, she held a trident.
Basically, she had dressed up as a succubus.
"Where are Frank and Anita?" asked Lief, noticing the absence of the other pair.
"Oh, those two... they went to the movies to see a romantic film. They decided they wanted 'privacy' and did not wait for us," replied Jennifer, intertwining her arm with his.
"Master... do you like me like this? I put this on thinking only of you."
Feeling the warm pressure of her body against his arm and the implicit promise in her tone, Lief maintained his stoic expression.
"It is okay. It is an adequate costume."
Right at that moment, a timid voice floated from the darkness.
"Um... Lief...?"
The three turned around.
It was Maria. Her costume was the absolute contrast to the aggressive sexuality of Jennifer or the mystical elegance of Carrie. She was dressed as a classic ghost: a white sheet that covered her from head to toe, with two irregularly cut holes for the eyes.
She looked adorably endearing.
And how did they recognize her? By the voice.
"Can I... can I go with you?"
Lief's smile softened instantly.
"Of course, Maria! Come here," he said signaling her to come closer. "The group would not be complete without a ghost."
Sighing with relief, Maria ran to join them.
Thus, under the October moon, the team had officially gathered: a boy in a trench coat, a real telekinetic witch, a succubus dressed as a she devil and a small shy ghost under a sheet.
"Do we have a destination?" asked Carrie.
Jennifer pointed to the end of the street, where the neighborhood of tidy houses gave way to a large and shadowy structure.
It was a genuinely gothic looking building that stood out unnaturally against the night sky, flickering with strobe lights of sickly colors.
"How about that place?" she said. "I heard it is the new house of terror that opened this year. A friend said that the main actor is a clown who eats real worms."
"..."
Lief narrowed his eyes in the direction she was pointing.
In the gloom, the silhouette of the building reminded him disturbingly of Pennywise's house.
"It seems like an excellent plan to me," he said curling a sideways smile.
The group walked and the closer they got, the more palpable the chilling atmosphere became. A white mist spilled out the front door and flowed slowly over the sidewalk. The windows of the building emitted a green glow that made the house look sick.
Next to the entrance, a ticket seller dressed in a clown suit and with his face painted with a toothy smile was waiting for them. Upon seeing the group, he sketched a grimace that looked more like a spasm than a welcoming expression.
"Welcome to the 'Ultimate Nightmare'!" he shrieked with a high pitched voice. "Four people? We have a package for couples, guaranteed to make your feelings heat up amidst screams! Only twenty dollars a ticket!"
Jennifer took out a wad of bills from her back pocket and slammed them without hesitation against the counter, while her arm remained firmly attached to Lief's, and raised an arched eyebrow at the clown with an expression of superiority.
"Do we really look like we need help getting heated up?"
"..."
The clown's smile froze for an instant before the brazen gaze and the obvious insinuation of the girl. His professionalism took over, he regained his composure and took the money, handing them four tickets.
The interior of the house of terror was a labyrinth of suffocating darkness, even gloomier than the exterior suggested.
The air was not only cold, but it was permeated with a strange smell...
Along the hallways, the walls were packed with horror movie posters and props. From time to time, staff members dressed as monsters jumped out from the corners or behind panels, letting out screams.
Too bad that, for the team accompanying Lief, this level of scare was completely ineffective.
Lief, as an exceptional being and connoisseur of true horrors, walked unmoved. The sound effects and visual scares were, at best, an annoying noise.
Jennifer, possessing senses far superior to the normal human, detected the presence of people before they could move and instead of getting scared, she laughed and threw them a smug smile or even blew a kiss to the employees who jumped out, leaving them stunned and unable to continue.
Carrie, although she was naturally sensitive, felt totally safe walking next to Lief, her fear dissipating by his simple proximity.
The only one who was really feeling miserable was Maria.
Enclosed under her sheet, her innate sensitivity amplified the tension. She clutched the white fabric tightly, almost shrinking, and followed at the back of the group, trying to stay as close as possible to Lief.
After crossing a hallway full of cobwebs and skeletons, they arrived at a well marked fork.
The hallway on the left was absolute darkness, from where sounds of dragging chains and machinery came..
The hallway on the right was a kaleidoscope of strange lights, at the entrance, a distorting mirror indicated clearly that it led to a mirror maze.
"Well, we have to split up," said Jennifer suddenly, releasing Lief's arm and turning toward the other two girls. "It is much more exciting this way, right? We will meet at the finish line to see which couple arrives first."
Having said this, she walked directly toward Maria and hugged her around the shoulders, making Maria's nervous body go rigid instantly.
"Little ghost," whispered Jennifer, looking directly at the entrance of the mirror maze. "You are coming with me this way. What do you think? I need a partner who knows how to stay quiet."
"I... I do not know..."
"Decided," declared Jennifer, without giving her any opportunity to refuse. She took Maria's hidden hand under the sheet and dragged her gently toward the mirror hallway.
Before disappearing into the distorted glow, she winked at Lief and Carrie. "Have fun! See you at the exit!"
________
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