One shot book

Halloween

*Author's note: I know this is late I just wanted a scary story taking place on Halloween.*

*Trigger Warning ⚠️: mentions of PTSD, Mentioned murder, blood, cursing*

She hated Halloween. It was just a herald of all things bad and wrong and terrifying in her opinion. So it wasn't any surprise that she stayed home. Besides, she would tell her friends and co-workers, if she really wanted candy she could always buy herself a small bag, which she did. She also made a bowl full of different kinds of candy with a little sign that said "take one" because she wasn't cruel or one of those people always yelling and genuinely ruining the holiday festivities, she just didn't like Halloween.

She also knew that most of the time kids didn't listen so at the halfway point (don't ask her how she knew when that was if she hated Halloween so much, she just knew, it was instinctual at this point) she went outside to refill the red plastic bowl. Which is exactly what she was doing now. As she finished dumping the candy into the bowl she quickly and swiftly put the bowl on the ground without spilling any of the precious candy and with the plastic bag in hand that had previously held the candy, turned and went inside, shutting the door quietly behind her before throwing the plastic
away in the trash.

As she took a step on the first stair she realized the house was silent. Deadly silent.
"Mikey!?" She called out for her younger brother using the endearing nickname she gave him as a child.

He didn't respond, which was a worrying thing for the 20 year old woman seeing as he 1. Was a rather loud and rambunctious teen, 2. He, unlike her, loved Halloween and 3. He never went to bed early and that wasn't going to change on a night with trick or treating.

She swore under her breath that if this was another one of his pranks she was going to take every single video game he owned which was a lot. If she was honest she'd rather not as a person who plays video games herself and also she really didn't have the space in her room to store the ludicrous amount of games.

This is just another added reason why she already didn't like Halloween, all the pranks her brother would pull on her. As she reached Her brother's room she knocked three times letting him know she was coming in. Silence.

She silently opened the door. Peaking her head around before walking in she found
the room empty. She sucked in a breath as her anxiety worsened. Looking at the bed she noticed that there was a little yellow sticky note on Mikey's pillow.

'Gone to Andrew's house be back tomorrow.' Her anxiety and worry quickly evaporated and anger took it's place. 'Ooh, when she found that boy, he was going to be in a world of trouble' she thought as she spent the next thirty minutes searching for Mikey's friend's house. Mikey knew how much she hated Halloween, he knew that she didn't like to be out on Halloween, he knew that she didn't want him to leave the house/her sight on Halloween so pray tell, WHY THE EVER LOVING FUCK DID HE THINK IT WAS A FUCKING GOOD IDEA TO SNEAK TO HIS FRIEND'S HOUSE WITH A HALF-ASSED NOTE OF APOLOGY!

She took multiple deep breaths before knocking on the door. The door opened to reveal a woman in her late 30s-early 40s. Her auburn hair was tied back in a bun and she wore a smile that showed dimples. She had warm forest green eyes and brown freckles littered her nose and cheeks and, Anabelle could have sworn that there were even some on her ears. If Anabelle had to describe the woman in front of her with one word she would say 'Safe'.

"Is there anything you need?" She asked as
she ushered Anabelle inside.

Anabelle suddenly felt dumb and she blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, the names Anabelle, I just came to pick up my little brother Mikey, a family emergency came up." The young woman said lying about that last part.

"Oh no, I hope you guys will be ok. Let me get him." She said before dashing (if it could be described as such, her quickness barely produced any sound if it produced any at all, it was with such efficientcy and a sort of purpose and naturalness and as if it was a every day occurrence that happened so often that you could barely notice it but was simultaneously very unique that you couldn't really help but notice it that it really couldn't be put into words) upstairs to retrieve Mikey.

When she came down, just as quickly mind you, Mikey and his friend Andrew if the note proved correct, were in tow. Anabelle however stopped when she saw Andrew. He looked just like Him. She shuddered as memories she tried to suppress flung at her like an angry dog. Albeit he looked younger, like a 15 year old version, and he had the woman's - his mother's forest green eyes but it was unmistakable. Andrew was His kid.

Anabelle was, infact, so busy trying to suppress the fear in her stomach that she didn't even notice someone walking up behind her until said person placed a hand on her shoulder. "And who is this young lady" said a voice that she didn't recognize but when she turned around to face him she recognized him all too much.

It was HIM. The images she'd tried so hard to suppress came in full swing when he asked "Would you like a Hershey's?" as if asking a kid.

*Mom, Dad, hurry up we'll be late and the candy will be all gone* an 8 year old version of Anabelle said growing impatient at her parents lagging behind, mostly due to her 3 year old younger brother being a toddler and doing as toddlers do. *We're coming, we're coming,* her parents say in happy unison.

It was later that night, almost midnight, Halloween. Anabelle awoke to horrible screaming. An awful, piercing sound that can never leave her ears to this day. She heard crying, coming from Mikey's room.

She didn't know how she ended up in Mikey's room, she couldn't remember, she supposed she walked there, that would be the most logical explanation but all she could remember was trying to shush her crying brother while they hid in plain sight waiting like little ducklings as there was nowhere to go or hide.

She remembers HIM in the room, he was bloody, but not of his own. He looked at her, stared at her in her eyes, there was this unspoken conversation between the two and she etched the stranger's face into her brain. His pale skin and curly brown hair and dark brown eyes, eyes of death. His mole right under his left eye. He was death and death walked away. She still didn't understand why he left the pair of siblings alone.

She made her way downstairs and saw an image she would never be able to erase. Her parents were on the floor and there was blood everywhere. Blood, too much blood. They were dead and the stranger, (the Harbinger of Death is what she called him from then on) was the sole person responsible for it. Perched on top the carnage was a tiny Hershey's mini. She couldn't stomach another Hershey's ever again.

She didn't realize she had grabbed Mikey and in much less ceremonious terms, "booked it" until Mikey complained about it. She didn't know if that man recognized her or Mikey however she was not taking that chance.

"Why do you always have to ruin everything for me?" The 15 year old whined.

"What did I tell you about leaving the house on Halloween." She replied only half paying attention.

"It's a stupid rule, besides I'm not a little kid" he shot back angrily.

"You won't be going to Andrew's house anymore, in fact I don't want you to be friends with him." She stated coldly, more than necessary, but she wanted her little brother to be safe from HIM so it had to be done.

"You can't do that, you don't even know him, I wish Mom and Dad were here to see how irrational you're being" he replied in shock.

"I wish they were here too" she muttered under her breath but didn't add that the reason why their parents weren't there to scold her was because of his friend's father.

Mikey was lucky, he didn't remember that night, he wasn't haunted by it, he could live a normal life and enjoy some of the simple things that she couldn't. He didn't have a holiday ripped away from him and he didn't have to worry about supporting the two. Mikey hadn't realized that it was HIM who made his elder sister hate Halloween so much.

1485 words
Characters: Anabelle - 20 years old, Andrew and Michael (Mikey) - 15, Andrew's mother - 41, Andrew's father - 42

Next two oneshots will be fluff, one being a Christmas special. I might make this a series idk yet. Enjoy your day and this oneshot.