shadows - lashton

Chapter 3

*Ashton's P.O.V*

My little brother Harry had always expressed an interest in the supernatural world. It started when we took him to an Egyptian museum for his sixth birthday, where he had been convinced the mummies were alive beneath the layers of linen cloth, and then there was no stopping it. His enthusiasm was undoubtable. However the one creature he was sure didn't exist was vampires, although he had yet to prove it.

Tonight was Halloween, so I was taking him out. It was more of an attempt to stop him constantly begging, but I was secretly looking forward to it. Not necessarily to scare the elderly and youngsters for sweets though, I was far more excited to see a grin spread across Harry's face like it always was when we discussed his interests in conversation. I'll admit it is a weird interest for a boy his age, but he found no shame in sharing his research or showing off his gadgets to all of his friends. None of them seemed to mind, in fact many found it fascinating, so there was no reason to discourage it.

"Ash! Are you ready?" I heard Harry ask from the other side of my bedroom door, his voice laced with excitement.

"I'm just finishing my costume, I'll be out in a minute," I replied, laughing quietly to myself at his enthusiasm. Quickly checking that I looked alright in the mirror, I pulled my mask down over my face.

Opening the door and stepping into the hallway, the last thing I expected was Harry to jump out and send me staggering back in surprise. His outfit was made of black silk sewn together by mum and a long red cloak that hung down to his ankles, tied by a ribbon around his neck.

"I want to suck your blood," he spoke in his very best vampiric accent, holding his hands in claw shapes above his head. His speech was a little muffled by the fake fangs in his mouth, but he was understandable nonetheless.

"Wow, you look incredible," I stared at his costume in genuine awe. The amount of time and effort that mum must have put into making it was unimaginable. "Like a real vampire."

His response was to be expected, given his attitude towards the subject. Harry rolled his eyes at me. "But vampires aren't real, everyone knows that."

For the next five or so minutes, me and my little brother argued over the existence of vampires. Harry stated that he had modern science on his side and I tried simply to explain that I was only complimenting his appearance, I was fully aware that they aren't real. We were both trying to say the same I suppose, but both of us found it surprisingly difficult to realise.

Before we left the house we quickly said our goodbyes to mum and dad, stepping out into the street and frightening away a small ginger cat that had been curled up on the pavement moments previously. Looking at everyone's outfits I stopped for a moment to consider my own, I was dressed in a zombie costume I had bought relatively cheaply from the store down the road. It didn't even compare in the slightest to Harry's, but Halloween was more for him anyways.

It took a little while for me to realise that a large majority were dressed as vampires this year, obviously it was a popular choice and I didn't question it as Harry was one also.

We made our way down the street, careful to stay away from the main road. My eyes widened and I gripped Harry's hand a little tighter as a strong figure bashed into my shoulder. I looked up and recognised him immediately as a guy from my school, and two of his friends stood by him.

"Hey loser," the tallest of three scoffed, "no friends to go out with so you take your puny little brother?"

I did my best to ignore his harsh words, leading Harry away from the three of them. Although I was unsure what they were truly capable of, I highly doubted they would come after me with so many people bearing witness.

As we made our way towards a house decorated with excessive lights and a path lined with carefully carved pumpkins, I felt something unusual behind me and suddenly a shadowy figure flashed past my eyes. I couldn't help but shudder, the last few seconds had been anything but ordinary.

I paused for a moment to look around me, no one else seemed to have noticed anything off so I pushed my doubt aside and chose to ignore the chilling feeling I was now getting down my spine.

Anything seemed possible on Halloween, the night of the undead.

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A/n: it's not Halloween, but here's a Halloween chapter

Thanks everyone x