Hauntingly Lovely

Chapter 5

Jack's P.O.V.

I wake up to the sun shining through the window, then the smell of the room hits me and I realize how bad it is. I look around and realize that Michael isn't here anymore. I frown, wishing that last night never ended. When I get out of the dusty old bed it creaks and I walk around it to get to the door. That's when I see him. Michael is sitting in a corner of the room behind an end table, surrounded by broken bottles, and still in his fancy old suit and masquerade mask. What's wrong with this situation is that he's dead, from the looks of it he has been for a really long time, he's nearly nothing but bones. I wonder if I'm having some horrible nightmare, I'm so shocked I can't even scream. That's when Alice walks in.
"We should get out of here, our parents have probably already called the cops since we've been gone so long." Alice says, as if she doesn't see the corpse in front of us.
"H-he's dead!" I tell at her.
"Yeah, a lot of people here are dead, we can come back to visit next Halloween. Come on, it's time to go home." She replies calmly.
"Why are acting so calm about this?" I ask.
"I'll explain it to you on the way, come on." She says, walking away. I follow her as she walks out of the house, as we step out of the gate we see the cat, this time half its flesh is gone and some of its limbs are bent the wrong way. Then Alice starts to explain what happened.

Max's P.O.V.

I woke up in the closet that River and I had fallen asleep in last night. I stretch my arms up and look over at her, and I scream. She's sitting back against the wall and staring at the door in her red riding hood outfit, there's a knife in her hand. She's dead and rotting, it doesn't look like she died recently either. I stand up and grab the door knob and then the floor gives way and I'm falling. The floor broke and I'm falling. I start to see my life flash before my eyes, and right when I think I'm about to hit the hardwood floor someone catches me. I stare at the corpse that fell with me and then I look up to see milk chocolate eyes.
"How are you...? You're... how..." I trail off, not knowing what to say.
"I know, I'm dead, everybody is. You and your friend should get out of here." She replies.
"How?" I ask again.
"This place is haunted. Every year on Halloween though, we get to have a party, it's the one night a year that we can pretend to be normal. I'm sorry, but you really should go, this old place is in disrepair and you could get hurt, you can come back next Halloween." She explains. Then she walks into the next room, I try to follow her but when I turn the corner she's already gone. So I go searching around the house until I find Charlie and the boy he was with.

Jack's P.O.V.

When she's done explaining everything to me I wonder if we've both gone crazy. I decide not to say anything though and we walk back to the path and start heading to our castles.
"Alice, Y'know your parents are going to flip out when they see your hair now, right?" I say as we're about halfway up the trail.
"Oh, right." She replies. She pauses for a moment before continuing with,
"Actually, you should stop calling me that."
"What should I call you then?" I ask.
"Max." She, er, I guess HE now, replied.
"So you really are a boy, I always wondered why you hid your hair." I replied back. He giggled at that.
"Since we're one the topic of changeing names, can I be called Jack now? I actually happen to enjoy it after last night." I continued.
"Well then, Jack it is." He answered. Then I turn and go toward my castle, I don't even bother trying to sneak in the window this time since I know they know I'm gone. As I head toward the front door it opens for me. My dad is waiting on the other side, disappointed in me as always. Let the lecture about respecting your elders, listening to orders, and being responsible like a king, begin.