Hey there. This is a Halloween story which has multiple chapters. So I'm starting it now and going to try to write as much as I can before November when I'll be doing NanoWrimo and going on a hiatus. I won't abandon this, though, so... just bear with me.

Warnings: Major Character Death. And, uh, gory stuff, I suppose. And there's only a cast of ten people but I can't put them all in the thing so I put in the four people that turn up first. (Well, Arthur's is whose POV this is in.)

Names: Carlito = Cuba; Myriam = Monaco; Mickaela = Seychelles. I looked up popular names in the countries and chose them to be a bit different because why not.

Also, I know the start of this and how it'll end but, otherwise... making this up as I go along. So, sorry if there's any inconsistencies. ^^"


"Where are you going?"

"On a trip for our birthdays! It's gonna be well cool!"

"Yeah! We're going to a 'haunted' house!"

"Ah! Me too, me too!"

"Nah, this is for big kids."


"Wow! It's so big!"

"Pfft! Of course. What haunted house is gonna be small?"

"Ah, don't pout, Artie. Just ignore him. Come on. Let's go claim a room!"


"Oh, my God..."

"What is it? What's- ARGH!"

"Shush, stop. Artie – stop screaming! They'll find us!"

"B-But, he's-"

"Just shut up, okay? We gotta get outta here or we're next!"

"I don't wanna be next!"

"Shush. Shush, don't cry. Let's... Let's go somewhere else or he'll never calm down."


"There! You can get out of that, can't you, Artie?"

'Artie' looked up at him. He nodded.

"Good. I'm gonna lift you up so you can crawl through, 'kay?"

"'Kay..." said 'Artie' sadly, sniffling slightly.

Another voice. "Stop that. You can't cry – you're not allowed to."

"Why not?" he asked.

"'Cause you gotta be brave," said the first boy. "You've got to get help."

"So when you get through the hole," said the second one, "don't look back. Just run, got it?"

"What? But what about you two?" asked 'Artie', eyes wide.

The boys glanced at each other. Before either of them could respond, there was a noise, a terrifying noise. 'Artie' clutched at his chest. Then, before he could stop them, he was lifted by - and shoved at the hole.

"Go. Go, Artie! Run! Run!"


Arthur woke with a gasp, trembling as he tried to calm his beating heart. He'd had the dream again. It wasn't even a proper dream, just fragments of... something. Nobody had ever been able to figure out what it was or where it had come from. For almost as long as he could remember, he had been given therapy for them until he had grown up and decided that, since nothing was helping, he would have to ignore them as best he could.

His bedsheets were clinging to him, stuck by the cold sweat. Disgusted, he threw them off – only to shiver when the autumn air hit him. Grimacing, he sat up, running a hand through his damp hair. He wished he knew why he had the dreams: he wished he knew why they increased in frequency at this time of the year.

That was when he heard a noise. Freezing, he stared around the room, wide-eyed. From the sunlight peeking through the gap in the heavy curtains, he could see that everything was as it should be: cluttered desk from the rush to get his assignments done the night before; wardrobe closed; chest of drawers with the one which was jammed at the bottom; bookcase full; door to his room closed and locked; other side devoid of his roommate. Then he spotted the glow from his bedside table and he relaxed as he realised that it was a song.

As Greenday sang about an American Idiot, Arthur grabbed his mobile phone and swiped at it, dragging the charger cable with it. "What is it?" he sighed into the device, rolling his eyes to the ceiling as if asking someone to give him strength.

"Gooooood morning, starshine! The Earth says hello!" exclaimed Alfred. Arthur could hear the grin in his voice.

"The Earth can go fuck off. It's..." He glanced at his clock and groaned. "It's fucking eight in the morning, Al. What the fuck do you want now?" And, if he hadn't called and woken Arthur, would he have seen more of his dream...?

"What're you doing for Thanksgiving?" Alfred asked, effortlessly ignoring the venom in Arthur's voice.

"Studying. You know I don't celebrate that. I'm going to have the campus mostly to myself so I'll have peace and quiet to get some assignments out of the way."

"So you're not doing anything?"

Trying to suppress a yawn, Arthur rolled his eyes again. "Did you not hear what I just said?"

"Seeing as you're not doing anything," Alfred continued, blatantly ignoring his friend, "you wanna come on a road trip? Me and some others are going in a coupla cars and we're just gonna pick a direction and drive and see what we find."

"No thank you."

"Aw, c'mon, Artie! You're the last on the list-"

"Last?" Arthur demanded, almost growling in annoyance. "Are you saying that you-"

"No!" cried Alfred, sounding panicked. "I called you last 'cause I knew you'd be super grumpy if I woke you too early- Oh. Er, should I call back later when you're less like Godzilla?"

Eyes narrowed, Arthur glared at the wall, imagining Alfred's sheepish grin. "Alfred, dear," he said, deceptively sweet. "I am going to kill you."

There was a pause. "Is that a yes or a no?"

Arthur hung up.


"So he convinced you to come as well?" asked Francis as Arthur reached the duo of cars with his backpack of clothes and toiletries.

"Unfortunately... Why are you coming?" Arthur sighed, too tired to put much venom into his words.

Flicking some of his blond hair over his shoulder, Francis grinned at him from over a pair of sunglasses. "I was assured I would seem even more exotic in the country." He winked at Arthur who rolled his eyes in response.

"I see," he said, placing his bag beside a pile of other ones. "Where is everyone, anyway? For that matter, where's Al? And Matthew? That's his car, isn't it?" Arthur nodded at the ageing, second-hand Volvo with the beige colour. Everyone agreed that it looked horrible but Matthew took care of it and it was roomy and cosy inside. Alfred's Ford Mondeo, by contrast, looked shiny and new outside but it was very uncomfortable to be inside with its rather cramped seats and a complete mess over the seats.

"Oui. They are stocking up on supplies before we leave," Francis explained, eyeing the car park to see if their friends were there. The Frenchman pursed his lips when he saw that he was stuck with Arthur, on his own, for a little longer. "Did you hand over your assignments on time?"

"Mmhmm," said Arthur. "You?"

"Oui, of course."

"And I take it you found someone else's place to sleep at last night?" Arthur glanced at Francis sidelong who was gazing in the opposite direction. He was the only one who knew about his nightmares – and not because Arthur had told him. It was unfortunate that they had been forced to share a room as the dreams woke Francis as well, Arthur's shouts frightening him from his bed. His roommate had taken to sleeping at friends or staying the night at one of his 'conquests'.

"I was with Matthieu, celebrating the minor reprieve from schoolwork," Francis admitted. "We may have celebrated a little too much."

"So that's why you look like some sort of half-arsed secret agent?" Arthur ran his eyes over Francis's outfit which consisted of a lilac, v-necked sweater and skinny jeans.

Scowling, Francis pushed the shades up. "I will not allow anyone to see... Well."

Movement from across the car park made Arthur glanced up, spotting Alfred bounding towards the car, a defeated Matthew slowly following. Behind him, the tall and beautiful Mickaela and the highly intelligent (and frankly rather scary) Myriam meandered along. Mickaela was yawning openly and, when she had finished, she pouted, obviously upset that Alfred had dragged her from her bed. Myriam looked equally as irritated.

"Hey, guys!" cried Alfred as he reached the two students by the cars.

"Good morning," Arthur replied, eyes narrowed. "And just what has made you so chipper this morning?"

"Friends, good times – it's gonna be awesome!" Alfred grinned at them all. Matthew groaned from beside him.

"Could we just get going?" asked Myriam. "I would like to catch up on my sleep on the ride there. Wherever there is."

"Well, we gotta wait for people."

"Who?" asked Arthur, tilting his head.

"Lovi, Feli and Tonio. Gil and Lud couldn't come – they've got a funeral to attend in Germany somewhere. And Vash wouldn't let Lili come or come himself – something to do with strange people in the country and his job."

"Carl's coming, too," Matthew piped up.

Alfred's bright grin dropped into a scowl. It was so sudden that it shocked Arthur, despite having expected it. "Yeah," he growled. "Only 'cause you invited him or I'd 'ave invited Liz."

"I think Liz was going to Roderich's, anyway, seeing as Gil was going home," Mickaela informed them. "Can I be in Mattie's car?"

"Sure," said Matthew, rather tiredly.

"Yay!" Mickaela picked up her gym bag and hurried to the boot of his car.

"I'm going with her," Myriam declared, hurrying after her.

"So that's three more people to be with me. Who else wants to come?"

Arthur thought about what riding with Alfred meant and spoke up at the same time as Francis. "Me!"

"Moi!"

"Aw, man," moaned Alfred, leaning against his car. The Mondeo sagged with the weight. "Why does no-one wanna ride with me?" Then a thought struck him and he stood straight, eyes wide in alarm. "Wait! I don't wanna have Carl-shito with me!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Fine. I have one space-"

"Hola!" came a voice from behind Arthur and he turned to spot Antonio arriving with two sleepy Italians.

"Perché abbiamo dovuto alzarsi così presto?" sighed Feliciano, rubbing at his eyes. He was barely holding onto his backpack. Lovino merely grunted in response, trying to suppress a yawn.

"Aw, c'mon guys," said Alfred, pouting a little. "Look a little more lively!"

Everyone but Antonio glared at him. "Sí, do not be so gloomy. It will be fun!"

"We were just sorting out who's going in which car-" Arthur began to explain but he was swiftly cut off by Lovino.

"Feli and I will be in Matthew's car. I don't care about the rest of you."

"Hang on!" snapped Arthur, frowning at him. "We were here first! Besides, there's only one seat left since Carlito is going to be with Matthew – since someone" - he turned his glare on Alfred - "is an idiot."

"It's not my fault he's coming!" Alfred protested, raising his hands in surrender.

Lovino considered this for a second. "Feli goes in Matthew's car. I suppose I'll have to put up with you bastards till we get there."

"Wha-?!" Arthur began but Alfred spoke over him.

"That's cool! The rest of us'll have fun in the cool car."

At that point, Matthew turned and waved. Those who still stood outside the cars turned to watch Carlito approach, his thin coat zipped up against the chill. He was dragging a small suitcase behind him and smoking a cigarette as if that could warm him up.

"Finally," said Alfred. "We can get going now." He made it sound as though they had been waiting for hours and the others looked at each other.

None of them were quite sure why Alfred disliked his cousin's best friend. The three of them had met on the first day of college before anyone had known them and the rest of the international group of friends had never been told the details. Matthew only sighed when asked and said it was Alfred being an idiot. The other two wouldn't speak of it and actively avoided speaking about the other when not in the same room. It was rather exhausting so it was a good thing they were being separated for the journey. Arthur was sure they wouldn't have gotten far before one of them killed the other if that hadn't been the case.

"Sorry," said Carlito to Matthew. "I had difficulty keeping my eyes open. Three assignments, you know?" At that, he sent a pointed glare at Alfred.

"Shall we get going?" asked Francis, obviously trying to prevent a fight. Alfred huffed and opened up the car. Matthew helped Feliciano and Carlito with their bags. Everyone else threw theirs into Alfred's boot before squeezing in. There was a lot of arguing about who sat where but it wasn't long before Arthur found himself squished between Francis and Antonio because, apparently, he was 'small' enough – oh, no, they meant 'thin'.

Arthur was sure he was the one going to be killing someone at this rate.

Meanwhile, Lovino had stretched out on the passenger seat. He had sent a ferocious look at Alfred when he attempted conversation and leaned against the window. They had barely begun to move before his tense body relaxed as he fell asleep, one of his arms dropping from where he had been hugging himself.

"And we're off!" cried Alfred, punching the roof of his car in excitement. He shook his hand as he lowered it back to the gear stick, wincing.

Sighing, Arthur wriggled to try to get more comfortable with grumbling from his neighbours. "Yippee for us," he muttered, rather petulantly.


They all headed west, stopping occasionally for bathroom breaks, food and whenever they spotted something interesting. Night drew in and Alfred began yawning yet insisted he was fine: Arthur suspected that he was stubbornly holding on for a motel they could sleep in. Francis's head kept bumping Arthur's shoulder as he dozed, waking when Arthur shoved him off. Antonio's head was hitting the window. Lovino was texting his brother and, occasionally, reporting on something happening in the other car. Or, as was becoming more frequent, passing on their questions about where they would stop.

A small crossroads had just flashed by when it happened.

There was a sudden clunking sound from the front of the car which was followed by a repeated clanking. Alfred gripped the wheel tighter as the car began to slow. Not wanting to doom the venture by speaking, Arthur kept quiet. Lovino started to grumble curses: Arthur thought he was cursing Alfred until he held up his phone and began to sweep it around in an arc. Stuck in his seat, Arthur began to get a sinking feeling.

"Fuck," said Alfred. He turned the wheel and made sure it was tucked into the hedge which grew along the road and sheltered the trunks of large trees.

Twisting as much as he could, Arthur saw that the other car had pulled over as well. He contemplated speaking but Alfred seemed stressed enough as it was. The American was slapping the wheel and continuously trying to start the car. That was when Arthur noticed the smoke coming from under the bonnet. He grimaced, leaned forward and pointed at it.

"I think we should get out and take a look..."

Cursing, both Alfred and Lovino threw open their doors and stepped out. Ignoring the wakening Francis and Antonio, Arthur scrambled over the gearbox and out the front, thankful for the limited light from the half moon. Matthew and Mickaela beat him to Alfred's side.

"We don't have any signal on our phones," Mickaela was saying as he reached them.

"And I picked up a flat just as we caught up to you," the other driver added. "I don't have a spare. I mean, that is the spare. I had to put it on this morning, remember?"

"We should've bought one at one of the garages we went past," Arthur pointed out, pursing his lips when he'd finished speaking.

"I didn't want to stop for too long," Matthew admitted, grimacing. Arthur had the feeling that he meant that he hadn't wanted Alfred to whine about the length of time it would be to take out all the bags and put the tyre in. He sighed and Matthew shrugged in response.

By that point, Francis, Antonio and Carlito had joined them. "What's the problem?" asked Carlito, frowning at them as he rubbed his eyes.

"Dodgy engine, flat tyre," Arthur explained quickly. "Does anyone have signal?" Once they had all ascertained (including Feliciano and Myriam who had got out of the car as well) that there was none, Arthur then asked, "Does anyone know where the nearest town is?"

"No," said Matthew, a note of bitterness in his tone. "We were 'just driving', right, Alfred?"

Sheepishly, Alfred rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... But it can't be too far, right?"

"I do not think that walking for who knows how long in the dark is a good idea," said Francis.

"I didn't think to bring a flashlight," Antonio said, sadly.

"Well, we all know whose fault that is," muttered Carlito, just loud enough for Alfred to hear.

"What was that?" he snapped.

"Lads, don't," Arthur warned. Not only did he want to prevent a fight in the middle of the road, he was beginning to get the sense something was wrong. No mobile phone signal, busted engine, burst tyre... What were the chances of all that happening in the exact same place? And why did he have such a strong feeling of foreboding?

"There was a crossroads back there," Feliciano said. "It wasn't too far – maybe it has a signpost?"

"Hey!" called Myriam who had wandered a little way along the road. "There's a gate here!"

Sure enough, a few feet from the cars, almost as though they had meant to be stopped there, was an indent in the hedgerow. Closer to, they could see ivy had grown around the metal bars. It hadn't been closed properly and provided a tantalising glimpse of an overgrown lawn.

Arthur took an unconscious step back, familiar voices running through his head.

"Look at that plant! What is it?"

"That, Artie, is ivy. If people leave a house alone for a while, it grows there."

"Why?"

"'Cause, silly, the place is abandoned."

"We should go to the crossroads," he found himself declaring. "There's obviously no-one living here so we won't get any help here."

"Maybe there's an old phone line there," Matthew suggested.

"It won't connect," Arthur insisted. "Nobody will have paid for it for years."

"Hm," said Alfred, looking excited all of a sudden. Arthur's chest felt painful at that look and he could feel the sinking feeling grow stronger. "Why don't you go see what the sign says, Artie, I think I have-?"

"Don't call me that!" Arthur snapped, eyes wide and a little wild. He had never understood his aversion to the nickname but he always felt fearful when he heard it. "And I'm not going to the sign on my own with a torch you think you have. It'll likely run out of battery before I get halfway there and then what'll I do?"

Alfred shrugged a shoulder. "Well, you could always come exploring with us. Right, guys?"

There was a murmur of interest. A few of them nodded. Myriam piped up: "We might find beds we can use."

"Yeah," said Matthew. "We could rest here for the night and then find help tomorrow when it's light out."

As everyone agreed, Alfred grinned. "That settles it," he said and reached for the gate.

"No! Wait!" cried Arthur, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. "Don't go in there!"

All eyes were on him. Alfred frowned at him. "Why not?"

"We... We could get into trouble! This is trespassing, you know!"

"Dude, no-one's gonna come out here and no-one's gonna care. Besides, I'm sure they'll let us off if we explain."

"But..."

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat," said Francis, smirking at Arthur.

"I-!" began Arthur but realised it was true. But what was he scared of?

"Come on," said Alfred and pushed open the gate. It creaked on rusty hinges and stopped before it was fully open. The gathering filtered through the gap, chattering to each other. Reluctantly, Arthur approached the opening and, after another moment's hesitation, entered the grounds.

Hidden from the road by the tall hedges and trees was a large house, at least three storeys in height. Three windows were on each side of the aged front door with extra wings jutting out to the side. A driveway looped around from the back of the house and combined with a courtyard within which a cracked, dry fountain resided. The statue's arms and head had fallen off but, oddly enough, were nowhere in sight. Flowers had spread from their flowerbeds and the grass was so tall that it reached Arthur's thighs. Ivy crawled up the side of the house. All of the windows were intact but shrouded in a darkness which seemed to Arthur to spread across the walls and out into the air surrounding the building. He had the feeling the shadows were reaching for him and found his gaze darting around to make sure that was not the case.

A sudden memory hit him, causing him to gasp. He almost stepped back as he found himself staring at a taller, thinner building. It was surrounded by moors and there were children racing about in its abandoned gardens. Some adults were speaking by the door. Just as he grasped at it, trying to reach for the explanation, a hand touched his elbow. Managing only to gasp in shock, Arthur jerked away and blinked at Matthew who stared back at him.

"Are you all right?" asked his friend.

"Y-Yes..." said Arthur, reluctantly. The feeling of being watched had intensified and the memory of the dream had unsettled him. Why did this feel like déjà vu?

"Ha!" shouted Alfred from the front door. "It's not locked!"

Before Arthur could say anything, before he could stop it, Alfred turned the handle and tugged the door fully open. The others nervously went inside, giggling as they did so. However, seeing Arthur frozen where he stood, Matthew stayed behind.

"What's wrong?"

"We shouldn't be doing this..." Arthur whispered.

"Well... we'll be left here if we don't go in," Matthew pointed out, shrugging.

And, somehow, that seemed worse to Arthur. Nodding, he followed Matthew along the barely-there path, up the creaking steps and into the house. Candles flickered; Carlito was waiting for them and waved a box of matches in greeting. Apparently, they had found the candelabras as they entered along with the matches. It was almost as if the house wanted them to be able to see whatever it had in store for them.

"Where did they go?" asked Arthur, hurriedly, feeling a sudden urgency.

"All over," Carlito explain, shrugging a shoulder. He turned and began to lead the way across the cracked tiles; the hall was large and provided four paths. They could either go left, right, up the stairs or along a corridor to what appeared to be the way to the basement. Arthur shuddered as he spotted that.

Just as Arthur placed a foot on the bottom stair to follow Matthew and Carlito, there was a loud bang from behind him. Jumping, he spun and slipped, landing on awkwardly on the stairs. However, the pain in his tail bone was nothing compared to the horror of seeing the large, heavy front door firmly closed.


Sorry for all the clichés.