Chapter 1

Violet Harmon sighed as her Converse clad foot hit the pavement outside the iron gates of her home, Murder House, for this first time in months. 'One small step for Violet' she thought to herself, smirking. What sweet ecstasy it was, finally being able to leave that house.

She didn't know where she was going; she just wanted to get out. Today, the journey was just as important as the destination. Despite not having a destination in mind, Violet happily wondered down the sidewalk, humming gently to herself. As she walked, enjoying the morning symphony of leaves rustling in the breeze, she let her mind wander.

A year ago, Violet would never have thought she would be perfectly happy to just walk through her neighbourhood on Halloween morning, completely aimlessly.

A year ago, Violet Harmon had been alive.

It was Halloween, 2012. The dead could roam the earth freely on Halloween. And Violet was unfortunately dead.

Murder House had been her home since late 2011; her prison since November that year. She had never dreamed that that house would be the death of her. No, that was wrong. That house hadn't been the death of her. That was something else... a darkness which had consumed her. That darkness took residency in the form of another soul trapped in the Murder House. Thinking of him as a soul, that wasn't right. She wasn't even sure he had a soul anymore. She didn't like to even think his name. It was too painful. Despite not thinking his name, she couldn't stop the vision of his face floating into her mind's eye. Blonde curls, a reassuring smile, and eyes so black they threatened to drag her soul down into the darkness with him.

That darkness was the legacy of Murder House.

The other ghostly inhabitants of Murder House had scattered in the wind as soon as the sun rose on Halloween morning. Violet didn't ask where they went. It wasn't any of her business. In a house where no one could hide, she figured they deserved a silent, explanation free escape. After all, they were stuck with each other for 364 days a year.

Violet pulled her mind back from her musings. Her feet had taken her to a convenience store. Smiling, Violet entered and purchased a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. It's not like smoking was going to do her any damage now that she was dead, right?

Taking her newly purchased treasures, Violet left the store and continued wandering aimlessly. She walked for hours, enjoying this simple pleasure she had been denied for so long. Eventually, her happy wandering bought her to a picturesque park, complete with an unoccupied swing set.

"This is too perfect," Violet said to herself as she sat down on a swing, leisurely smoking a cigarette. No one paid attention to the quiet girl sitting alone. She watched the people just walk by. Something so trivial was best enjoyed alone.

Today was a day for Violet to be alone. She hadn't wanted any company. Her parents had wanted her to join them in taking a drive out to the country and enjoy the fresh air. Violet could understand that they wanted to get as far away as possible from the insufferable torment that was existence in the Murder House. Her parents had settled to spend their free day with her eternal baby brother and Moira, the maid who had become an adopted member of their dead family.

Moira's mother had passed away last year, leaving Moira with no standing plans for Halloween. She had been visiting her aging mother every Halloween for the last 30 years, but this year was the first time she was without family to visit. With no way of knowing if her Mother would even return to walk amongst the living this Halloween, Moira had decided to spend the day with her new family.

Ben Harmon, Violet's father, had stolen a car for the family trip that morning. Finally his misspent youth was paying off.

Violet had waved and smiled at her family as they drove away, determined to enjoy their day of freedom. Her mother had blown a kiss to her, and Moira had waved the baby's tiny hand towards his sister. Part of Violet had wanted to drive away with them, but a stronger part of her was relishing the chance to spend a day completely alone, doing anything and nothing.

Every day she had to stay confided in that house, seeing the same ghosts over and over again, had become a drain to say the least. Hayden was always angry with anyone who crossed her path. Gladys and Maria, with their never changing 'Look at what he did to me'. The fact that Violet could never, truly escape from so much misery was slowly ebbing away at her resolve to try and exist happily with her family.

That's what the house did to souls who died a tormented death; it magnified even the slightest hint of darkness that you may have had, twisting and contorting you into a shadow of your former self. Taking away any hint of pure light and goodness from your being. The other members of the Harmon family had been spared this torment, thankfully. Perhaps it was because Ben and Vivien had made peace with their deaths. In death, they had become the loving family unit that they had always wanted to be in life.

Despite this, Violet felt the darkness. She felt its insatiable pull. But Violet's darkness was different. She still felt the pull of the darkness surrounding her, but her darkness didn't come from within as it did with so many others. It existed elsewhere. A darkness that she could feel watching her every day keeping a constant, unwanted vigil. She wasn't sure if that made her existence any easier or harder, but she did know it made his existence almost unbearable. And yet every day he kept his unrelenting watch over her; waiting - the person who held her darkness. It was his sole possession after all; the one with the blonde curls and the reassuring smile.

He had been her light, when she had been alive that was. He had even tried to save her life once, but to no avail. Murder House wanted Violet despite him fighting against it. Ultimately the house won, claiming Violet's soul as its prize.

Now, he was the darkness to Violet.

"No!" Violet berated herself. Her first chance away from that house, and she could not stop thinking about him. Her first chance in months to get some distance, and she still managed to bring him along for the ride, even if it was only in her mind.

The sun was starting to set. She had been sitting in that park for hours. When you're dead, time has no meaning. Violet had hardly noticed the day drawing to a close around her as she sat on that swing.

Stubbing her cigarette out on the ground with the toe of her shoe, she dragged herself up out of her comfortable swing seat. She wanted to walk more, to get as much distance between herself and the Murder House as she possibly could before it began to reel her back in for sunrise the next day. Like a domineering mother, Murder House would only let you get so far away from its apron strings before harshly tugging you back.

For the second time that day Violet started walking with no destination in mind. She kept her head down while she lit another cigarette. The smoke she inhaled was an old friend that she had been separated from for far too long.

Looking up, Violet realised that she had made her way to the beach…their beach. Her damn feet had led her to the one place besides Murder House that she didn't particularly want to be. Sighing in resignation, Violet sat down on the cool white sand, remembering the last time she was here. This was the place she had shared with him last Halloween.

He had brought her here on their first and only date. It hadn't been a normal date by any standards. There was no dinner and a movie. They just hung out, laughing and talking. Watching the wave's crash into the shore and enjoying the warmth of the fire he had built for her. He had held her as they watched the night go by. Violet had never felt so safe before in her life.

The memory of sitting near that fire, wrapped in his protective embrace, brought a sad smile to Violet's face. Before she realised it she was touching her lips, smiling into the memory of him kissing her. Every time he kissed her then it had been pure bliss.

But that first date had not ended how she pictured it. They had been ambushed by the haunting memories of his former life.

"Come on Violet, stop this shit!" She commanded, pushing herself up from the sand. She was just glad the beach appeared deserted so no one would witness her talking to herself.

Dusting herself off, she continued to walk along the shoreline, watching the ripple of the water as it crashed and retracted against the shore, listening to the gentle music of the ocean at night. She couldn't hear the ocean from her house. As much as she hadn't meant to come here, she was glad she did. The sound of the ocean was so soothing. Despite not being a huge beach person during life, Violet found that she missed the simple sound of the ocean in her death.

Violet wrapped her arms around herself. The night air had a bite to it. She wasn't sure if it was the chill in the night air, or the chill of those memories from last Halloween that bought goose bumps to her body.

She cast her eyes to the moons reflection on the ocean. It was beautiful the way it shimmered and danced on that water. She wanted to burn the beautiful image permanently into her brain. It was something to remember fondly until next Halloween at least.

A movement is the corner of her eye brought her back from admiring the water. Further down the beach she could see something flickering. Flickering like a fire. Not a small fire like what they had that past Halloween, but a large bonfire. Looking up and down the beach, Violet realised she had walked quite a long way from where she originally been sitting, thinking about him. Too far away to see exactly what was happening, Violet thought she could make out people shaped silhouettes against the orange of the flames.

"I guess I'm not alone here after all," Violet said to herself. "I'll never be alone."

She turned, ready to leave the beach that was no longer deserted. A scream filled with anguish cut through the crisp night air, stopping her mid-step. A scream that sounded inhuman in its despair. It sounded impossibly close. That scream had come from someone near that bonfire.

Violet froze, listening. She couldn't be sure that it was a scream she heard. It sounded too loud to have come from so far away. She turned her head towards the bonfire. Straining to listen for any sound, Violet held her breath and closed her eyes.

Sobbing. It was faint, but she could hear the sound of muffled crying…and groaning. It was definitely coming from where that bonfire was blazing.

She was running down the beach towards that sound before she knew what she was doing. Whatever was going on by that bonfire, she had to help the person in pain.

Finally, Violet was close enough to feel the warmth of the fire. She could see a group of people furiously kicking at something on the ground. Another scream ripped through the night, this one filled with sheer pain. The scream came from what the group was kicking at.

She stood, taking in the scene unfolding in front of her. She had reacted to the first scream on pure instinct, running towards it. Now she was at the bonfire, she was paralysed.

That group was attacking someone. Whoever it was couldn't defend themselves, not against this many people. The victim's back was facing Violet. They were curled up in a foetal position on the ground, their head tucked into their body with their arms wrapped around it for protection. She could see the pools of blood on the sand though. The group had done some serious damage already.

No-one acknowledged Violet's sudden presence as she stood watching.

The violent attack continued. One particularly malicious kick delivered to the centre of the back was all it took to roll the victim over. His back arched in response to the sudden pain. He let go of his head, too focused on the pain in his back to concentrate on protecting it any longer. Violet could see his blood covered face finally. His eyes were closed, his mouth open in a choked expression of agony.

Violet's breath caught in her throat. Her heart froze at the sight in front of her. One word slipped out before she could stop herself,

"Tate…?"