It was a glorious fall day in Northern Michigan. The leaves on the trees had changed to their usual reds, yellows, and browns, the temperature was no longer in the eighties, and the kids had long since gone back to school. It was a day like any other fall day in Michigan. Rumble and Frenzy, along with Thundercracker, were surveying the scenery.
"I can't believe Megatron agreed to come here," Thundercracker observed.
"I can't believe he agreed to that human's terms," Rumble exclaimed.
Frenzy remained silent on the matter. After all, it didn't do much good to echo the same things.
What had happened was Megatron had been approached by the city of Cadillac. He and the Decepticons had been asked to construct a house to be ready by October. To the surprise of everyone, Megatron had agreed, even accepting their specifications.
The house itself was not the usual human abode. According to the specifications, it was to look and decrepit, grey and weather-worn. The windows had to be shattered. The front door had to be hanging on its hinges, and the porch had to creak when someone walked across it.
In the yard had to be trees from which ghosts and skeletons hung. Tombstones had to be scattered here and there, and fog had to drift among the bones. Over all, it was a rather creepy effect and the Constructicons had outdone themselves on all accounts.
From the inside, creepy noises were to emanate. Among them were moaning and groaning, screams, and a witch cackling. The sounds had been located by Soundwave and he had done a superb job in setting up the sounds.
The rest, due to the size of the house, had to be finished by Rumble, Frenzy, and Reflector.
On the inside, old horror movies had to come to life: The Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolfman. Upon further research, the Decepticons, more specifically the Constructicons in a joint effort with Rumble and Frenzy, had added some other minor details, such as a witch brewing a potion, a coffin that opened whenever anyone approached, and severed hands going up and down the stairs. This had been much to the delight of the city officials.
That had been late August. It was now mid-October and the house had been a success. Not just according to the officials but from what the Decepticons had observed themselves. Adults and children alike screamed in delight after entering and came out laughing. Megatron had been very pleased by this for some reason only known to him, Starscream, and Soundwave.
Now Frenzy, Rumble, and Thundercracker were checking on the house itself, to make sure no one had vandalized it . . . and to make sure that any Autobots didn't dismantle it. They, too, had heard about the house and were trying desperately to find some way to get rid of it.
As they approached the house, they saw a very familiar face.
"Autumn?!"
The human female turned and looked at them, grinning.
"Hey, you guys! How've you been?" she asked, approaching them.
"Good. What are you doing here?" Frenzy inquired, giving her a hug.
"Admiring the Constructicons' handiwork, of course," she grinned.
"Is that all?" Rumble teased. "I thought you were here just to see us!"
"I thought it was because she liked the holiday of Halloween," Frenzy snickered.
"Guilty as charged on Frenzy's account and I got lucky, Rumble," she chuckled. "I'm heading in. You two gonna come with me?"
"Sure."
With that, the three entered the house just as five Autobots pulled up.
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As he pulled up, Ironhide watched as Rumble and Frenzy entered the house with someone he knew all too well. To say that it surprised him would have been a lie. To say that it disappointed him was not. But he knew that she was a free-spirit, he knew that from the first time he had ever talked with her. She believed what she believed and that was it. It was something he couldn't, and didn't, want to change about her.
"Oh man, she went inside!"
"Don't worry, Ironhide! We'll get her out of there!"
"Lousy Decepticons!"
The other four Autobots transformed and ran inside the house. Ironhide sighed to himself as he transformed. Having two new additions to the Autobots on Earth was certainly nice, though Glyph and Tap Out certainly were causing him some major headaches.
As he approached the house, Thundercracker merely cast him a cool glance. It was like he was keeping a wary optic on Ironhide, making sure he wasn't going to do something to the house. Ironhide tried to ignore him and focused on the house itself.
To him, it looked like an old grey house. On the inside, from what his optic sensors told him, it appeared to be what the humans referred to as "haunted" but he couldn't detect anything else about it. No hidden devices to brainwash humans, nothing. It was completely legitimate. And, from the sounds of it, Rumble, Frenzy, and Autumn were having a blast running around while Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Glyph, and Tap Out were trying to make heads and tails out of everything that they saw.
"It's just a haunted house," Thundercracker said, an amused grin on his face. "Building it was easy. Doing the research was something else."
Ironhide said nothing to him. It made no sense whatsoever. Why did the Decepticons do this? What did they have to gain from it?
"Why?"
"Why what?" Thundercracker inquired.
"Why build something like this? Why the Decepticons? What's in it for you?"
At that, Thundercracker shrugged.
"I don't know. I don't lead the Decepticons nor do I want to. I just know that it was done and that it was interesting to see being built."
Ironhide was about to say something when everyone who had entered the house came out, Autumn and the two cassettes laughing.
"The place isn't a trap . . ."
"The city officials asked for this?"
"I don't get it . . ."
"What's going on?!"
"Guys," Autumn began, "it's a haunted house. What's not to get?"
"But why the Decepticons to build it?"
"Why not?"
The four Autobots looked at her, shocked. Ironhide just smiled to himself. Leave it to Autumn to say something to throw everyone off.
"Come on, you guys," Ironhide said. "No threat here and no need to fight."
Autumn smiled as the three Decepticons (and four Autobots) looked at him in surprise.
"What?"
"You threw everyone for a loop there, Ironhide," Autumn chuckled. "Maybe I'm starting to become an evil influence on everyone."
Ironhide gave her a pointed look while Thundercracker laughed at her.
"I doubt very much that you're an evil influence, Autumn," he stated.
"You never know!"
Ironhide shook his head at that. He himself didn't believe Autumn could be even remotely evil and obviously neither did Thundercracker. Slowly, he moved away from the Decepticons and Autumn as a mock argument ensued. Tap Out, Glyph, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper followed him. Soon they were driving off into the west.
"Hey Ironhide?"
"Yes?"
"How come you didn't want to destroy that house? Don't you wonder what the Decepticons are up to with it?"
More than what you realize, he thought to himself as they drove along.
"There was no reason to destroy it, Tap Out. Prime told me that we needed proof that the Decepticons are using against the humans first before we can do anything about it. We simply can't destroy it because they built it at the request of some humans, Ironhide explained. "Right now, it's just a house."
"But all of that stuff that was in there . . . It could scare other humans!"
"I think, Glyph, that that's the goal with it."
"Aren't the humans the least bit worried about it?"
"Somehow, I don't think so. Not with the one holiday that's around the corner."
"What holiday is around the corner?"
Ironhide was about to reply when their comm channels crackled to life. Ironhide knew that the others had as well due to the amount of cursing he heard.
"Someone wants to say something to you guys," Thundercracker stated. "You left before she had a chance to."
"Happy Halloween!" Autumn called out cheerfully. "Remember what they say! Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!!"
Ironhide laughed at that.
"Happy Halloween, Autumn."
And to everyone who reads this or any of my other Halloween stories, have a safe and happy Halloween this year and for many years to come!!