It was a cold dark night as a single police squad car made its way down the deserted highway going out of Winterfell. Menacing storm clouds had rolled in and for several days had covered the small burg in a torrential down poor of freezing rain. Small rumbles of thunder and distant flashes of lightening were testament to the weather as well as the drips of rain that hit the windshield to be wiped off with ease.

The neon green numbers of the clock said 2:48 A.M. when Sheriff Ned Stark had last checked. The gruff man still had bags under his eyes from being called out in the middle of the night to a remote farm several miles outside of town. The only reason that had made him get up so quickly was the tone that his deputy had spoken with. Stannis Baratheon was anything but skittish but they way he had spoken with Ned over the phone had convinced the Sheriff that something certainly disturbing had happened.

Ned kept his eyes fixed on the road which was slick under the view of his headlights. He had been the only car on the deserted country highway, sided on all sides by tall forbidding pine trees. The country song he had been listening two ended and soon the DJ got back on.

"And that my friends was Home is Where the Horse Is by Young Griff and the Gold Company. And now for weather. Stay inside my friends because this October has got a rainy time planned for us. Storms will continue into early November so Halloween this year my be a little more wet then you hoped. It is currently 28 degrees Fahrenheit so bundle up out there my late night friends. It is currently 2:50 A.M. and you are listening to Varys the Night Spider."

Ned sighed and turned off the radio. He had a lot on his mind and didn't need this to add to it. His wife wanted him to visit her father at the old folks home in Riverrun. His son Robb had just graduated college and his daughter Sansa had graduated high school and was now at college. His other daughter, Arya, a sophomore, had gotten into a fight in school and was now suspended for two weeks. Not to mention for his son Bran's physical therapy and his youngest's, Rickon, tutoring. And on top of all of that, he had to worry about punk kids fooling about as Halloween got closer and closer.

His thoughts were cut off as he pulled up an old farm estate. The house was a beaten down old thing and the barn was in even greater disrepair. An old sign hung from it's hinges with the word 'Craster' painted on it though the paint had now chipped and the wood was rotting. Ned turned off the car, grabbed his coffee, and made his way around the house to the unforgettable seen of police tape wrapped into a perfect square.

"Good thing you got here sir," Deputy Jory Cassel nodded to him as he approached, "Got the call a few hours ago. Apparently old Mrs. Craster said she and her husband had been hearing noises coming from round the back. Apparently Mr. Craster went out to check. She heard the sound of a scuffle and then silence. She called out for him and came out to check only to find him... well... see for yourself..."

Ned nodded and handed him his coffee. He approached the square and ducked under the tape. As his eyes rose they went to meet the sight of old Craster, his head caved in and blood everywhere. Ned inhaled sharply. This was the first murder in his jurisdiction since his election. And it just had to be a gruesome one.

"Disgusting way to go isn't it?" a solemn voice came from behind Ned. He turned to see Stannis walk up, his face in a permanent scowl, "Haven't seen a gruesome death like this since the Mountain Murders."

Ned gave an involuntary shudder. Years before, when he and Stannis were both new deputies, the Targaryen Family was found brutally murdered in their home. The father, Rhaegar, had his chest crushed in with a blunt object. The wife, Elia, had been raped numerous times before having her head cut off which was missing from the crime scene. Even the little children, toddler Rhaneys and infant Aegon, were dead. Rhaneys' intestines had been torn out and the infant's head had been smashed into a wall. It had been the most gruesome murder in all of Winterfell's history. It turned out it had been a crazed biker, Gregor Clegane, who had thought Rhaegar had insulted him when he was passing through. He was now in a mental care facility safely away in King's Landing. But now, a new killer was up to things equally as gruesome.

Ned examined the body, "Well it was certainly a blunt object that did him in. Did you find anything else?"

Stannis shook his head, "No... very few leads at this point. Craster was hated by a lot of people, his wife included. But there isn't anyone within miles of this place. In short... we are fucking clueless..."

Ned sighed, "This October just keeps getting better and better..."

Stannis snorted and headed back to the house as Ned kept staring at the body. Then, in a matter of minutes he quickly turned to Jory, "I want some forensics done immediately. I want patrol cars out nightly. And make sure it's all done discreetly. The last thing this Halloween needs is a panic."

Thanks for reading! Leave some nice juicy reviews and tell me what you think! Till next time!