Get Help!
(A Halloween tale)
Prequel to Capes, Cups, & Glittery Things
Snapegirlkmf & ninewood
Sometimes the things that go bump in the night really ARE out to get you! ~Loki
Halloween had arrived in the Laufeyson household and Loki had the house decorated with fake spider webs on the bushes, paper bats tied to the branches of the trees out front, pretend tombstones scattered across the lawn, some with plastic hands sticking out of the ground, and carved pumpkins lining the sidewalk. Each pumpkin had scary faces drawn on them by each of Loki's kids and the ink shimmered in the dark.
But the best decoration was the swing on the maple tree in the front yard. On the swing was a skeleton child in a black robe with light up red eyes and it moved back and forth, swinging on the swing, and sang a creepy song in a child's voice. "Pray for the dead and the dead will pray for you! They will pray for you—then they will prey ON you!" The skeleton child laughed wickedly then sang, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with dead things? Things that go bump in the night really ARE out to get you!"
The animated skeleton child activated any time someone passed it on the way to the porch, and it always made children squeal in fear as they came to the house to trick-or-treat.
"Daddy, is my wig on straight?" Lucy asked as he looked at her. She was dressed as Rapunzel and he admitted she looked cute in her costume.
"Yes, it's fine," he said and she smiled at him.
"How do I look, Daddy?" Serena asked and she spun around in a small circle. She was dressed as Tinkerbell and he had used some magic to shorten her hair. Play wings were strapped to her back and she had a small bottle of gold glitter tied to the belt around her waist.
"You look adorable!" he said and she blushed.
"Dad, I need a little help!" came from the hallway as he left the room and headed for Belle's room.
"What's wrong, Rav...," he asked then paused when he saw her dressed in a blue gown with a white apron, white boots and a red cape with a hood. The cape was lined with white fur and her hair was waves of curls. He noticed how mature she looked and he swallowed a lump in his throat. His little girl was growing up. They grew up too quickly by the reckoning of an immortal. "By the Nine."
"Do I look that bad?!" she asked with a frown.
"No, you look amazing," he said then made a little cough. "What did you need my help with?"
"I can't get the hood tied."
"Ah," he said and she turned around. He tied the hood as he smiled and she smiled back. Suddenly a loud scream filled the air as he ran out into the hall and saw Lucy and Serena out in the hallway and Vince sighed.
"It's me," Vince said in regard to his zombie makeup, his hair spiked on his head, tattered clothes and shoes and he held his skateboard under his right arm.
"Great costume, Daredevil," Loki said and Vince gave his sisters a smug look.
"Just hope you don't give old people heart attacks," Lucy said. "Dad will get sued."
"I don't look that bad," Vince said when Nate came out into the hallway and Loki smiled.
Nate was wearing a suit, a white shirt, a black ties and a pair of black shoes, but what made Loki smile was the bald cap Nate was wearing. He had watched all of the X-Men movies and his favorite character, next to Wolverine, was Professor Charles Xavier.
"Looking good, Wheels," Loki said and Nate smiled.
"What about me?" Hunter asked and walked out of his room. He was wearing a werewolf mask and hands and tattered clothes.
"Couldn't you just fur up?" Vince asked.
"I could, but it's a pain to keep from going full wolf."
"He's right," Loki said then saw Sam walking out of his room. His hair was bleached white and floated around his head, one of his eyes was blue and the other was brown with a wide pupil and he was wearing a white shirt with puffy sleeves and ruffled cuffs, a black leather belt, tight grey pants, black leather gloves and black leather boots ended at his knees. Loki noticed the pendant of the necklace Sam was wearing and he held three glass balls in his right hand.
"What are you supposed to be, Sam?" Nate asked.
"I am David Bowie from Labyrinth," Sam said and Loki smiled.
"I have met the actual Goblin King and he looked nothing like he did in the movie," Loki said with a shake of his head.
"He didn't look hot?"
"No. He looked like roadkill."
"Eeww!" the kids said together when Aleta and Max walked out of their room and Loki's eyes widened.
Aleta had wanted to dress up like Thor and Loki thought about the fight she and Max had had a few days earlier.
"Uncle Thor can't be a girl!" Max shouted.
"Says who, Booger Brain!?" Aleta said.
"Because he's a boy!"
"So?! Uncle Thor said Daddy was once a girl!"
"Nu-unh!"
"Yeah, he was!"
"Daddy?!"
Loki had quickly run into the room when he looked at them and sighed.
"What's wrong?! I could hear you scream from the yard," Loki said.
"I want to be Uncle Thor for Halloween!" Aleta said and he felt a meltdown coming on.
"I told her she can't because Uncle Thor isn't a girl!" Max said.
"Booger Head!"
"Puke Face!"
"I feel a time out coming," Loki said and the toddler's eyes widened.
"No!" Aleta said.
"No time out, Daddy!" Max said.
"Then let her be Thor for Halloween," Loki said and Max nodded.
"Sorry," Max said and gave his sister a hug.
Aleta wore a blonde wig and a plastic helmet with wings like her uncle's. She had on a red cape, and blue and silver armor, boots, and a belt with a play version of Mjolnir that Loki had enchanted to make thunder sounds and spit fake lighting when she pressed a button on the handle.
"By the Nine, spark! You look just like Thor did when he was your age!" Loki chuckled, and snapped a picture of her with his phone as she held up Mjolnir and the hammer threw off fake lightning. He sent a text with the picture to his brother. Blergh, it's you! Aleta decided to dress up as the Goddess of Thunder for trick-or-treating!
Then he saw Max and his mouth hung open. Max wore a soft version of his gold armor, green coat, black pants and boots, green and black tunic, and a plastic version of his helmet. He also had two fake daggers on a belt at his waist and a golden plastic scepter with a glowing blue jewel in it that shot a blue beam of light when Max pressed a button.
He had always known his youngest resembled him with his dark hair and bright green eyes, but dressing up in Loki's costume really accentuated the fact that Max was practically his double in miniature.
"How do I look, Dad?" Max asked.
"You look . . . like me!" Loki smiled in amazement. He snapped a picture of Max with his phone and sent it to Thor with the words—And look who is me for Halloween!
He took pictures of the rest of the kids and sent them to Thor also, saying, Here's the rest of the zoo—guess who?
Thor texted back. Tell them I said have fun trick or treating! Happy Halloween!
"Uncle Thor says Happy Halloween and have fun," he told his little zoo. "Are you all ready to get lots of candy?"
"Yes!" they chorused.
"Okay. It's three now." He checked his watch. "I'm going to take Max and Aleta around the block for an hour or two. Then I'll be back to hand out candy."
"Are you going to wear a costume, Dad?" Sam asked.
"Well...," he said as he looked at Aleta and Max and smiled. "I have a great idea."
He ran upstairs when he looked in the full mirror and looked at his reflection. He didn't want to use a glam to make him look exactly like Odin, so he waved his hand as his hair turned white and a full beard appeared on his face. He was wearing a duplicate of Odin's robes with a gold breastplate and a copy of his father's spear was in his hand. A eye patch covered his eye as he smiled and headed down the hallway. He appeared at the top of the stairs as the kids looked at him and he smiled. "What do you think?!"
"Wow! You look like your daddy!" Aleta grinned.
"That's the idea," their father laughed. "All right, is everyone ready to go trick-or-treating?"
"Yes, Dad!"
"Sam, Hunter, you both have your phones?"
"We do," his two eldest chorused.
"Good, are they charged?"
They both nodded. "Okay. If you go somewhere further away than five blocks, I want you to call me and let me know. I should be back at the house by five o'clock at the latest, since it's three thirty now. Candy's on the porch so you don't need to hand any out while I'm gone. Order pizza and a sub for dinner. See you later."
Loki locked the front door and checked to make sure the candy bowls were filled.
He gave out a variety of candy and also small bags of pretzels, popcorn, sugar free Jolly Ranchers, sugar free chocolate covered almonds, chocolate turtles, and peanuts for kids who were diabetic and couldn't eat candy. Those were in a separate bowl and the bowl was marked—For Those Who Can't Have Sugar.
The bowsl had what looked like a animatronic hand in it. When a child came and took two pieces of candy it would say, "Want some candy?" But if a child tried to be greedy and take more, it would swat their hand and scream, "Candy thief! We hates it forever!"
Loki had also charmed the bowls so they would be impossible to pick up off the porch, so no greedy child could try and take the entire bowl of candy.
Max and Aleta were waiting on the sidewalk. He tucked his phone and keys in a pocket of his robe, then said to his youngest, "Okay, scamps, let's go see Missus Mandy."
Mandy MacAllister was their next-door neighbor, a sweet octogenarian who adored Loki and his children. She had two sons but they lived far away and so did her grandchildren so she was happy when Loki's came to visit her. Loki was always making her dinner and pretending he had made too much so she wouldn't feel like a charity case.
Mandy answered the door when the kids rang the bell. Loki stood back and let them yell, "Trick or treat!" and waved at Mandy.
"Oh my goodness! It's Max and Aleta and Loki!" Mandy exclaimed. "Or should I say, Thor, Loki, and Odin!"
Mystic barked and wagged her tail when she saw the kids. The black Pomeranian loved children. She was wearing an adorable pair of white wings and a white shirt. A little fabric gold halo was on her head.
"Aww! Look, Daddy!" Aleta squealed. "Mystic's an angel!"
"That's really cute, Mandy!" Loki grinned, and gave Mystic a dog treat he had in his pocket. He usually carried them when he went walking, so he could give them to dogs he met so they stopped barking or growling if they got excited.
Mandy held out a tray of large candy bars. "Here you go!"
"Whoa! You got the big stuff!" Max cried. He took a Kitkat.
Aleta took a Snickers.
"Here, Odin. You can have one too." Mandy laughed.
"Thanks, Mandy!" Loki took a big Reeses. He put it in his pocket. Then he knelt and petted Mystic, who licked his hand.
"I love your costumes! You look very authentic." Mandy praised.
The kids showed her what the hammer and staff could do.
"Neat!" cried another trick-or-treater coming up the walk. He was a skeleton. "Where'd you get those? Mom, I want one!"
"Uh, I made them," Loki replied. Which was true.
"Wow! You should design costumes for movies," the mom said.
"Daddy designs video games!" Aleta sang.
"Oh my! You're Mr. Laufeyson!" the mother gasped. "My kids love your video game—Asgardian Quest, right?"
"That's right," Loki said and smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it." He beckoned to the kids. "Say goodbye to Mandy, we need to keep going."
Little Thor and Loki waved goodbye and they continued down the street to the next house.
Back at the house...
"So, where shall we go first?" Hunter asked while looking at the map of the neighborhood Sam had made. She had marked off the houses with the best treats, marked in green, and the houses with the worse treats, marked in red.
"Let's skip the McGregor house. They give those icky disc stuff," Vince said.
"Yeah, that stuff tastes like chalk," Nate said.
"The Sharpe house gives those full size candy bars," Belle said.
"Mister Murphy makes fudge bars," Serena said.
"Those are so good," Lucy said.
"Remember what Dad said. No eating anything until he scans it," Sam said.
"Mister Murphy wouldn't put anything in them."
"True, but that guy on Fourth Street was arrested last year for putting razor blades in the apples he was handing out," Vince said.
"Oh yeah. He was really creepy," Belle said with a nod.
Sam looked at the map when she looked at the Rosemount Cemetery next to the Maplewood Asylum and her eyes widened.
"I got an idea," she said and they gave her puzzled looks. "After we're done trick or treating, we should go in the Rosemount Cemetery."
"Why?!" Hunter asked.
"We could do some ghost hunting."
"Oh, that would be so cool!" Vince said and Nate nodded.
"I don't know," Belle said. "Cemeteries are sacred places."
"We aren't going to knock down tombstones or anything. We're just going to walk around and see if there are any ghosts," Hunter said.
"Isn't that near the old mental asylum?" Serena asked, shivering.
"Yeah!" Vince said and his eyes widened. "We could go in there, too!"
"No! That is too dangerous!" Belle said.
"That's what makes it more fun!"
"Besides," Hunter said as he held up his phone. "If we get into any trouble, we can call Dad."
The kids looked at each other when Sam held her hand over the map and smiled.
"Who's in?!" she said and, one by one, the kids placed their hands on top of hers.
Loki watched Max and Aleta running back to him as he smiled and Max arched the helmet up.
"Daddy, it keeps falling in my eyes," Max said as he took the helmet off. Loki blinked as the sunlight sparkled in Max' green eyes and he looked at the helmet.
"Give it to me," Loki said and Max handed him the helmet. They headed for the next house as he frowned and looked at the helmet. "Stop. You are reading too much into it."
A few hours later, Loki led two tired toddlers inside as the other kids got their trick or treat bags ready and he placed the bags with Aleta and Max' candy on the coffee table..
"Dad, we ordered pizza and an Italian sub for dinner," Hunter announced, as he wolfed down his third piece.
"Good, I'm starving," his father replied.
He gave Aleta and Max some pizza and cider
"Now, what are the rules?" Loki asked, eating a piece of pizza.
"We are to come back here by eight," Sam said.
"Do not eat anything until you inspect it." Hunter said.
"Keep together," Vince said.
"Don't go to houses with no lights off," Nate recalled.
"Yeah. Just because the lights are off, it doesn't mean the people don't have candy. They just might not want to open the door for some reason," Lucy said.
"They might be shut ins or have PTSD," Belle added.
"Or they're elderly and can't get to the door really fast," Serena said.
"Very good," Loki said as they left and Max and Aleta were snuggled in his chair. He knew they were sleepy, but he had to get them into their pajamas and into bed. "Ok, you two, time for bed."
"Can't we watch a movie?" Aleta asked.
"Yeah! Something scary!" Max said.
"I let the two of you watch a scary movie and you'll end up in my bed. Talk about a nightmare," Loki teased and they giggled.
"We could watch the Addams Family."
"Yeah, that's not scary," Aleta said and Loki sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Fine, but let me get you into your pajamas," he said as they took his hand and they headed upstairs.
Once they were in their pajamas, Loki had then sit on the couch while he streamed the movie from Netflix. He let them pick three pieces of candy from their trick or treat bags after he had inspected them with his magic. Then he made them some hot apple cider while they watched the movie.
He sat between them with the Got Mischief throw around them and watched until the doorbell rang and he had to give out candy.
He had changed his Odin costume and was now wearing his Asgardian Quest outfit from the game, complete with the Serpent Staff and Diadem of Power-which was a gold scrollwork headband with a brilliant iolite in the middle of it.
There were several trick-or-treaters on his porch, and he held out the tray of full-sized candy bars to them.
"Cool! Mr. Laufeyson, you look just like the game Loki!" squealed a little Casper.
"Of course he does! He invented it!" said an older brother dressed like Dracula. "When's the new game coming out?"
"Probably around Easter." Loki answered.
"I can't wait!" the Dracula said. "In the meantime I'm trying to beat the bonus levels."
"If you're having trouble, look up this web address," Loki wrote down an address on a piece of paper.
"Thanks, Mr. Laufeyson! You rule!" the boy took the paper and stuffed it in his pocket.
Loki continued to hand out candy to more kids coming up the walk. Finally there were no more and he shut the door, returning to the den. The Addam's Family was still on, but Max and Aleta were asleep on the couch. Loki kissed them both goodnight and then sent them upstairs to their beds.
Then he turned off the Addam's Family and turned on Hocus Pocus, one of his favorite Halloween comedies. He made popcorn and heated more cider and watched it inbetween trick-or-treaters. He wondered how his older kids were doing and checked his watch. It was quarter to seven.
Rosemount Cemetery:
Darkness had fallen when the Laufeysons entered the cemetery by a little used back gate that Hunter knew of. It was assumed that the gate was unable to be opened, but the groundskeeper never reckoned with an eleven-year-old thief who could pick any lock ever made. Hunter had the padlock opened in a minute and then they all entered the cemetery.
The weather had been mildly cold until the kids walked into the graveyard beside the old mental asylum. Then all of them felt a definite chill in the autumn air, as ridiculous as that seemed. Perhaps it was just that the cemetery had few trees to block the wind which whipped through the marble headstones and statues.
The abandoned mental hospital loomed like a shadowy gargoyle above the right side of the cemetery, the stone walls riddled with cracks and ivy. The windows were boarded up but some of the wood had fallen down and some of the dusty glass could be seen by the light of the moon.
Lucy glanced around at the headstones and shivered in the sudden gust of wind. She clutched her jacket to her and hugged her pillowcase full of candy. "Guys? I don't like this. Maybe we should head on home?"
Serena was cold too, her costume was not meant for the sudden wind chill either, and even with her fall jacket on she felt goosebumps on her arms. "It's cold here."
"Yeah the wind picked up," Hunter murmured. "Let's go inside the hospital. The wind won't bother us there."
"How will we see, bro?" asked Vince.
"Flashlights," Sam replied, and took two out of her pockets. "I brought them in case it got dark and we had trouble seeing on the way home."
"That was smart," Belle praised. "Though I could have conjured a light."
"Hunter, hurry up and open the door," Nate muttered. "It's freezing out here."
"How'd it get so cold all of a sudden?" Serena whispered.
"It's fall, it always gets chilly at night," Vince laughed. "Why? Do you think a ghost is nearby?" He crept up on Lucy and grabbed her, screaming, "Rrrrow!"
Lucy shrieked and jumped.
"Gotcha!"
"Vince, you're such a dweeb!" she cried.
"And you're a scaredy-cat!" he hooted.
Hunter picked the lock on the door to the hospital. It swung open quietly, and Sam and Nate turned on the flashlights and cautiously led the way inside. Belle summoned a little green witchlight and sent it in too. It bobbed eerily in the gloomy hallway.
They all filed into the hospital, and Serena picked up a rock and placed it in the doorjamb to hold the door open.
As the children crept down the hallway, they heard a door slamming.
All of them startled. "What was that?" Lucy asked, trembling. She pressed close by Nate's wheelchair and he put an arm about her.
"It was probably the wind slamming a door," he soothed.
But as they went past a room with the door ripped off, Sam saw lights flickering on and off. "What the heck?" She shone the flashlight into the room.
It was empty, at least what they could see of it. Shadows clustered at the edges of the room that the flashlight did not penetrate. A metal table was in the middle of it, and a black box machine was off to one side.
"I saw lights in here."
"Where?" Hunter asked, walking into the room.
Suddenly the shadows writhed and they heard a voice screaming, "Let me out! No! Let me out! Don't do this to me!"
The voice sounded like that of a woman, high and frantic.
Hunter backpeddled into Sam, his hair standing up. "Holy Jesus!"
"Was that a ghost?" Nate asked.
"Vince, you're the Ghost Speaker," Hunter said, his voice slightly wobbly. "Can you sense anything?"
The young paramancer frowned and let his magic reach out to the hidden spirit. "Yes. There's one here. She was . . . was put here by her husband so he could get a divorce and marry his lover. He claimed she had "female issues"."
"Can . . . we help her cross over?" asked Sam.
Vince sighed. "I don't know how to do that. I can talk to them and command them, a little, but I can't tell them to cross over if they don't want to."
"Why doesn't she want to?" Lucy asked, quivering.
Vince paused while he asked her. Then he replied, "She says she's afraid she will go to hell because she never forgave her husband for putting her in here."
"But what if she says she forgives him now?" Serena asked. "I mean, he must be dead too, right?"
Vince asked how long ago the woman had died. "She says she died in 1941. So yeah, he ought to be dead too."
The Ghost Speaker told the woman what Serena had said, then asked her name.
"I am Narissa Carter," she responded.
Vince's eyes glowed an eerie silver. "Narissa Carter, I command thee to forgive thy husband."
"I do forgive him," the woman said.
Suddenly they felt the presence vanish.
"What happened?" cried Belle.
"She crossed over," Vince answered, his eyes returning to their normal blue color.
"That was really cool, Vince!" Nate said. "I wonder if there are any more ghosts?"
The door slammed again up ahead, echoing in the deserted building like a death knell.
"It sounds like there's another one," Hunter hissed, just as a terrible moaning filled the hallway.
The kids screamed in terror as a clot of shadows resolved into a shambling huge figure. It was pale white, nearly blue, and had sparse white hair on its head in patches. Its clothes were in tatters, barefoot, and its eyes glowed red. As it opened its mouth, they could see pointed fangs.
"A vampire!" Serena howled.
"No, it's a ghoul," Vince corrected, backing away.
"Can you command it?" Nate cried, putting his chair in reverse. For some crazy reason the song the scary child sang on the swing echoed in his head. Pray for the dead and the dead will pray for you! They will pray for you—then they will prey ON you!
Vince's eyes glowed silver and he cried," Stay away! Leave us alone!"
The ghoul howled again and licked its lips.
"It's not working!" Sam yelped.
Belle cast a shield spell. "I think I can hold it off!"
"Run!" Lucy screamed.
"Sam! Call Dad!" Nate cried as the ghoul slammed into the shield.
"Get help!" Serena cried.
Sam texted Loki rapidly.
Loki was just dozing off as the credits rolled on Hocus Pocus when his phone chimed. He took it off the end table to see who it was, and saw Sam's face blinking at him.
He looked at the text blearily and felt adrenaline shoot through him.
Help, Dad! We're in the Rosemount Cemetery mental asylum and there's a ghoul chasing us. This is NOT a prank! HELP!
I'm coming! He texted. Then he texted Thor. Brother, fly to the Rosemount Cemetery as quick as you can. My kids are in trouble! I'll meet you there!
He prayed Thor was not asleep, or worse, drunk.
He then called Mandy and asked her to come over to watch his sleeping little ones and the old woman arrived in a few moments.
"I'll watch them, Loki, while you pick up your other kids. Go on now."
Loki ran out the door and then teleported away to the cemetery.
Inside the asylum, the door leading out slammed shut and Serena and Lucy tried to open it and couldn't.
"Help! Let us out!" they screamed.
"Just open the door!" Hunter shouted.
"We can't!" the girls screamed. "It won't open!"
Other doors opened all along the hallway behind the large ghoul and several more ghouls came out, all moaning hungrily.
Belle stared in horror. "There's too many! My shield won't hold all of them."
The ghouls clustered together and rammed the shield.
It flickered and shook.
"Belle! Can you cast anything else?" Sam yelled.
"Not anything that will hurt them. I don't know any attack spells on undead!" she cried. "Did Dad answer you?"
Sam looked at her phone. "He says he's coming."
"Well, he better move his ass!" Hunter yelled.
Loki glanced around the cemetery and didn't see the children. All he saw were seven pillowcases standing forlornly by a crypt. The sight froze the blood in his veins. He raced over to the asylum just as a crack of thunder split the heavens and Thor flew down with Mjolnir. "Thor! They must be inside there!" He pointed to the asylum.
"Stand back! I'm going to break it down!" Thor shouted. He threw Mjolnir at the door.
The hammer slammed into it and they heard the sound of children screaming on the other side.
"Hurry!" Loki howled.
The door was knocked in and Mjolnir returned to Thor's hand.
"Dad!" Lucy yelled as she raced through the hole.
"Uncle Thor! There's ghouls after us!" sobbed Serena, running to him.
Loki caught Lucy in his arms. "You're okay, darling!" he crooned. "Now where's the rest of your siblings?"
Just then Nate burst through the hole, followed by Sam and Hunter.
"Vince! Come on!" Belle screamed and tried to drag her brother away just as the shield shattered into pieces.
The ghouls surged forward, hands extended with fingernails crooked into claws. They leaped down the hallway at the petrified children, their eyes glowing red and yellow, spittle flying from their fanged mouths, as they hunted their prey down.
Loki and Thor raced into the asylum, Loki calling magical fire to his hand and flinging it at the nearest ghoul.
The magical fire was like napalm, it clung to the undead body and the ghoul screeched and went up like an oil-soaked rag.
"Move!" he yelled at Belle and Vince, who snapped out of their paralysis and fled.
Thor smashed Mjolnir at one and decapitated it, killing it instantly.
But more ghouls emerged from the other rooms and sprang towards the two gods.
"Loki! They're like ants!" Thor cried, and spun Mjolnir, electrocuting two.
"Yes, this place is crawling with them!" the sorcerer growled, throwing a fireball at the cluster of them. Three more fell, but it seemed like there were more to take their place. "This must be a colony."
"How do we get rid of all of them?" the Thunder God queried as a ghoul tried to grab his arm.
"I need to cast a spell that combines holy fire, sunlight, and a sword." Loki replied, blasting another ghoul into dust. "Oh and do not let them bite you. Their bite transfers their disease upon you and you'll slowly become one."
"Like Hel!" grunted the warrior, and Mjolnir electrocuted another that tried to scratch him.
Loki conjured a sword, a fine rapier and cast spells of sunlight and fire upon it. The sword glowed molten blue and shimmered with heat.
"Are you sure this will work, Loki?"
"Got a better idea?" the God of Mischief asked testily.
"Let's do Get Help," suggested Thor,
"No, we are not doing Get Help," Loki snapped. "It's humiliating."
"Not for me," Thor cried, smashing a ghoul's legs off. The ghoul began to crawl forward using its hands.
"Besides, they won't give a damn that I'm dying," Loki pointed out.
"Maybe not, but you need a way to ignite as many ghouls as you can, right?" persuaded his brother. "Doing Get Help will make sure you get a bunch of them."
Loki groaned. "Oh, Nine Hells!"
"We're doing it," Thor said, then put his arm around Loki and yelled," Help! Get help! My brother is dying!"
The ghouls all groaned and surged forward.
Loki held his glowing sword out in front of him as he felt Thor lift him up.
"Ready?" Thor hissed.
"Yes!" Loki answered.
Thor flung Loki through the air at the pack of ghouls.
Loki led with the blazing sword and it stabbed the huge ghoul right through the heart, igniting it like a dry fir tree struck by lightning.
The ghoul toppled and hit another ghoul behind it and then that one caught fire and so did his neighbor and the ghoul next to him as Loki skewered three more ghouls with the flaming sword before he landed on the floor behind them.
"I still hate it," the Mischief God muttered as he rolled to his feet.
The pack of ghouls were now almost all ablaze, screeching as the unnatural fire destroyed their corporeal bodies.
Thor called lightning for good measure.
The stench of burning ghoul caused Loki's eyes to water.
He glanced away, wiping his eyes on a corner of his cloak.
"Brother, behind you!"
Loki jerked his head up and turned, but not quite fast enough to prevent the ghoul from jumping down on him from the ceiling.
It landed half on his back and its foul breath nearly caused him to gag.
The ghoul attempted to bite his shoulder, but his costume had thick fur and leather on the cloak and metal armor beneath.
The ghoul's teeth became embedded in the fur and Loki spun, grabbing the ghoul's wrists and holding them away from him. "Thor! Now!"
Thor hesitated, fearing he might hit Loki with Mjolnir.
The ghoul gnawed viciously at Loki.
"Thor!"
Loki attempted again to push the undead creature off him, but the ghoul was terribly strong, even though Loki was half-Jotun, the ghoul's supernatural strength was almost a match for his own. He struggled to keep the evil entity from biting him, and yelled, "Nine Hells, Thor, just hit it!"
His brother's imperiled cry snapped the Thunder God out of his hesitation. He narrowed his focus and brought Mjolnir around. "Loki! Duck!"
Loki tucked his head down just as the enchanted hammer sored through the air and crushed the ghoul's skull in.
Blood and bits of flesh spattered all over.
"Gross, Thor!" Loki yelped, frantically trying to get the disgusting gook off of his face and hair.
"At least you're alive," Thor pointed out as Mjolnir returned to him.
Loki couldn't argue with that. "I'm going to need a long hot bath after this," he grumbled. "Why did you hesitate?"
"I was afraid I would hit you," Thor admitted.
"You wouldn't have. I trust you," Loki answered.
"Thank you, brother."
"We'd better check this place out, make sure there are no more lurking about," Loki coughed.
Just then his phone beeped. It was Hunter.
Dad? You OK?
Yes. Fine. Ghouls are all dead. Thor and I checking to make sure no more are about.
OK. See ya!
Together the two brothers scoured the asylum, but no more ghouls rose to attack them.
"I think we got them all, Thor," Loki declared.
"You're right," sighed the Thunder God. "What were they doing here?"
Loki shrugged. "Ghouls like abandoned places near cemeteries. Plus it's Halloween. The perfect time for a ghoul to hang out and wait for prey. They like to eat little children."
Thor shuddered. "That is nasty! I am happy we slew them."
"Me too." He rubbed his shoulder. There were marks in his armor and holes in his cloak from the ghoul's razor-sharp fangs.
"Are you all right?" his brother asked, concerned.
"Fine. Just splattered with gore," Loki grimaced.
"Where's that sword you had?"
"Gone. Once the ghouls were dead it faded," Loki explained. He conjured a warm wet towel to wipe his face and neck off so he didn't scare his kids to death when they saw him.
The two siblings strode out of the asylum triumphant.
"Dad!" Belle cried, and rushed up and hugged him.
"Uncle Thor!" Vince said, and ran to hug his uncle. "Are they all dead?"
"Yes, Vince," Thor told him, stroking the boy's hair. "Your father and I killed all of them."
"Good!" Sam sighed in relief.
"Are you okay, Dad?" Belle asked, staring at him. "You're all over blood!"
"I'm not hurt, little raven," Loki soothed. "All that blood is not mine."
"Thank the Norns!" his Lorekeeper daughter said. "I tried to hold them back, but . . . they were too many and too strong."
Loki patted her shoulder. "You did well though. You gave us time to get here."
Belle nodded and then drew away. "You need a bath, Dad." She wrinkled her nose.
"I know." Loki frowned at the others. "Okay, whose idea was this?"
"It was mine, sir," Sam coughed. "I thought it would be cool to go ghost hunting."
"We did find a ghost," Vince told Thor. "She was really sad though. I helped her cross over."
"That is very impressive, nephew," praised the blond god.
Loki was torn between anger at their recklessness and pride that his young Ghost Speaker had helped a spirit to find peace.
"Everyone join hands and then Belle, you take my hand. Thor, will you take Vince back to my house?" Loki asked.
"Of course, Loki." Thor picked up Vince and flew off with Mjolnir.
Loki teleported all of them back to his house. Then he went inside and said, "Well, we're back," to Mandy.
"Your little ones are still asleep. I gave out some more candy and—good Lord, Loki, what happened to you?" she cried.
"It's not real," he reassured her. "I picked them up at my brother's and they played a prank on me."
Mandy looked relieved. "Thank goodness! Have a Happy Halloween, dearies!" she called as she left the house.
Once they were all inside and had placed their pillow cases with candy on the table, Nate asked, "Are we in trouble?"
Loki crossed his arms over his chest and gave his children one of his famous Disappointed Looks.
"Yes, you are," Loki said and the kids looked down at their feet. "Not only did you endanger yourselves, but your uncle and I could have been injured...or worse."
"We did save that one ghost," Vince said.
"Yes, I know, but going into abandoned buildings, even if they don't have ghouls in them, is still very dangerous."
"I still don't know how you were able to get in there," Thor said.
"I... I picked the locks," Hunter said and swore red light flashed behind his dad's eyes.
"I see," Loki said.
"Are you going to call the cops on him?" Nate asked.
"No, but I will report the keeper of the cemetery. Someone should have been there to make sure kids don't go in there."
"And that asylum should be torn down. I will tell Stark to get on it right away," Thor said.
"Good," Loki said then glared at the kids. "Now for your punishment. First, you are all grounded."
"For how long?" Sam asked.
"I haven't decided yet. That means- you will be doing extra chores and will have to come straight home after school, you will not have any access to the internet or watch television, and you will not push off any chores onto Aleta or Max. Finally, your candy and treats are now confiscated."
"We can't have any of it?!" Vince asked then made a small cough.
"Go upstairs!" Loki ordered and the kids slowly headed up the stairs. Loki puffed out a breath of air as he looked at the piles of candy and treats when he waved his hand and scanned them. He then placed the candy and treats in plastic containers and placed the containers on the top shelf of the closet.
"I'm going to take a shower," Loki said as he headed for the stairs, stopped then looked at Thor. "Thanks again for helping me."
"That is what brothers are for," Thor said with a grin and Loki softly laughed.
"Just keep out of the closet."
"Do you honestly thing I would steal candy from my nieces and nephews?!" he asked with a mock shocked look.
"Yes, I do!" Loki replied, waving a finger. "I know you, brother of mine!"He continued up the stairs and Thor made a face at him. Thor stared longingly at the closet door, practically drooling.
"They wouldn't miss one piece," he muttered. "Just one."
He opened the door then jumped as a ghoul appeared, baring bloody fangs at him. "Ahh!" he yelped, reaching for Mjolnir, then he halted. "Loki!"
"Gotcha!" Loki said from the top of the stairs, grinning. "Happy Halloween, Thor!"
Thor looked up and groaned just as a Snickers hit him in the nose.