Murderous Acquaintances – Bwen Halloween Special: Part 1
It was the morning of October 31st and Max Tennyson had offered to take two of his grandchildren, Ben and Gwen, out to do something for Halloween. He didn't have a clue what they were going to do, but decided that they would find something – just like how they found the Omnitrix nearly five months ago.
As Max walked along the open city sidewalk, a cold breeze continuously attempted to chill his bones. The day was dry and cold. It's the perfect weather for the holidays, Max thought refreshingly. The older man had just come out of a hardware store to get a few new pieces for his RV – nicknamed the Rust Bucket. The front dashboard was a bit loose and needed a few screws to tighten it up.
Carrying the brown paper bag full of a screw driver and a box of screws, Max began to question if he had gotten the right size. No time to worry about that now, he thought.
During his brief moment of thinking, he unknowingly ran into another man – who was dressed in a shady trench coat with a tan fedora.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Max said apologetically.
"No no, don't worry about it. I should have watched where I was walking." The stranger said to him in a kind manner. He was definitely not mad and seemed really happy to be able to compensate for his clumsiness. Almost too happy.
"Ah I was in deep thought, it wouldn't have happened if I just payed attention."
"You think so?" He laughed again. "Say, you look like the type of guy that has children. Plan on doing anything special for Halloween tonight?"
"Kids?" Max chuckled awkwardly, "yes, but mine are all grown up. On the other hand, I do plan on taking my grandchildren out to do something. Although, I haven't figured out what we're going to do."
"Ouch, you've got the kids but nothing to do? Tell you what, take this brochure. It's a great place for a little scare and it's fun for the kids. It might even be fun for you too, or just give you a heart attack."
Max didn't know how to respond to his words other than to take the paper that was now extending from the man's hand. The way he said the word, scare, made the hairs on Max's neck stand up a bit. He convinced himself that the cold wind was just getting to him.
"Well, have a good day. I expect to see you and your grandkids at that place on the pamphlet." The stranger then shoved his hands back into his pockets and begin to walk away like the conversation they had never happened. Max was left standing on the sidewalk next to a couple of clothes. He swore there was something familiar about the guy he had just talked to. When he saw the stranger's eyes they were an odd purplish hue – which raised a few questions in Max's mind.
Finally, he decided to take a look at the paper he had gotten from his little acquaintance. It gave an address to some haunted house festival at an old Berel Manor that was there in Bellwood. The picture of the land definitely had a spooky setting to it. Of course it would, it's a Halloween setup, Max told himself. However, the brochure looked as if it was homemade and printed from cheap paper rather than distributed by a normal flier company. Ignoring the fact, Max continued his walk back to the Rust Bucket and prepared himself for his two rival grandkids.
Before he opened the door to the vehicle, he decided it would be worth one more try to look through the brochure – just to see if he had missed something.
Max was glad that he was doing a double-check, because he realized that the pamphlet was folded and opened outwards. There was a rectangular information box on one side. When he read what was inside of it, his eyes widened with surprise.
"I...I don't know if I could do that." The fearless, and courageous, man swallowed.
Gwen was in her living room watching TV. Typically, most kids would want to watch something a little scary on the day of Halloween, but she didn't Instead, Gwen was watching the NASA channel. The station was doing a live action special from one of the satellite bases that orbited above the Earth. It was interesting to Gwen, but – of course – not to her parents.
Frank and Lily decided to go up to their room and watch a special Fright Night on another channel. Gwen didn't like to put herself into a situation where she knew something was definitely going to scare her. She didn't even like to watch those shows about people supposedly hunting for ghosts.
"Ghosts", Gwen laughed aloud, "what a joke." It wasn't that she didn't believe in ghost, because she did – definitely from the summer she spent with Ben and her grandfather – but rather that the ones they said they were hunting on TV just weren't real. It wall all fake for fame and money.
Speaking of Ben and Max, Gwen was supposed to go somewhere with them both for Halloween. When she heard that Max was going to take her somewhere for the holiday, her mind almost jumped out of her head with joy. However, it didn't last long because she found out that Ben was also going to accompany them.
All throughout their first summer trip a few months ago, Ben had continuously teased her, and she fought back without question. Gwen had hoped that she wouldn't have to ever see his face again, but ever since she moved to Bellwood things changed.
She saw him everywhere in the school's hallways and he was in every single class of hers except one. The one class he wasn't in was an advanced science class, which Ben could never get into. It was like her sanctuary for the day. No Ben.
Unfortunately, her sanctuary wasn't all about just solitude. It did have one drawback. Whenever Ben wasn't around to taunt her, she felt a bit...lonely. As if she wasn't getting any attention. Sure Gwen had quite a few friends, but they never really felt like anything more than people she talked to. They didn't seem to care – or even notice – what she thought. Not that Ben cared either, but he definitely noticed what she thought. He would usually make fun of her for thinking something, but it didn't matter because he did at least acknowledge she was thinking.
Gwen jumped a little because of a loud noise coming from outside her house. It sounded like the horn of an eighteen-wheeler. The young girl got up to look at the window which was in the front side of her house. She spotted a familiar cool-yellow RV.
"Mom!" She yelled up the stairs, "Grandpa's here! I'm going now!" Gwen then waited to hear a response. It took a minute, as her mother came out of her room and looked down from atop the staircase.
"Alright honey. Have fun and be safe." Her mother said with a hint of sleepiness.
"I will, mom" Gwen concluded the conversation and rushed out the front door.
The chilling winds caused her silky-orange hair to brush into her green eyes. Even with a beret holding her bangs off to the side, some of it still came unkempt. Neither Ben nor Gwen decided to wear a costume. They didn't want to seem dorky, or dweeby as they called it, in front of the other. So they both acted like dressing up was for little babies.
Gwen's grandfather was now outside the Rust Bucket waiting by the entrance door. He knelt down as she ran up and into his arms. Max's large body was warm to Gwen's and she was glad to see him again.
"Grandpa!" Gwen exclaimed with a smile on her face.
"Gwen, it's good to see you! I've got something fun planned for us today tonight. All we have to do is go get Ben."
"Yeah, don't remind me." She retorted sourly.
"Oh come on, it won't be that bad. Besides, I'm sure Ben's going to get scared eventually." Max laughed and they both walked into the Rust Bucket where the air was warmer.
Maybe he will get scared, Gwen thought, or maybe I might be the one getting scared. Gwen had always been the one to be frightened by the bad guys that they had fought over the summer. So she was sure that if anyone was going to get scared, then it would probably be her.
Ben's house wasn't far from Gwen's, as they lived in the same neighborhood. The RV strode down the poorly-built street – which needed some major repairs – and after a few street turns the house they were looking for appeared.
It was brown with a very dark green roof – almost like a mountain cabin. The windows were close to the roof and were small rectangles outlined in green wood. Everything looked dark, except for the kid that came dashing out the front door.
Ben was racing towards the Rust Bucket with a goofy grin on his face. Gwen even smiled at his face because it just looked completely stupid. Max got out of the RV to meet his grandson and say their greetings. Gwen, however, waited inside the insulated RV – not wanting to be attacked by the October cold.
When the footsteps of a large body and a child could be felt rumbling the vehicle, Gwen turned around to meet face to face with Ben. However, instead of ignoring him or smiling – or even saying something to him – she screamed as if someone had been killed right in front of her.
"Ahh!" Gwen cried out, "Ben you said you weren't dressing up! You almost gave me a heart attack." Gwen then smiled deviously.
"Ha ha" Ben spoke without enthusiasm. He wasn't dressed up in any costume and was wearing his normal daily clothes. "You are just so hilarious." The boy then proceeded to sit in the bench across from her.
"So Grandpa, where are we going?" Gwen finally brought up the question that had been nibbling on the cousin's minds for a while.
A smug smile spread across the elderly man's face. "Oh don't you two worry about it. It's definitely going to be a scare."
Gwen and Ben both shot each other a look. Their faces were a bit smudged because of the way their grandfather said the final word. Ben shrugged and looked away. However, Gwen wasn't so easily convinced. She knew something wasn't right, and – even though they weren't anywhere scary yet – chills were sent up and down her body.
The night sky was impossible to see. Fog covered every inch of the sky and made it hard to see more than a mile out on the road. The only sign that anyone could see that there even was a sky was the bleak whitish light coming from the moon.
Making a rattling noise, the RV turned onto a bumpy road that seemed to lead a good distance away from the road. Every inch the Rust Bucket would move, the three Tennysons would bounce a bit off of their seats.
"Grandpa," Gwen said between being rattled, "are you sure you're going to the right place?"
"Yeah, I don't think anyone would try to hide some place where there is going to be a bunch of people." Ben jumped in before Max could answer.
"No no, I'm sure this is the right road." He said, barely able to sit in his seat.
They drove along the old road for several more minutes before making yet another turn. Instantly, the road went from a rigid mess to a smooth ride. The change was welcomed by both of the passengers.
"What a relief. I thought I was going to get a headache." Gwen said while putting one of her hands on her forehead and looking as if she had just woken up.
"What a relief..." Ben said in a sharp voice – mocking her.
Gwen rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Hey you two, come look at this." Max called from the front of the RV
More curious than interested, Ben and Gwen got up and quickly strode to the front of the Rust Bucket – competing for who would get to sit in the passenger seat.
Ben, of course, one and selfishly sat down in the large leather seat. Gwen made an audible groaning noise and Ben couldn't help but feel accomplished.
"What do you think of this place?" Their grandfather asked them.
He had just pulled up into a large driveway which led up to a hill. The whole twenty acre yard was fenced in with a ten-foot tall black metal gate. Everything seemed to be just right for Halloween. The grass was a brownish-green rather than a solid green color. Most of the trees were either dead – with no leaves – or had fallen over. They seemed to droop in an ugly fashion and were definitely unappealing.
What really caught the Tennyon's attention was what is on top of the hill the driveway led up to. An old colonial two-story home sat atop of the large terrain bump. The house was extremely large and reminded Gwen of a mansion, or plantation house. It was old and made from dark gray wood, and Ben swore that the house looked as if it was going to topple over soon.
"This is awesome!" Ben exclaimed. "Whoever made this place put a lot of effort into making it look creepy. I mean seriously, it's even got a realistic looking graveyard across the road!"
"Yes," Max agreed, "maybe a little too much effort..."
"What do you mean, Grandpa?" Gwen asked – a little frightened by his statement.
"Ah nothing, let's just go inside and see what kind of fun we can have. Alright?"
"Yeah." "Sure" They both agreed in unison.
Max parked the RV on the driveway concrete, but careful not to block the vehicles of any other visitors. The three stepped out of the vehicle, and were instantly attacked by the ferocious winds that howled throughout the night. Gwen and Ben looked around and the eerie house before them.
Max led them up to the house porch. Each wooden plank they walked on, a distinct noise could be heard emitting from the old material. Gwen spied a black cat sitting next to the front double-doors.
"Hi, cat" Gwen said in an adorable, playful voice that one would only use to talk to little children.
The black cat opened its golden eyes and let out a shrill hissing sound before dashing off of the porch and off into the open land.
Gwen jumped backwards and fell on her back side. The cat had made her heart bounce, as she was already a little scared of the house. The animal hissing at her just made it all worse, and so did Ben.
Ben was pointing at her and laughing – holding his free hand on his stomach.
"Oh shut up!" Gwen yelled and stood back on her feet.
"Quiet!" Max whispered loudly before knocking audibly on one of the old, wooden doors.
They waited about half a minute. Not a single sound came from the inside of the house. Everything seemed to get silent and not a single blade of grass moved. The wind had died down and the fog had only gotten stronger. It was almost as if the Earth had stopped moving.
"Well, I guess we just go in." Max stated bleakly and began turning the knob on the door. However, no matter which way he turned the doorknob, or how hard he pushed, the door would simply not open.
"Grandpa, are you sure this is the right place?" Gwen asked for the second time – highly doubting that any Halloween festival would be held at such a spooky place. "I mean, there is nobody else here but us."
"No I am definitely sure, Gwen" Max replied while still struggling with the door. After trying a few more times, the older man gave up. "Alright...how else would we get it?"
Why is he so obsessed about this place? Gwen wondered.
"Hey, maybe Four Arms can help!" Ben cried happily – eager to get inside the house.
"No!" Their grandfather replied sharply. "No aliens Ben."
Ben gave Gwen a confused look. She just shrugged. The younger boy moved closer to her so his whisper wouldn't carry to Max's ears.
"What's up with Grandpa?" He whispered to her.
"I don't know. He seemed to have changed ever since we got here, like when we went after that Mayan sword."
Ben nodded, but didn't have time to respond. As their grandfather had gotten the door open.
"Got it!" Max exclaimed in a breathless whisper. The door squeaked open until the three of them could see a little into the house. A stale smell rushed from the doorway and up into their noses.
There was absolutely no light inside the house. It looked as if they were all three about to walk into an unlit cave – and it smelled like one too.
"Oh...that's a bit dark." Max said solemnly. "B-but we didn't come here for nothing, right?" His head was still staring inside the barely-lit house.
"Gwen...I think Grandpa lost his brain or something." Ben said to his cousin – a bit frightened by his grandfather's sudden change in attitude. Ben looked up to Max like he was his own father. Whenever Ben was hurt or struggling he would be there to help, so when Max was scared of something it was usually with good reason.
"Grandpa...are you afraid of the dark?" Gwen asked sympathetically with Ben standing beside her.
Max's eyes had been wider than usually, but he quickly saw that his fears were starting to make his grandchildren feel a bit scared.
"No no, it's just I don't like to go into a place I've never been in before – when it's dark. I'm sure it's alright. Someone brought us here for a reason anyways."
Without saying much else, Max motioned for them to follow his lead. They wearily walked into the house. Just like on the porch, each step they took made the floorboards creak loudly. The trio stayed close to one another, and Gwen's hands were extremely close to her mouth as her teeth were chattering. They couldn't see much, as the only light they had was from a few windows.
As far as Ben could tell – because his eyesight was the best out of the three of them – there was a grand staircase before him and two hallways on either side of them.
They stood in the middle of the main room, afraid to make another movement because of the possibility of awakening some sleeping person. Suddenly, Max was unsure if they were in the right place.
"Maybe the address was wrong..." He tried to convince himself. "I might have misread it."
The older man reached around to his back pocket and pulled out a lighter. As soon as his hand was inside his pocket, the front door they had opened slammed closed.
Everyone but Ben jumped in surprise. They all turned around but suddenly lost their sense of direction. They were now in utter darkness.
"Okay...something is seriously going on here." Ben said worriedly. The darkness had engulfed them and they couldn't even see their own hands in front of them.
A few soft thuds could be heard from above them in the high ceiling.
"It's...p-probably just...rats." Max said hesitantly.
Just as he said that, a dry laugh rang throughout the house. But it wasn't the normal evil or sinister laughter. It felt as if it begin right from their own heads and expanded outward. It was low pitched and made the hairs on all three of their necks stand up.
"But that wasn't!" Gwen exclaimed loudly, beginning to go into a panic.
"Okay...just clam down Gwen. It isn't anything we ca-..." A cold sensation began to rise on Max's shoulder. "Ben...is that your hand?" His voice was filled with a sense of dread – almost as if he knew the answer to his own question.
"No Grandpa, I'm over here by Gwen." The sound of a boy's voice could be heard in the same direction as his granddaughter's heavy breathing.
"Yeah," their grandfather answered back – his breaths in heavy gulps. "I thought so."
Slowly, Max reached – once again – for the lighter he kept in his back pocket. Every bone in his body shook as he felt the odd chill that accumulated around his shoulder start to expand and spread along his entire back.
Max moved to the side and finally lit the lighter that he had been holding. As soon as the fire emitted from the small fuel source, a hissing noise was heard from behind Max. All of the cold left his body and the hiss began to get further and further into the house.
"Gwendolyn! Find me a candle!" Max cried out in the now-dimly lit house. The fire barely allowed light to expand three feet in front of them, and it wouldn't hold for long.
"But Grandpa..." Gwen's eyes were now swell with tears. She was terrified, and her grandfather's new attitude was scaring her even more.
"Now!" Her grandfather commanded.
Ben was simply amazed at what was happening. He wasn't even believing it. The boy had half a mind to turn into one of his aliens, but was afraid of what Max might do if he did. Besides, he told Ben not to use any of his aliens. What for?
"I'll get one." Ben offered.
"That's fine...just hurry!" The darkness was getting to Max and the weird noise he heard when the lighter was lit just threw him over the edge. Fearful drops of sweat fell from his face, even though the air wasn't warm at all.
Ben, not wanting to become the victim of his grandfather's next yelling session, moved over to where he could see a table. Each step he took made the house moan and groan as if it was trying to talk to them.
On the wooden end-table Ben saw a bolt of cloth and a vintage candle holder with a candle in it.
This was a little convenient, he said to himself before looking up at the wall that the table sat against. There was a large picture of an older man with long curly hair – like the people from the 1700s. The eyes painted on the picture stared down at Ben as if him and the picture shared some secret.
Clenching his teeth and turning quickly back around, he moved to where the light Max was holding was. In one motion, Ben held the candle up towards his grandfather's free hand was.
Max snatched the candle and its coaster from Ben's hands in a sweeping motion. Without even as much as taking another breath, he lit the candle.
It didn't add much more light than what was already given from the lighter, but at least it would last longer – much longer.
Even with a stable source of light, Max still was unable to calm down. He took deep breathes of the stale air and his throat was begging to get a refreshing drink.
"Alright...alright," he started, attempting to calm himself down, "we have light. We'll be fine as we have light."
"What do you mean by 'we'll be find if we have light', Grandpa?" Ben questioned awkwardly. Part of him wanted to think that everything was just a setup to scare him and Gwen. After all, how convenient was it all that on Halloween they would get trapped in a dark house?
Ignoring his question, Max asked his granddaughter, "Gwen, do you remember where the front door is?"
Gwen – still in a state of panic – answered with unexpected confidence. "Yeah I do. It's right behind us. I haven't moved since we stepped into this creepy place."
"Creepy isn't the right word for it." Max answered back to her as he walked behind Gwen – looking for the entrance they came through.
Ben rolled his eyes. He still wasn't convinced any of what was happening was real. "Are you trying to say it's haunted?"
"Much worse, Benjamin." The elderly man came up to a wall when he noticed something. The wall wasn't covered in the wallpaper they had first noticed when the three walked in. It was covered in a purplish slime that seemed to run down the entire wall.
"Oh no..." he cried in shock, "I'm so stupid! I should have seen this coming."
Both cousins were confused as to what he was talking about, but they were both afraid to ask. It was pitch black in the house and extremely quiet – except for their own breathing and the occasional soft thuds coming from throughout the house. The only real light anymore was the one their grandfather was holding.
"Ben! Turn into Heat Blast and get us out of here, please!" Gwen cried, clinging to Ben's arm. She was unbelievably scared and if anyone could see her eyes they would find that she had been letting tears flow for quite a while now.
"No!" Max shouted to her.
"But Grandpa! Can't you hear her. You've scared her long enough now get us out of here!" Ben shouted angrily at his grandfather.
The boy could see the light in Max's hand get closer to him. "You think I'm doing all of this? I wouldn't put you guys through what we're going through now. I told you not to use your aliens earlier because I didn't want you to scare any of the party guests. Now I realize this isn't a normal party. If you turn into an alien now, you'll kill us all."
Ben's grandfather's words weighed heavily on the young boy's mind. He basically said that his human form is the strongest he has right now. Was he being serious?
"Now come on. We have to find another way out." Max told them and began to walk towards another hallway. "Stay close to me, and don't ever leave this light."
Ben took Gwen's hands he pried them off of his arm. They were still in his own hands when he looked at – what he thought – was her eyes.
"Listen, I don't know what's going on with Grandpa, but we'll get out of here. I promise. If something bad happens I will go hero. Okay?"
For some reason, what Ben said made Gwen feel slightly better. Knowing that he might be able to save them made her feel safer – but only slightly. However, they both noticed the light from Max's candle was growing dimmer. He was moving away from them and apparently didn't notice they hadn't been following.
"So, what are we looking for?" Ben asked as he and Gwen quickly walked up beside their grandfather.
"Some sort of way out. A window, another door, just anything." Max's voice came in sharp phrases. The three could see different phenomenons move around the corners of their eyes. It was almost as if everything outside of the light was alive. Scratching noises could be heard coming in all directions.
"Don't worry, " Max assured them, "just stay in the light and it can't hurt you."
"What is it?" Gwen asked, her hands wrapped around her shoulders.
The older man stopped dead in his tracks, and the two kids almost bumped into his statuette figure.
"Hopefully...you won't have to know. Just remember to stay close to the strongest source of light."
Ben looked over to his cousin in suspicion. Everything sounded like they were just thrown into a horror movie, but the way his grandfather spoke made it all seem so real.
Ben could see the way Gwen stared back it him. She was no longer afraid, but looked tired. Her cheeks were flushed from crying and her eyes were wide. She was a complete wreck, and they were apparently stuck in the house.
"Over here!" Max called from a little ways ahead of them. The two cousins walked over towards him. He was standing by a door that led into an extremely large kitchen. In the kitchen there was one small window above the sink. A counter sat in the middle of the large room and cabinets stretched across the walls. Everything was either gray or black.
The window was like the Holy Grail for the three. A hint of moonlight made its way into the kitchen room, but only lit up a small portion. Even so, the light was extremely dim because of the amount of clouds and fog outside.
They all walked into the room with hard tile floor. It was warmer in it and they saw no signs of any sludge on the walls or ceiling.
"It hasn't got in here yet." Max said and put the candle atop one of the counters. He then began to search the kitchen cabinets and drawers.
"Grandpa. I'm not going any further until you explain what it is." Ben demanded the answer from his grandfather. He quickly changed his focus to see where Gwen was. She was standing in the moonlight over by the sink. Ben couldn't help but stare at her. She shone in the light and looked like a dawning princess.
"Ben, can you see if you can get that window open?" Max was now furiously going through the containers. What was he looking for?
"I'm not doing anything until you tell me why I can't go alien. Heat Blast could probably melt this thing and we could get out of here." Ben retorted.
"No!" Max cried frantically.
"Why not?" The two were starting a heated argument and neither of them noticed the room getting colder.
"Um...guys?" Gwen asked, turning her attention back to the kitchen doorway. She caught something quickly dart into the room with them. Her spine began to tingle with sudden fear.
"You can't go alien, Ben!" Their grandfather said with a firm voice.
"Yes I can, and I'm going to!"
"Ben don-" Max stopped in the middle of what he was saying. Softly he whispered, "The light..."
Ben was just about to change into one of his aliens when he heard his grandfather's whisper. "What?"
"The light," he said louder now, "Ben get the candle!" Max's eyes were wide as he saw something move around the darkness that filled the corners of the room.
Ben – not understanding what was happening – darted for their candle that was left on the counter near the doorway. Before the boy could get to it, a sudden breeze swept through the room from an unknown direction. The light blew out and the three were left in pitch black darkness for the second time, save for the bleak portion of the sink lit by the moonlight.
"Oh no, no no..." Max said quickly, "Not the light! We need light!"
Ben rushed to Gwen – the only place where there was any light in the entire house now – and stood scrambled next to her.
"Grandpa! Get over here!" Gwen called, but their grandfather was shutting out all reality.
"We have to get the light back on...we're all dead without the light. No...it has to be brought back." His deep voice fluttered throughout the kitchen, bouncing off the tiles, but the cousins could not tell where he was at anymore. They only saw the unfriendly company of the dark.
A smashing sound was heard from the counter that was in the center of the room.
"Grandpa is that you?" Ben called into the blackness.
There was no immediate response and the room went from panic to sudden quietness. All ambient noises were drowned out by the overwhelming sensation of quietness.
The Tennyson cousins could hear the sound of hoarse breathing from where their grandfather had once been visible until the darkness came over. It began to get slower and slower. However, before it was able to return to normal an odd choking sound replaced the breathing. It reminded Ben of the sound a drowning person makes as he gasps for air.
"Grandpa!" Gwen cried out to, what she hoped, was her grandfather. She began to take off into the black and wanted ever so badly to be next to him and have him tell her everything was alright. Ben grabbed her shoulders and held her back – keeping Gwen safe in the moonlight.
"No, Gwen! Remember what Grandpa said? We have to stay in the light."
"But we have to help him! Go hero! It doesn't matter if Grandpa said not to! Just please, Ben, help him!" Gwen turned around and looked her cousin in the eyes. He was crying, but made no audible sob. Ben turned his head to the side and continued to hold onto Gwen relentlessly.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa."
Review this part of the story, please. I was going to make it all a single-chapter story but needed a bit of help on how I am doing so far.
