Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this story belong to their rightful owners.
This is a little something I wrote last night (October 30) because my residence was telling ghost stories.
This is a one-shot, and I don't think I could make it into a story even if I tried.
IT'S NOT BETA'D, so I'm sorry for any mistakes you may see. I did read it over twice.
All ghost stories told below are not mine, and may or may not be true. I don't take credit for any of the ghost stories mentioned below although they did scare the crap out of me.
October 30, Halloween Eve
"Come on Bella, it's only scary stories." Angela argued. Mike's parents had agreed to let him and few friends use the back of their store for some ghost stories since it was Halloween Eve.
"I rather not go Angela; I have a …test tomorrow." Bella lied. She didn't want to hear scary stories, but she knew somehow Angela and Jessica were going to drag her there anyway. It was only going to be a few of her friends; Jessica, her boyfriend Mike, Angela, her boyfriend Ben, Lauren, Eric, Tyler, and a few others which had been invited. Bella knew she was the easiest one to scare out of their group.
"That's bull and we all know it. Listen, if it gets too much for you then you can leave, we'll make up an excuse, no questions asked, okay?" Jessica smiled when she finally got Bella to agree. The stories were starting in less than an hour and they had to get dressed and eat before they could leave.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The group gathered around the small area waiting for Eric to start his story. Bella was sitting between Jessica and Angela because she knew exactly how this night was going to turn out.
"Once, a poor man was married to a beautiful woman who lived in his village. The couple was very much in love, but the man insisted that they were too poor to have any children. When he found out his wife was pregnant, the man was very angry. He told the woman they could not keep the child. After the birth of his son, the man drowned the child in the river. His wife, too weak from giving birth to get up from the bed, pleaded in vain with her husband to spare the life of her child.
"Several more sons were born to the couple, and the poor man drowned every one. The day the poor man took his fifth child to the river, his wife followed even though she was still weak and bleeding from giving birth. When he threw the child in the river, the woman went in after her son, determined to save the boy even though she did not know how to swim. The woman and her baby were swept away by the current and they both drowned.
"The very next night, the woman's spirit returned to the river beside her home, wailing and searching for the sons she had lost. At first, the poor man was terrified by the spirit of his wife. He begged her to return to the spirit realm. But she did not hear him.
"Night after night, the woman returned to the river, wailing and wringing her hands in her grief. The poor man became angry. But he could not stop the ghost of his wife from searching for her sons.
"Finally, the sound of the wailing woman drove the man mad. He grabbed a knife and jumped into the river after the spirit to kill her. But the poor man did not know how to swim. The current swept him away and he drowned.
"From that day to this, the spirit of Esme Platt - the wailing woman - still haunts the waters and lakes, weeping and wailing and searching for her sons.
Mike stood in front of the group and began to tell his story. "That was a good one Eric, but this one is as true as it gets. Some say she still roams the woods of Forks as a spirit. And that her house is still there and there's people living in it. Her name was Mary-Alice Brandon, though many called her Bloody Mary.
"She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living in the town nearby called her Bloody Mary, and said she was a witch. None dared cross the old crone for fear that their cows would go dry, their food-stores rot away before winter, their children take sick of fever, or any number of terrible things that an angry witch could do to her neighbors.
"Then the little girls in the village began to disappear, one by one. No one could find out where they had gone. Grief-stricken families searched the woods, the local buildings, and all the houses and barns, but there was no sign of the missing girls. A few brave souls even went to Bloody Mary's home in the woods to see if the witch had taken the girls, but she denied any knowledge of the disappearances. Still, it was noted that her haggard appearance had changed. She looked younger, more attractive. The neighbors were suspicious, but they could find no proof that the witch had taken their young ones.
"Then came the night when the daughter of the miller rose from her bed and walked outside, following an enchanted sound no one else could hear. The miller's wife had a toothache and was sitting up in the kitchen treating the tooth with an herbal remedy when her daughter left the house. She screamed for her husband and followed the girl out of the door. The miller came running in his nightshirt. Together, they tried to restrain the girl, but she kept breaking away from them and heading out of town.
"The desperate cries of the miller and his wife woke the neighbors. They came to assist the frantic couple. Suddenly, a sharp-eyed farmer gave a shout and pointed towards a strange light at the edge of the woods. A few townsmen followed him out into the field and saw Bloody Mary standing beside a large oak tree, holding a magic wand that was pointed towards the miller's house. She was glowing with an unearthly light as she set her evil spell upon the miller's daughter.
"The townsmen grabbed their guns and their pitchforks and ran toward the witch. When she heard the commotion, Bloody Mary broke off her spell and fled back into the woods. The far-sighted farmer had loaded his gun with silver bullets in case the witch ever came after his daughter. Now he took aim and shot at her. The bullet hit Bloody Mary in the hip and she fell to the ground. The angry townsmen leapt upon her and carried her back into the field, where they built a huge bonfire and burned her at the stake.
"As she burned, Bloody Mary screamed a curse at the villagers. If anyone mentioned her name aloud before a mirror, she would send her spirit to revenge herself upon them for her terrible death. When she was dead, the villagers went to the house in the wood and found the unmarked graves of the little girls the evil witch had murdered. She had used their blood to make her young again.
"From that day to this, anyone foolish enough to chant Bloody Mary's name three times before a darkened mirror will summon the vengeful spirit of the witch. It is said that she will tear their bodies to pieces and rip their souls from their mutilated bodies. The souls of these unfortunate ones will burn in torment as Bloody Mary once was burned, and they will be trapped forever in the mirror."
"That's so not true!" Lauren said when Mike took his seat.
"It is! A few years ago some kids from Forks were having a sleep over and tried it, and they next day they were found in the bathroom, mauled to pieces! Ask my brother; one of the people who died was in his class. And, it was all girls."
"I still don't believe it." Lauren huffed then stood up. "My turn now," she smirked.
"Rosalie was the sweetest, prettiest girl in Goldsboro, yes sir. All the local boys were chasing her, and quite a number of the fellows from the surrounding countryside were too. All the girls were jealous of Rosalie 'cause they didn't have no sweethearts to take them to the local dances. They all wanted Rosalie to choose her man so things could go back to normal. But Rosalie was picky. None of the local boys suited her, and neither did the fellows from the back country.
"Then one day, Royce King came home from university, and Rosalie was smitten. Rosalie completely dropped all her other beaus when Royce came courting, and it wasn't long before Royce proposed and Rosalie accepted.
"Rosalie started making preparations for the wedding and shopping for items to fill her new home. Royce wasn't too interested in all the fripperies and wedding details. He left the womenfolk to get on with it and started spending time down at the pool hall with some of his buddies. And that's where he met Helene, the owner's saucy daughter. She had bold black eyes and ruby red lips, and a bad-girl air that fascinated Royce. He spent more and more time at the pool hall, and less and less time with Rosalie, who finally noticed in spite of all the hustle and bustle.
"Of course, Rosalie was furious. She immediately confronted Royce with the story, and he couldn't deny it. Suddenly, Royce had to toe the mark. His pool-hall visits were over, and he spent every free hour he wasn't at work by her side. That didn't sit well with Royce, but his family backed Rosalie up, so he went along with it.
"The day of the wedding dawned clear and bright. The guests filled the sanctuary, and the pastor and the best man waited patiently in the ante-chamber for the arrival of the groom. But Royce didn't come. Eventually, they went searching for the missing bridegroom, and found out he'd left town with Helene an hour before the wedding. With dread, Rosalie's mother went to tell her daughter what had happened. Rosalie, all bright and shining and lovely in her long white dress and soft wedding veil, turned pale when her mother broke the news. Then she stiffened, grabbing her left arm as a sudden pain ripped through it. She was dead from a massive heart attack long before she hit the floor.
"A few days later, Rosalie was buried in the churchyard, still wearing her white wedding dress and veil. The whole town came to the funeral and wept at the passing of such a beautiful young girl. Royce and Helene, who had spent the week happily honeymooning in the Outer Banks, arrived home at the very moment that the black-clad crowd exited the churchyard. Their arrival caused a commotion. The minister had to pull Rosalie's father off Royce before he killed him. And both Royce and Helene's family disowned the couple right there in the street in front of everyone. The couple fled town in disgrace.
"Time passed, and eventually the scandal was forgotten. Until the day Royce's father passed away. It was rumored that he was to be buried in the local churchyard just a few plots away from the girl who had almost become his daughter. Suddenly, the story of Rosalie's jilting was revived and folks wondered aloud if Royce would dare attend his father's funeral. But Royce was too clever for them. He waited at an inn outside of town until it was dark, and then he went to the churchyard to pay his last respects to his father.
"As he unburdened himself at his father's graveside, Royce heard a sweet female voice calling his name. 'Royce. Sweetheart.' Royce looked up in sudden hope. Was that his mother, come to forgive him? Then he saw, rising up from a grassy mound under a spreading oak tree, a figure in a long white gown and a soft veil. Her eyes and her lips were yellow flames beneath the veil, and the rotted wedding dress glowed with a white-yellow light. It was Rosalie.
"Royce's body stiffened shudders of fear coursing up and down his arms and legs. He put a shaking hand to his mouth and staggered backward, the other hand outstretched out ward off the specter floating toward him. The spectral bride cackled with angry laughter and swooped forward until its hand closed over Royce's outstretched one in a terrible parody of a handshake. The grip of the spectral bride was so cold it burned the skin, and so hard that the bones crunched as it squeezed. 'Come along into the church, Royce,' the glowing bride whispered. Through the veil, Royce could see maggots crawling in and out of Rosalie's flaming eye sockets.
"'Nooo! Rosalie, no!' Royce screamed in terror, but he could not wrench his hand free. The ghost dragged him step by halting step toward the front door of the church. His hand was a red-hot agony of pain, though the rest of his body was shaking with cold.
"'No!' Royce gave a final cry of despair and wrenched again at his hand. And suddenly, he was free. The spectral bride gave a roar of rage as Royce ran pell-mell down the church lane and out into the street.
"'You're mine, Royce King! If not in this world, than in the next,' the spectral bride howled after him.
"By the time Royce reached his room, the fiery pain in his hand and arm was seeping through his entire body. He rang desperately for the house maid and begged her to send for a doctor. Then he fell into bed and stared at his hand, which was black and withered, as if it had been scorched long ago by a fire. Black and red streaks were climbing up his arm so fast he could almost see them move.
"Royce was unconscious when the doctor arrived, and the swelling was already extending into his chest and neck. There was nothing the physician could do. The injury was too severe and had spread too far. Within two days, Royce was dead. Rosalie had gotten her man at last."
"Some say that Rosalie still walks the streets at night, but instead of Royce, there's another man by her side. She's beautiful now, and got a smile on her face. I've never seen it, but apparently she comes out on October 31, Halloween night, at exactly midnight to stand in front of the church with the man by her side."
Bella turned towards Jessica, "can I leave now?" She whispered softly so no one else would hear. Of course Mike heard her and began laughing.
"Scared, Bella?" He teased. Bella lied and shook her head.
"I don't believe that one! Why would she be with someone besides Royce?" Tyler said, and then stood up.
"I'll try not to scare you too much Bella." He winked and began his tale.
"This one's called the White Wolf, and it's said to been true and that several werewolves actually roam the forest at night.
"She snapped awake out of a deep sleep, screaming aloud in terror. In her nightmare, a large white wolf had been chasing her around and around the house, gaining on her with every step until it finally pounced on her and ripped out her throat. She lay shaking for hours, unable to sleep after such a terrifying dream.
"But morning finally arrived, and the day was completely normal. Celia forgot all about her dream, until the moment her parents reminded her that they would be going out that night to celebrate their anniversary. Celia turned milk-white. In her dream, the white wolf had come to kill her while her parents were out celebrating their anniversary! She started shaking and begging them not to go. Her parents were astonished at her behavior, and finally shamed her into staying home alone that night.
"Fearfully, Celia locked herself into the house as soon as her parents left, checking every door and every window. She tried to laugh it off as she got into bed, and finally she shook off her irrational fear and fell asleep.
"Celia snapped awake suddenly, every muscle tense. She heard the tinkling of falling glass from a broken window, and the snuffling sound of a snout pressed to the floor. It was the sound of a hunting wolf. A werewolf. Real wolves did not break into houses when there was plenty of game outside. She could hear the click-clicking of the creature's claws on the wooden floor. The musky, foul smell of wet animal fur combined with the meaty breath of a carnivore, drifted into the room.
"She could hear the werewolf's panting right outside her bedroom. Then her body was out of bed and she sped through the bathroom and down the back stairs. She heard a soft growl and then the sound of animal feet pursuing her as she raced down the steps and tore open the back door. A glance at the window beside her showed a reflection of the werewolf leaping down the last few steps behind her.
"Celia's feet screamed in protest as she ran painfully across the sharp gravel driveway toward the tool shed with its shovels and baseball bats. Anything she could use as a weapon. But the huge, red-eyed wolf was suddenly between her and the toolshed, stalking toward her. The cold wind pierced her skin as she turned and fled around the side of the house. She gasped as the white wolf howled and took off after her. She could hear the terrifying sound of the creature's pounding feet.
"Faster, faster, she commanded her legs, panting desperately against the fear choking her. She would run around the house and back down the driveway, she thought with the clarity of sheer horror. She felt the wolf snap at her back leg and felt the sting of teeth. She put on speed.
"The wolf veered away from her suddenly, and she felt a rush of hope. She couldn't hear the wolf now, couldn't see it in the cloud-darkened night. She kept running around the house, heading back toward the tool shed. To her intense relief, she heard the sound of a car coming down the road in front of her house. Her parents were back and would save her from the wolf!
"Then her heart stopped in panic as she turned the last corner and saw the shape of the white wolf as it stood balanced on the porch railing right in front of her. It sprang upon Celia, huge teeth tearing into her flesh and ripping out her throat. She fell under the weight of its body, hot blood spilling all over the ground, and died seconds after she hit the ground. One minute later, her parent's car pulled into the driveway, its headlights blinding the white wolf as it pulled toward the house. Frightened, the wolf backed away from its kill and then ran away.
"Don't even start on the werewolf thing again Tyler." Jessica said as she shook her head.
"It's true though; there have been reports of a large bear like figure roaming the woods. The prints are too large to be a bears, so they're suspecting something else." Bella said quietly, repeating what she heard her father say the day before to one of his good friends, Billy Black, from the reservation down in La Push. She knew Billy had a son, but she never saw him before.
"Whatever, I still don't believe any of these stories, they're all just stories people made up to scare us anyway." Jessica said, but stood from her place and walked to the table which held refreshments.
"I heard non-believers get hurt in the most brutal of ways." Ben said, as if trying to scare her. Jessica just laughed and shook her head.
"Fine, if you all think it's true, I say after the kids go to bed tomorrow night we test out some of these so-called 'ghost stories', find out if they're real or not." Jessica challenged the group. They all nodded their heads, taking her up on her offer, except for Bella.
"I don't know Jessica, I mean; we have school the next morning. Our parents won't want us out late on a school night." Bella argued, trying to get out of it. She had believed every single one of the stories and was more than a little scared because of them.
"We'll just tell out parents we're going trick-or-treating. They won't mind us being out if we don't start until late." Jessica shot back. Bella knew she lost the battle when everyone agreed with her.
"Good, it's settled then. Everyone meet back here at nine tomorrow night. It's getting late and I promised my parents I wouldn't keep the shop open too long." Mike said.
"Just a few more stories, then we'll call it a night, agreed?" Angela offered, and everyone nodded their heads – everyone except Bella. "Excellent, my turn next!" She smiled as she took her spot.
"She was nervous when her husband said they were to stay in the abandoned house, for it contained the corpse of the hermit who once lived there, enshrined in a coffin in the loft. It was an old custom and one no longer popular among the Iroquois people, but the hermit had insisted upon it before his death. There was good hunting in this place, her man had declared, and so they moved in and she unpacked their few belongings in the front room, refusing to go up into the loft where the hermit's body lay.
"When her husband left to hunt, she immediately put her daughter in the sling on her back and went to look for roots and berries, staying away until her husband returned with the meat. As she prepared the evening meal for them, her husband, tired from his hunting, climbed up into the loft to rest.
"The hut soon filled with the delicious smell of roasting meat. She was sorting through the berries when she heard a muffled cry and the crunch of breaking bones. As she stared upward, frozen in horror, blood started to drip from the rafters.
"She crept silently to the far corner of the room where she could see up into the loft. A shadow with glowing red eye sockets was feasting on the body of her husband. Its teeth and chin covered with blood.
"Her daughter stirred restlessly at her back, and she knew that she had to get away immediately.
"'I am going to run down to the stream to fetch water for the broth,' she called toward the loft. 'I will be right back.' She took the pail and walked toward the stream, trying to appear normal. As soon as she was out of sight among the trees, she started to run as fast as she could. She heard a terrible howl from the direction of the house as the creature heard them escaping and started to pursue. The young mother stumbled desperately through the woods, the creature's howls growing closer as it pursued them. Her little daughter wailed in fright at her back as she fled in terror, sobbing and was almost without hope; the monster was gaining on her.
"In a last act of despair, she shouted the Iroquois distress cry, hoping someone would be near enough to hear it. Her call was taken up and answered by the warriors from the village. She could hear the creature breathing behind her as she sprinted to the trees at the edge of the village. Here, her strength failed her, and she collapsed to the ground,
"Just before the monster could pounce on them, a party of warriors burst through the gates of the village chasing the skeleton away. They swung their torches wide, and the skeleton retreated farther into the woods. The warriors chased the creature back to the hermit's house, and set fire to the cabin. As the flames encompassed the house, a terrible howling and roaring came from the loft, and the vampire hermit fled into the woods, never again to plague the young woman or her daughter.
"People say that the vampire now lives in the woods just outside of town. No one has seen him, and there has been no kills in the past recent years, but who knows." Bella was shaking, desperately trying to get Jessica's attention. When Jessica finally caught her eye she noticed how pale her friend was and moved a little closer to her.
"Are you alright, Bella?" She whispered. Bella shook her head weakly.
"Can we leave, please?" She begged. She was shaken up and tired.
"I have to tell my story; it was one that was passed down through my family. It's more sad than scary." Jessica stood up and took her spot in front of the group.
"They knew right from the start that Jasper was going to be a soldier. Even as a child, all his concentration was on the military. So they weren't surprised when he joined the Marines right out of high school.
"Jasper excelled in his chosen career. He was so happy to be serving his country. His mother could see it in his face every time he came home on leave. He was itching to get into some "real action", something that - as a mother - frightened her. He was her only son, and she didn't want to lose him. But he was also a grown man with a wife and a baby on the way. She was very proud of the way he was living his life.
"Then came the terrible day in September when everything in their world changed. She knew as soon as she saw events unfolding on the television that Jasper was going to get the action he craved. And she started praying: 'Please God, keep him safe.'
"Jasper went to the Middle East and she started sending weekly care packages and checking her email several times a day. The tone of his communications was always cheerful, if a little strained. He was in danger many times, but somehow he always made it through unscathed, although he lost a few friends along the way. This deepened him and she saw a new maturity in her son that made an already proud mother even prouder.
"Her relief was intense when Jasper came home. She ran to him and almost knocked him over in her excitement when he stepped out of the car. He hugged her tightly, and then reached into the backseat to remove his little daughter from her car seat and show her off to them.
"She tried to conceal her fear when he told them a few months later that he would be going back to the Middle East. But Jasper knew his mother pretty well. On his last leave before deployment, he took her hand, kissed her on the cheek, and said: 'I love you, Mom. We'll be together again real soon.' She held back the tears until he was gone. Then she wept like a child.
"Jasper's emails on this trip were sporadic and his tone was grim. Things were tough over there, although he did not say much about it. He just spoke of little things like the rapid growth of his beautiful girl and the many activities of the wonderful woman who was her mother and his wife. After he'd been gone nearly a year, Jasper started making plans for his return home. He thought he might make it home in time to celebrate Christmas with the family, and his mother clung to that hope with all her strength. She and her husband always made a big fuss over Christmas, ever since Jasper was a little boy.
"When Jasper emailed them the news that it looked like his tour would be extended, she was upset. His mother had her heart set on them being together for Christmas this year, and the news hit her hard. But she kept on smiling, proud of her soldier boy and only cried once when no one was around. They had their daughter-in-law and granddaughter over on Christmas day, and showered them both with food and gifts. If, perhaps, they acted a little too happy, a little too cheerful, well, who could blame them? They were all keenly aware of the beloved one who was missing from the occasion.
"Late that night, she awoke from a deep sleep, certain that she had heard Jasper's voice. 'Mom,' Jasper said again. She turned over and blinked in the dim light coming from the streetlamp outside their window. Jasper was standing beside the bed, gazing down on her tenderly. She sat up immediately, her heart beating faster in excitement. Jasper was back. He had come home for Christmas after all! They must have decided against the tour extension.
"'Jasper,' she gasped.
"He smiled and sat down beside her, as he had often done when he was little. He took her hand and said: 'I want you to know how much I appreciate you and Dad. It couldn't have been easy, raising a head-strong boy like me, but you did a wonderful job.'
"Jasper's words filled her with a great joy and a terrible fear. The military had sent him home, hadn't they? (Hadn't they?!) Something in his beloved face told her that this was not an ordinary visit. That he hadn't come home the normal way. Her heart thundered in her chest and she began to tremble, dread making her limbs feel heavy. Tears sprang to her eyes, and Jasper gently wiped one away with his finger. 'I came to tell you that I am all right,' he said quietly. 'Take care of my girls for me.'
"'We will,' His mother managed to say, realizing at last what this visit meant.
"'I love you, Mom. We'll be together again real soon,' Jasper said. He leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek, and then he was gone.
"She fell back against the pillows, too stunned even to weep. Her husband, who was a heavy sleeper, woke when he felt the bed jerk. He rolled over and mumbled: 'Are you all right?'
"'Something has happened to Jasper,' She said, too grief-stricken to be tactful. 'I think he's dead.'
"Her husband jerked awake. 'What?!' he exclaimed fearfully. She started sobbing then, and told him about Jasper's visit. They held each other close for the rest of that long night, waiting for dawn and the news which would surely come with it.
"The days following the official notification of Jasper's death - killed in action in the Middle East - were mind-numbing. She clung to the words her boy had spoken to her in the moment's right after he died. Jasper had said he was all right, and she believed him. Her son's body was gone, but his essence, his soul, everything that made him her Jasper was safe and well. And they would be together again real soon.
"From what I've heard, Jasper still walks up and down the roads with a gun held proudly over his shoulder, like he did as a kid."
"Now we can leave right?" Bella asked, determined to get out of this place as fast as possible.
"One more story, Bells, this one isn't that scary, promise." Ben said as he took his place at the front of the room.
"This story, like Jessica's, has been passed down through my family for years. I even heard one of my uncles say that it was actually my great-great-great-great aunt who experienced this, and it was her brother, who was watching her as it happened before his eyes. He was the one who told the tale.
"The girl hurried through her schoolwork as fast as she could. It was the night of the high school dance, along about 70 years ago in the town of Kingsville, Texas. The girl was so excited about the dance. She had bought a brand new, sparkly red dress for the dance. She knew she looked smashing in it. It was going to be the best evening of her life.
"Then her mother came in the house, looking pale and determined.
"'You are not going to that dance,' her mother said.
"'But why?' the girl asked her mother.
"'I've just been talking to the preacher. He says the dance is going to be for the devil. You are absolutely forbidden to go,' her mother said.
"The girl nodded as if she accepted her mother's words. But she was determined to go to the dance. As soon as her mother was busy, she put on her brand new red dress and ran down to the K.C. Hall where the dance was being held.
"As soon as she walked into the room, all the guys turned to look at her. She was startled by all the attention. Normally, no one noticed her. Her mother sometimes accused her of being too awkward to get a boyfriend. But she was not awkward that night. The boys in her class were fighting with each other to dance with her.
"Later, she broke away from the crowd and went to the table to get some punch to drink. She heard a sudden hush. The music stopped. When she turned, she saw a handsome man with fiery cooper hair and black clothes standing next to her.
"'Dance with me,' he said.
"She managed to stammer a 'yes', completely stunned by this gorgeous man. He led her out on the dance floor. The music sprang up at once. She found herself dancing better than she had ever danced before. They were the center of attention.
"Then the man spun her around and around. She gasped for breath, trying to step out of the spin. But he spun her faster and faster. Her feet felt hot. The floor seemed to melt under her. He spun her even faster. She was spinning so fast that a cloud of dust flew up around them both so that they were hidden from the crowd.
"When the dust settled, the girl was gone. The man in black bowed once to the crowd and disappeared. The devil had come to his party and he had spun the girl all the way to hell.
"I heard it by mistake when I was younger, but my grandparents had said that the man who was known as the 'devil' waits by my aunt house every night for her to dance with him. I have never believed that part until I saw a pair of glowing eyes one night when I looked out the window. Turns out the 'cabin' we stayed in once when I was younger, was actually my great-great-great-great aunt's house."
"I still don't believe any of these stories, but I guess we'll find out the truth tomorrow night." Jessica looked at Bella sadly who was now almost in tears, "Come on Bells, let's get you home."
Angela and Jessica helped Bella to the car and got her upstairs in her bed before leaving for the night with their boyfriends. Bella kept a light on that night, in fear something might actually get her. She barely had fallen to sleep when she heard a clinking sound coming from her window. The blinds were closed and she was afraid to move from her place.
Minutes later she heard a scratching sound, she shot up in her bed and looked towards the door, instantly remembering Tyler's story, 'the click-clicking of the creature's claws on the wooden floor'.
Her door was open an inch and she stared at it, unmoving, for quite some time. She was so focused on the door and what lay beyond it that she screamed in fright and flew from her bed when her cat jumped on her legs which were under the covers of the bed. The cat meowed loudly as she was flung to the floor with her owner's blankets. She walked towards Bella, causing the girl to laugh and rubs the cats head.
"You silly little kitty, don't scare me like that." The cat just purred as Bella continued to scratch her head.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Bella stretched and yawned as her alarm clock beeped loudly. She turned it off and got ready for the day's activities. Today was Halloween, and after school she was meeting her friends to prove whether or not the ghost stories told the night before are real or just stories.
Since it was Halloween, all the students were dressing up in their costumes for the day; Bella was a ladybug.
Once she was ready and ate she said good-bye to her dad, Charlie and walked towards her run down truck.
The ride to school was pleasant as it could be when her thoughts would always wander back to last night and the stories in which her friends told. She really didn't want to participate in tonight's events, but she also didn't want her friends making fun of her for being a chicken.
She saw her friends standing around the parking lot when she pulled into her regular parking spot. They walked towards her when she got out. Mike draped his arm over her shoulder, earning a glare from Jessica, as he teased Bella.
"So Bella, are you ready for tonight?" Mike asked with a wink before Jessica pulled him away from her best friend.
"Leave her alone guys, I'm sure nothing is going to happen tonight. We're all going to be fine, and look the same as we did when we started. There's nothing to be afraid of." She tried to reassure her best friend; Bella didn't buy it.
"I really don't want to go; can't I just stay home and give out treats to cute little kids?" Bella tried to reason but the group wasn't letting her back down now. She huffed in frustration and followed her so-called friends to class.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The day passed too quickly for Bella's liking and soon she was standing in her house, finishing off supper for her and her dad.
Charlie walked through the door just as she was finishing up the food. "It smells great in here Bells, shouldn't you be out trick-or-treating with your friends?"
"Thanks dad and we're going out later, once the younger kids are finished." Bella smiled as she sat next to her dad to eat the spaghetti and garlic bread she had made.
"Well don't stay out too late; it is a school night you know." Bella nodded and continued eating.
It was around eight-thirty when she heard yet another knock on her door. Bella grabbed the bowl of candy and was ready to give the kids on the other side of the door a some, but stopped short when she opened it; there was no one there. She could have sworn she heard a knock. Just as she was about to close the door Tyler and Mike jumped from around the sides of the door and yelled "BOO!" causing candy to go flying everywhere.
Bella was fuming at her friends as she picked candy out of her hair. They were rolling on the ground laughing at her reaction. Jessica and Angela apologized for their immaturity but Bella brushed it off, saying it wasn't the girls' fault the boys were so immature these days.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The boys were still laughing as they left the house in search of the truth behind these stories. First was the Bloody Mary one which Mike told. They easily found the path Mike mentioned in his story and followed it silently, Mike was leading the group, with Eric behind him, then the girls –since they were huddled together- and Tyler and Ben took up the rear.
They continued walking until they stood in front of a beautiful cottage. Mike checked the directions his brother had given him, and confirmed this was the place. Since it was dark, the group had bought a handheld mirror with them. They figured if the legend actually was true then what better place to test it then in front of the witch's house.
They huddled in front of the mirror, facing the house and with a brave breathe they began their chant, "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary." They watched with silently. The forest was eerily quiet, as was the cottage in which they stood in front of. Bella gasped when she saw movement in the house, but wasn't brave enough to point it out.
Mike huffed in annoyance after a few minutes, "this is pointless and a waste of time, let's go." He was just about to put the mirror away and leave when he heard something behind him, almost like a tinkling laugh of a child.
He then noticed the rest of the group had left without him on his word to leave. He quickly tried to catch them but was forcefully pushed face first to the ground.
"Come on guys, it's not funny. Stop messing with me." He thought it was his older brother and his friends playing a trick on him since they heard him talking about finding out these if these stories were true, but no one spoke.
He stood again, and just as he was about to run in the direction of his friends a small girl with black spiky hair stood in front of him. She smiled sweetly at him, cocking her head to the side.
She was about to speak with Mike heard his girlfriend's voice, "Mike, what are you doing, hurry up, Bella's about to have a panic attack if we don't soon get out of these woods."
As Jessica came closer she was stopped in her tracks. "Mike?" She asked again, her voice shaky. The small girl turned around to look at Jessica. She was about to scream when a small hand was placed over her mouth.
"Shh," the girl said with a smile, "Don't make a sound." Jessica fell quiet, as if the tiny pixie like girl had magical powers. The girl looked between her two captives and smiled, "Jazz." She said her voice barely above a whisper. Seconds later a blonde hair boy appeared at her side, "It's time." She smiled sweetly towards the children standing before her in a trance-like state.
"Hm, so it seems. Shall I go alert Carlisle and the others?" Jazz –also known as Jasper Whitlock- nodded once at his wife's agreement and kissed her before leaving the group in the clearing. It seems as if Halloween will be an eventful one for them this year.
Alice, the small black hair girl, released the two children from her spell when her husband was out of sight.
Mike and Jessica looked around confused; it felt like they just woke up from a long nap. They thought they were dreaming, though, when they noticed the tiny girl in front of them.
"Hello, I'm Mary-Alice, nice to meet you." Alice giggled as they tried to make sense of the information. Silly humans, she thought, they didn't know all the stories told about ghost were merely a lie.
It was in fact people like Alice, Jasper, Carlisle and the rest of their family whom had made up the stories in the first place to scare children and teenagers alike that Forks was indeed haunted with ghost. It also let the Cullen family live in peace.
The Cullen's were Vampires, known by many as the Cold Ones. Carlisle was changed many years ago, and was alone until he met his wife, Esme Platt. Then Edward Mason was changed when he was dying from the Spanish Influenza. Soon after Edward, Rosalie Hale followed, with her mate Emmett McCarty and then Mary-Alice Brandon, with her mate Jasper Whitlock. They lived together in a large three story house deep in the woods. No one knows they are living there, so no one bothers them.
It was fifty-five years ago when the first set of teenagers set out into the woods to find out what lived beyond it. It was Halloween night, and Emmett McCarty wanted to have some fun with them. So, the days before he had posted a bunch of ghost stories online so and linked them to their Facebook and other web pages so they would read them. They were so freaked out that they wanted to see for themselves if it was real or not. Emmett McCarty told the little family what he had done, and although some were reluctant at first, they all agreed to go along with the made up stories. This would be the tenth time in the last fifty-five years in which the tales had been played out. Alice had a feeling that this was going to be the best Halloween out of them all.
Alice focused her attention to the kids standing before her whispered to them to come towards her, and in their trance-like state, they followed her orders. Alice held up a mirror in front of them and proceeded to erase their memory.
Jessica stared at the mirror, as did Mike, while they chanted, "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary." Seconds passed and it seemed as though nothing was going to happened until Alice stealthily placed the mask on her face, and turned off the two way mirror, causing Jessica and Mike to scream in terror at her appearance. Surprisingly, Alice didn't have to do any more as they both fainted with fright.
She carried the silly humans back to Carlisle's house in the middle of the woods and placed them downstairs in the basement. She cuffed them to the wall and closed the door to their cells. Two down six to go, she thought happily as she skipped back up the stairs where everyone was waiting for her.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Back in the woods, Bella, Angela, Ben, Lauren, Tyler and Eric waited impatiently for their two friends at the edge of the woods. Bella and Angela were getting more worried by the minute while Lauren just looked pissed off.
"They're probably having sex somewhere in there, I'm not going back to look for them." Lauren said and crossed her arms, while she walked towards their vehicles parked behind them.
"You know, for once I'm agreeing with Lauren. The girl's got a point." Tyler said causing the rest of his friends to nod in agreement.
"I just hope they're okay." Bella said worriedly as they piled into their vehicles.
They drove down the road to where the soldier, Jasper have been seen walking back and forth the now paved road.
They climbed out of their vehicles and stood in the middle of the road, just waiting for something to happen or for Jasper to appear.
Angela was the first to see something move in the corner of her eye. She gasped and moved back into the protective arms of her boyfriend. Bella saw it seconds after her; it was as if the ghost were playing mind games with them.
"There's no one here, I guess this one is nothing but a story too." Eric said as he turned and headed back to the car.
"Hello Eric." A voice whispered next to Eric's ear and he was about to open the car door.
"Who said that?" He quickly turned around to face his friends. "Guys, did you here that?"
Tyler looked at him confused, "Hear what?"
"That voice, it just whispered my name, I swear!" Eric was getting frantic now, how could they not have heard it? He thought.
"It was probably just the wind, let's go." Ben said as he pulled Angela and Bella towards his car. Lauren followed closely behind Tyler to his car. Just as Eric was about to open the passenger door, he felt something behind him. With one last look towards his friends, he whipped around to find nothing by air.
Eric sighed and turned towards the car where Tyler and Lauren were currently waiting, except before he moved an inch, he felt something hit the back of his head, and his vision turned black.
Lauren screamed when she noticed Eric wasn't standing where he was literally a second ago.
"Tyler, where's Eric?" She asked quietly.
"He's…" Tyler trailed off when he noticed Eric was not standing by the car as he had been a second ago. "Get in the car." He screamed at Lauren and Ben, and in no time, they were away from the haunted road.
Jasper chuckled as he threw the unconscious human over his shoulder. Three down, five to go.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Can we go home now? Three of our friends have disappeared and we're not even a half hour into these crazy stories." Bella tried to reason with her friends as they stood in the woods just off the cliff where large bear like animals have been reported.
"If you don't be quiet I'll make sure it's you next." Lauren hissed as she watched through the bushes for any kind of movement.
Bella crouched lower and turned her head to the side just in time to see a flash of brown. She gasped quietly and inched further away from it when it happened a second time. She was about to notify her friends were looking the opposite direction when a large wolf-like creature stood merely feet away from her. Her screams were caught in her throat as she tried to get Angela, or Ben, or even Lauren's attention.
The wolf-like animal stared at her intently before taking off towards the dark woods again. She was gasping for breath when Angela turned around.
"My goodness Bella, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost." Bella couldn't form words as Angela tried to get her to calm down.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Three large werewolves stopped outside of the Cullen's home. They howled once then emerged back into the woods, only to return seconds later as humans.
"Jacob, Sam, Seth, what a lovely surprise, what brings you here?" Carlisle asked as he stood next to Esme. They had formed a tight bond over the years, regardless of their differences, and Sam and his pack had helped Emmett out with one of his stories.
"Why didn't you warn us about the humans? You could have told us beforehand that we were doing the stories again this year." Sam growled.
"I'm terribly sorry; it was a last minute decision. Would you be interested in joining us? We already have three of the little group."
Sam looked between two of his pack members who nodded in approval.
"Fine, we're in. Who are we getting?" Sam asked, turning back to face the leader of the coven.
"Eric Yorkie; he's about six feet tall, with greasy black hair and brown eyes. He's not hard to pick out of the group." Carlisle said and with a nod confirming nod from Sam, he returned inside with his wife in his arms. Sam returned to the woods and changed back into wolf form and the other two followed behind.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Bella stared into the woods, trying to find the wolf to prove to her friends that she wasn't going crazy. She had finally calmed down enough to explain to them what had happen.
Eric sighed, "There's nothing out there. Maybe you should go home Bella, you're seeing some crazy things, I mean a werewolf, really?" He teased as he walked out of the bush and into the clearing. "I'm going to take a piss, and then we can move on."
The group nodded and once Eric was out of hearing range Ben turned towards Bella, "Don't mind him, he's just upset that you saw it and he didn't. I believe you, and I'm sure everyone else does to."
"Thanks guys, I know…" Bella trailed off when they heard a scream close by; it sounded a lot like Eric.
"Maybe we should…" Ben started, looking towards the direction of the scream.
"Yeah." Angela and Bella finished.
Ben grabbed the three remaining girls and ushered them towards the vehicles. They quickly jumped in and took off back down the road; their friend long forgotten in the dark woods.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Sam carried the unconscious human into the Cullen's house. Carlisle was there to meet him at the door; he smiled when he saw who it was.
"Back so soon Sam? That was quick."
Sam shrugged as he followed Carlisle towards the basement, "This was an easy one." He winked and then fell silent as he walked down the stairs. Carlisle motioned him towards an open door and he placed the human inside, closing and locking it behind him.
"Hello? Anyone there, please talk to me." Jessica's voice rang through the quiet basement. Carlisle hissed causing her to quiet down, and left the basement with Sam closely behind him.
"Jasper; please see the human is back to sleep within the next hour. She's awake already." He said the last part more to himself than anyone around him.
Sam left after that, promising to be nearby should they need the wolves for anything. Carlisle thanked him for their services and then turned back to his wife.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Jesus, you sound like Bella." Lauren complained as Angela whined about not wanting to do this anymore. Half of their friends had disappeared; she didn't want to be next.
"Angela's right, this is bad Lauren. How are we going to explain this to their parents when we return and the boys and Jessica aren't with us?" Bella argued, agreeing with Angela that they had enough for one night.
"There are only four more stories, stop being such babies." Bella, Angela and Ben continued to follow Lauren towards the church, which was conveniently right next to the supposed haunted lake.
Lauren watched the time on her cell phone as it showed eleven thirty. Then she turned around to face her friends who were currently looking at the small bit of the river they could see through the woods. They followed the path leading up to a bunch of flowers.
"This must be the place." Ben said as he looked at the flowers, they were new, as if someone had just placed then there.
Lauren looked up and down the river, "Yeah well if this is the place then where's the 'wailing woman'? I'm walking up the river further; you babies can stay here if you want." They watched as Lauren disappeared into the blackness just as they heard the sound of crying. The three remaining teenagers had to blink their eyes a few times to get a good look at who was crying through the darkness, but when they saw the source, they let out a low gasp.
"Is that…" Bella started.
"I think so…" Angela finished.
Before them was the woman they had heard about in the story. Esme Platt they called her. They stood less than twenty feet away from them as she searched the river, crying softly. She looked ghostly pale and her nightgown was tattered and dirty.
"Lauren?" Ben hissed into the darkness. No sound came from their friend who was further up the river. When they looked back towards the woman, she had disappeared.
"I'm ready to go now, what about you guys?" Ben asked the two scared girls in front of him. They managed to numbly nod their heads, as Ben moved them away from the river and back towards the road.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Esme smirked when she knew she had scared the two girls and guy into going back towards the church where she knew the rest of the family –minus Alice and Jasper- were waiting.
She focused in on the single girl who was stumbling through the darkness, calling out to her friends.
Esme took her role as the 'wailing woman' once more and quickly caught Lauren's attention.
"Hello," Esme heard her asked but she ignored her and continued 'searching' the river. "I seem to be lost; could you help me find my friends?" Lauren asked.
Esme shifted her attention to the young frighten girl. She simply nodded her head and beckoned her forward. Lauren shifted into a trance-like state and followed Esme to the other side of the river and through the woods where the Cullen's house sat. Once inside, Esme knocked the girl unconscious and carried her down the steps and into an empty cell.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Bella, Angela and Ben were breathing hard by the time they reached the road again. They were about to turn and head to the car when they saw a shadowy figure move beside the church.
Ben turned towards the girls who were staring at it as well, "Please tell me you saw that." He whispered. The girls just nodded, unable to form words.
The shadowy figure walked, floated almost, around the side of the church and stood in front of the stairs. From the angle the girls and Ben were standing at, they had a perfect view of her face, in which she wore a proud smile. She was also wearing a bright white wedding dress and a veil was covering her face.
The doors of the church flew open when she took a step forward, and unconsciously, Ben moved to follow her.
Angela jumped when she noticed Ben had left her side and was walking towards the beautiful woman standing in front of them.
She tried calling his name, but couldn't form words. Bella looked towards her friend in a panic, what happened to our voices? She thought.
Ben kept walking until her stood next to the woman in the wedding dress. She hooked her arm in his and he led her towards the open church doors.
Magically, almost, Bella and Angela felt their feet move to follow Ben. They stood just outside the open church doors where they watched Ben guide the woman down the aisle. The church had been decorated for a wedding, although there were no one in the seats, the air still had a happy feel to it.
A man stood at the end of the aisle and accepted the woman, whom name he whispered, and shook Ben's hand.
"Rosalie." The man whispered softly, barley audible to Bella and Angela's human ears.
"Emmett." The woman, known as Rosalie, whispered back. They slowly moved together and when their lips touched, the church door slammed shut and the girls heard Ben's loud screams.
Try as they might, the doors of the church wouldn't open and everything that had just happened before their eyes felt nothing more than a dream.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Rosalie and Emmett shared a look as they watch the human drop to the floor, falling instantly into a deep slumber.
"Well played my love." Emmett whispered into her hair.
"Thank you, I have to say, that was the best one yet." She winked and kissed him once more before he slung the human over his shoulder and they ran into the night. They knew Carlisle was waiting patiently at the edge of the woods to 'help' the girls.
They felt a jolt of excitement as they placed the boy into his cell, only a few more hours before they start part two of their Halloween horror.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"We have to get out of here, now." Bella said as she pulled her best friend towards the car. Once they were buckled in Bella turned the key, but the car only sputtered and groaned. "Come on." She tried again, but it didn't work. The battery light began flashing and then she realized the radio had been left on and it killed the battery. She hit her hands against the wheel in frustration then pushed the car door open, storming around to the trunk to see if Ben had any booster cables or an extra battery.
She searched around the trunk as best she could in the dark and slammed it when all she felt was carpet.
Just as she was about to turn to get in the car she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She let out a tiny scream when a man appeared in front of her.
"I'm sorry dear; I didn't mean to startle you." The man smiled sweetly and she had to resist the urge to touch him to see if he was actually real.
"I'm fine, just a little shaken up. The battery died and we're in the middle of nowhere." Bella tried to smile but failed.
"And what is a beautiful young woman like you doing in the middle of this place at night. There are stories of creatures roaming around these woods you know." The man hid his smirk at the irony of his words.
"I'll just call my parents to come pick us up, it's no problem."
"Us?"
"Yeah, my friend, she's in the car. And her boyfriend is…in the woods, he'll be back any minute."… I hope, she added mentally.
Just then Bella heard the car door open and close and her friends voice drifted towards them, "Bella, what are you doing? It's dark…" she trailed off when she saw Bella standing next to a strange man, "oh, hello. We have to go Bella, I called my parents, and they're on their way to get us. Remember, I have a tracking chip in my phone." She left out the fact that her necklace also contained a tracking device, should this man decide to kidnap them.
"What kind of gentlemen would I be if I left you two lovely ladies all along in the middle of nowhere? My house is just over the lake, why don't you come and get freshened up while you wait for you parents?" He offered, smiley sweetly at the frightened girls.
"Thanks for the offer, but we have an emergency kit in the car. We'll be fine, come on Ang." Bella was about to grab her friend's hand and take off running when they heard a growl behind them.
"B-bella, what was that?" Angela asked, staring towards the sound.
The man looked behind the girls into the woods and had to hide his smile when he saw Jacob's furry face wink at him. He looked back towards the girls who were holding each other and shaking slightly.
"Come on, this way. Walk slowly and they won't leave the woods. It's only a coyote; they won't hurt you as long as you don't make any sudden movements." The girls, in their panic state, believed the man as they followed him across the river and towards a large house in the distance.
Once they were safely behind the close door, Bella and Angela let out a sigh of relief.
"Would you girls like something to drink? Water, juice, you're both looking a little…pale." The man laughed as he left the living room when they both asked for a glass of water.
"Is that her?" Edward asked as he stayed in the shadows of the kitchen but still had a clear view of the girl sitting less than twenty feet away from him. Her smell was intoxicating, his own brand of heroin.
"Yes, that's her. Don't make yourself known until two, you remember the plan right?" Edward nodded once, "Then follow it. The rest is downstairs, once Jessica is down there as well then and only then do you make your move, understand?" Carlisle hissed lowly. He wasn't going to let his family's hard work be ruined because his son finally found his mate. He knew this was going to happen eventually.
Carlisle returned to the living room with two tall glasses of ice water. He handed both girls the clear liquid and watch silently as they both finished their drinks and slowly fell asleep. He may have added a drug to the girls' water for an easy knock-out. Although he enjoyed participating in the Halloween fun with his family, he didn't enjoy harming the children in which his family kidnapped; although the chase was something he had no control over.
He carried Jessica down the stairs and repeated the process of locking her to the wall for a final time. He heard movement further into the basement and went to check on his captives.
He watched as Jessica pulled and pulled on the cuff which kept her attached to the wall, but no matter how hard she tried, he wouldn't come off.
"You are going to hurt yourself." Carlisle said as he watched her through the small opening. She gasped in fright and turned around to face a set of glowing red eyes.
"Who are you?" She whispered.
"I'm the least of your worries right now." He said, then closed the small opening in her door and left the basement. She screamed after him, demanding to be set free, but her screams were a waste of breathe as the door to the basement locked once more.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Edward watched Bella intently, I wish you wake up already, he thought sourly. He needed to see those intense brown eyes again. As one of his talents when he was turned into this life, he had the ability to read people's minds, although he couldn't read hers. This frustrated him to no end. He spent the past hour pacing back and forth the length of the bed in which he had tied his mate to.
Over the next hour Bella began to move, first she twitched then she finally made a sound. Edward stood in the corner, waiting for her to acknowledge where she was.
Bella's eyes popped open when she realized she wasn't in her bed, and then she confirmed she was indeed, tied to the bed. Just as panic began to sink in she noticed something move in the corner of her eye. A man stepped from the shadow and Bella couldn't help but stare at his beauty.
"Wh-who are you?" She asked with a shaky voice.
"I'm Edward, Edward Cullen." He smiled at her softly as he slowly inched closer to her. The smell of her blood was becoming stronger with every step he took.
"Please, let me go. I won't tell anyone I was here; we can forget this ever happened." She pleaded.
Edward chuckled darkly, "I'm sorry Bella, you're not going anywhere for a long time."
"What do you mean? Let me go! Help, someone help me!" Her voice which started as a whisper grew louder with every word until she was screaming. Edward was on top of her in under a second; he held one hand over her mouth to stop her screams and used his other hand to brush away a fallen tear.
"Shh, shh, it's okay. You're going to be happy here, just accept your new life and it'll be fine" Bella shook her head as much as she could with his hand over her mouth.
"Please," she mumbled under his cold stone-like hand, "let me go." Her tears ran down her face like a waterfall.
"I'm sorry, love, I can't let you go. We're meant to be together." He smiled sweetly as her as he leaned his lips to her face, he kissed away the tears which had fallen. "If I remove my hand, do you promise not to scream?" he asked, staring harshly at her.
The gleam in his eye made Bella cringe away, she nodded fearfully, fully afraid of what this strange man was capable of.
He hand remained hovering over her mouth for a few seconds after he removed it, and once he was satisfied, Edward placed it next to her head. She felt like a caged animal about to get eaten, in fact, he looked like he was about to eat her.
He moved off the bed so fast Bella didn't even noticed that he had moved until she was staring at the ceiling. She also realized she could move her arms and legs as well, what is this man? One thing was for certain, he wasn't human.
Edward sat on the chair facing the bed, "I have a proposition for you, I didn't want to show you this, but it seems as though I have no other choice since you won't believe me." He walked towards her and hooked something around her neck so fast, that she didn't realized what had happened until he stood in front of her with a leash in his hand. Her hands, which were bound in front of her by said leash, moved towards her neck to feel a collar placed there.
"Only until I know that I can trust you." Edward smiled sadly as her and pulled gently on the piece of leather in which he held.
"I'm not some animal. It's not humane to treat people this way, what-what are you?" She asked, and he was certain he wouldn't have heard her, had it not been for his vampire hearing.
"So many questions," He chuckled, "I might answer some if not all of your questions should you agree to my offer."
"Wh-what's your offer?" She was scared now; this thing was defiantly not human.
"It's simple really; you will stay here forever, and you friends will be let go with no memory of what happened tonight and go on with their lives."
"And what if I don't agree?" She had to ask, although she was certain either way someone was going to get hurt.
"They will still be released, and dinner will be served early tonight. The only difference is you will have your friend's deaths dangling over your head for the rest of eternity " He licked his lips slowly as he thought of the hunt his family would have, should she choose that option.
Bella's head was spinning; I was going to be stuck with this thing forever? She thought. "Let my friends go, please don't harm them."
Edward nodded, somewhat satisfied with her option, "Alright then, did you want to see them one last time, to say good-bye?" She looked at him with confusion, but her confusion quickly turned into anger.
"I'll never say good-bye to my best-friends. I will see them again. What kind of monster are you?" She struggled to get away from him, or to at least loosen the grip he had on the leash. When he decided to see what she would do to get free, he gave the piece of leather some slack and it was pulled from his hand in no time.
Bella ran towards him once she was free and began hitting, punching and kicking any and every part of his body in which she had access to. Several minutes passed before she fell to the floor in defeat, her hands and feet were throbbing and she felt like she got hit by a truck.
Edward crouched down to where she was kneeling on the floor. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, when her eyes finally met his he growled at her, "Are you done your little tantrum?" She nodded slowly. "Good, now let's go. You're lucky I'm even letting you see your friends."
Just as he was about to stand he felt something warm and wet hit his face, did she just spit on me? He thought in disgust. He growled lowly and quickly had her pinned to the wall, dangling by just her throat.
"You keep finding ways to piss me off. I was going to give you the glimmer of hope that you friends would make it out of here alive, but since you keep defying me they just lost their life. How does it feel to have killed seven of your friends?" He hissed at her while she struggled to breathe.
He let her go and she fell to the floor in a heap, what have I done? She kept repeating over and over in her head.
Edward left the room in a hurry, slamming and locking the door without looking back.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Down stairs, the family was waiting patiently for Edward to return. When they heard him slam the door they knew it was time.
A slow sinister crept onto Emmett's lips as he thought of the fun he would have tonight. "About time." He mumbled when he saw his brother.
"Shut up, let's get this over with." With a flick of a button, the cell doors opened downstairs and the cuffs release their tight hold around the teenager's limbs. Ben was the first one to notice they were free and quickly left his cell in search of the others. He found a note taped onto the wall, in perfect handwriting it read: You have exactly twenty minutes to get as far away from here as possible. There's a door which leads outside just down the hall and to your left, follow it; it will lead you to freedom. When twenty minutes are up, hunt will begin. Good Luck.
Ben threw the note down and gathered the others, but he noted there was one person missing; Bella. Knowing he didn't have time to save her he ushered his friends out the door and into the dark night. Under the note there had been a camping bag filled with survival equipment. These people either wanted to help them escape, or it was all just a part of a sick, twisted game. He hoped it was the first, but he didn't hold his breath.
The group quickly ran to the direction they hoped was freedom. They screamed loudly for help the entire way, but twenty minutes passed too quickly; the Cullen's had begun their chase, and no one was safe now.
Tyler was the first to get caught as he ran straight into Emmett. He tried to turn the other way but was stopped short when he saw the same man again. It felt like he was going crazy as everywhere he looked the man would be standing inches from him with the same creepy smile plastered on his face. Tyler's short life ended when Emmett had enough of playing games. He dropped the boy's lifeless body in the river close to the road where he knew the humans would find in come morning and continued the hunt with his family.
One by one the children's bodies were disposed of as they were caught in the grips of a Cullen. First it was Eric, followed shortly after by Tyler, Lauren, and Ben. Angela screamed for her boyfriend of three years as a caramel-hair woman walked closer to her, trapping her against a large tree trunk. Shortly after Mike and Jessica's screams echoed the woods.
Their bodies were left in random places throughout Forks where the family members would find them over the next few days. It was places their families knew they visited often, and it would be the first place in which they would look for them when their children fail to return after a night of trick-or-treating.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Back at the Cullen house, Bella's screams could be heard loudly as she pounded on the door which kept her trapped. She heard the screams of her friends as they echoed through the night.
She cried for her parents, who she will never see again.
She cried for her best friends, who she will never get old with.
She cried for her best friends' parents, who will have to bury their children at the young age of seventeen.
Finally, she cried for herself, and the life in which she will be forced to live for the rest of her young life.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
When Edward and the rest of his family returned to the house, they heard the faint sound of Bella's slowing heart beat and the strong smell of her blood as it travelled through the house.
Edward was up the stairs in a quarter of a second with Carlisle and Emmett close behind him. They found Bella sitting in the bathtub with a razor held loosely in her hands. There was blood running down her arm as she slowly bled to death. She was unconscious and her heartbeat could barely be heard, even with vampire hearing.
Edward looked towards Carlisle for help.
"You have to change her." Edward begged. He didn't want to lose his mate after just finding her. "We'll find vampire-proof chains which can keep her tied until she accepts her life with me, but I can't lose her."
With a stern nod from Carlisle, he grabbed the dying girl and placed her on the bed in the middle of the room. Edward pushed him out of the way just as he was getting ready to bite her. With a final breath, Edward bit down on the young girl's neck, wrists, ankles, and anywhere he had access to. He slowly lapped up the blood as he waited for the change to take place.
No matter what happened, he will be with his mate for eternity.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Fifty years later
Bella giggled as she chased Edward through the woods, following the scent of fresh human blood.
When she had woken up from a deep sleep with sharper and clearer vision and amazing hearing she knew something was terribly wrong. She demanded to know what Edward had done to her, and that's when he explained everything.
Like expected, within the first year she had made three escape attempts which failed, and left both her and Edward in pain in the end; although Edward's pain was more mentally and internally than physically.
Once Carlisle had found a metal that could hold even newborn vampires, Bella was chained to the wall day and night for the following ten months. The day she accepted her new life, was the happiest day of Edward's life.
She found out what had happen to her friends on that horrible night, but in the end she knew they were better off in heaven, than on earth suffering the horrors they went through that night for the rest of their human lives.
Bella was brought back to reality when she heard the screams of the human in which they had been chasing. Sure, she didn't approve of killing innocent humans, but those scum bags that rape woman and children surely deserved to die. She had somehow convinced her new family to kill murders and rapist during their Halloween fun, instead of innocent children, as she and her friends had been, fifty long years ago.
Bella smiled sweetly as she closed in on her prey, Happy Halloween to me, she thought as she bit into his neck, officially ending his sick, twisted life.
So, was that creepy enough for you? Let me hear your thoughts :)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :D :D
