Happy Halloween! =D

The others were going into town. David had wanted to stay at the cave, his favourite place on Halloween night. Why go off hunting when the prey would come to you? This night normally meant one thing: intruders. Someone would always come up to the cave on a dare. Exploring the location of the old hotel was too tempting on this spooky night. The daredevils came out and suddenly the cave was the perfect place for ghosts, a magnet for wannabe ghost hunters and idiotic teenagers who had initiations or dares in mind. An idiot human would always end up coming to investigate, to see if there were any ghosts or if they might be lucky enough to find the corpses. The decaying, rotted skeletons of the victims who were buried in the remains of the hotel after the earthquake.

These idiot kids meant one thing for David. He could just sit down and relax while the prey came to him.

Ah. They were here already!

Sitting in his wheelchair, David turned his head upwards, a smirk curling up on his face. He could hear the youths laughing above on the cliff. Two of them. A girl and a boy. But there was a third with them. David could smell the fear. He sniffed the air once, revelling in the fear that came from this second boy.

He could tell the poor meek thing was scared shitless and David had to resist the urge to fly up immediately and tear the kid's throat out. The scent was too mouth-watering. Blood and fear. Always a good mix. It gave the blood flavour; that extra bit of energy that made David feel like he could bounce off the walls.

Slowly he walked to the entrance, greeted by the foggy night. He stood at the entrance, feeling his hair stir from the wind. The waves roared in his ears. Puffing away on a cigarette, he listened to the conversation above calmly. He felt it made the hunt better to get to know his victims. Why simple dive right in and rip their neck apart? Why not learn a few things about them first? Get to know their phobias and weaknesses for example. It only made the hunt ten times better when you could play mind games with them. Watching them squirm and cry when they faced their worst nightmares. David had to do something on Halloween night. Kids liked to be scared.

Well then…

"Wish granted," he murmured.

"You go in. Spend five minutes in there. Then come out." Kate grinned at Neil. "Think you can do it?"

Beside Kate, Rob couldn't stop snickering. The pathetic little kid stood there, shaking like a leaf. Pale and wide-eyed, Neil regretted his wish for the night: to hang out with his sister because, unfortunately, it had meant also hanging out with the creepy, cruel friend that always tagged along with her. He should have stayed at home.

But he was fifteen and wanted to show them that he wasn't a scared little kid.

However… did he have to prove his bravery by going into that cave? The Hudson Hotel's grave?

Neil thought he would have to watch a horror film. Make it through The Exorcist or Nightmare on Elm Street. Face Michael Myers in Halloween.

He did not, for one second, think Kate and Rob would send him into the ruins of the Hudson Hotel. Everyone had told him the stories. How the dead bodies were still in there. How their ghosts lurked around restlessly. People heard the laughter. Seen fire flickering from the cave entrance at night, which some imaginative people said were the fires from hell. The ruin had become a place of demonic and poltergeist activity, tormented by the victims who had died in that earthquake who had grown bitter and murderous in their limbo and were unable to find peace.

Kate sighed. "If you can't do it –."

"I can!" Neil glared at his sister. He raised his chin, trying to look proud. "I'm not scared of ghosts. They're not real."

Gripping his hands on the railing, he staggered down the rickety stairs, licking his lips nervously. His throat felt dry. Sweat gathered on his palms. He could feel his heart beating violently against his chest, drumming in his ears. All the way down the stairs he kept his eyes on the entrance to the cave. It looked dark. Deserted. A black hole that led to… what exactly? A graveyard full of skeletons? A cave filled with angry, floating ghosts? A deserted cavern filled with the moans and groans of the walking dead?

Neil took one last look at his sister and her friend before climbing across the rocks and into the entrance.

Someone actually lived here. The possessions lying around – posters, lit candles, shawls, teddy bears – all made the cave seem more homely and less like the Cavern of the Dead. So this is why people see fires. Obviously the people living here would light them. And the laughter…

Again, people!

Humans lived here.

Neil studied the place more, feeling his shoulders slump and his breathing calm down. After feeling relaxed enough to laugh in relief, he stuffed his hands in his pocket and whistled a merry tune.

There was a dusty, tatty sofa and a couple of chairs along with a wheelchair randomly placed next to the seating area. In one corner there was a bed, framed by thin fabric. Looking back to the seating area, Neil could smell leftover kebab and he saw boxes on the floor of the cave with the crumbs of leftover pizza peeking out.

I can do this, he thought. He collapsed down on the sofa, sneezing at the dust that bounced off it and surrounded him. He coughed once, wrinkling and wriggling his itchy nose.

Now he was bored.

So maybe he could explore. It may be a small cavern but it would take up some of his time. He'd rather be walking around and doing something instead of sitting there and twiddling his thumbs. Maybe he could distract himself from the awful smell that was creeping up around him.

Neil sniffed the air. The scent was getting stronger. It smelled like something rotting and he was pretty sure there had been no disgusting smell when he arrived in.

He looked around. In the bed, under the covers, was a lump.

Now that hadn't been there before. The bed had been empty. He knew it had.

Was someone under there?

Ghost? he thought and gulped. Hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Eyes flickered to the cave entrance. Instincts screamed at him, ordering the small boy to get out.

His legs shook as he stood up.

Everything is okay… everything is okay…

Everything was not okay. The lump in the bed was moving, rising up under the covers that were stained with blood. Neil whimpered. The sheet started to drop. Neil's pulse raced. The thing stared at him. Dead. But moving. Grey looking skin. Chapped lips. A throat that had been slashed.

A choking sound escaped Neil's lips; an attempt to scream but it seemed impossible to make. He bolted for the entrance, wailing when he heard footsteps behind him. Running too. Running after him. A hand touched his shoulder. He screamed and whirled around, shielding his face with his arms.

Nothing there.

"Kaaaaaaate!" he screamed. Tears wet his face. He felt frozen on the spot.

Behind the boy, David chuckled. He bent down towards the boy.

"Trick or treat," he whispered.

The last thing Neil saw was burning amber eyes.

"The kid sounded petrified," Kate said. She jogged down the staircase, miles in front of Rob who trudged after her.

"It's just a story. This place isn't haunted," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. This was ridiculous. The brat could easily be pulling a prank on them; pretending that something had spooked him and he was getting ready to scare them instead.

"I'm still gonna make sure he's okay. Be fair, Rob, that's my little brother."

She stumbled on the rocks, bending slightly and using her hands to hold herself steady and crawl across them. Rob staggered beside her, grabbing her arm to keep himself standing.

"Neil?" Kate called. "You can come out now. The dare's over."

Silence.

"He's messing with us," Rob snapped and with an irritated growl, he slid down the slope at the entrance. He landed down on the ground after jumping to the bottom, stepping on something that was soft and crunched a little.

"Eurgh, I think I've stepped on something," he moaned and looked down. His face turned white.

A hand.

What?

A small hand.

Oh no!

Familiar clothes.

Oh God, no!

The head was almost off completely. Hanging by bone and shreds of skin and muscle. The rest looked like it had been chewed apart. Blood was splattered everywhere. On the cave floor. On the… oh God… body.

"Kate…" his voice was a choked gasp.

Those eyes. Those lifeless eyes…

Beside him he heard whimpering. Fast breathing. A hand gripped his.

"Neil?" Kate whispered, looking down at the corpse.

Then her screams echoed loudly through the cave.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review or a comment and enjoy this spooky day!*Cue Tales from the Crypt music* Mwahahahahahaaaaaa!

Okay, I'll stop now.