Trick or Treat
Summary: Something strange is going on. Children have been going missing for the last three days and the police aren't doing a thing about it. When Paige hears screams coming from a nearby house she decides to investigate, with horrible consequences.
Disclaimer: I can't believe I still have to write these things. Read my other stories and you'll see that I don't own any of the rights to Charmed!
AN: Just a little Halloween one-shot. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about The Show Must Go On, I'm adding the finishing touches to the latest chapter but I decided to write something spooky in the meantime. Piper and Leo never split up and she's pregnant with Chris, Paige is still a social worker.
"This is the fourth child in three days to be reported missing in the bay area. Police officials have yet to make an arrest and there has been talk about their lack of effort..."
Paige switched off the radio. The stories had been all over the news and you couldn't turn around without seeing a bold newspaper heading about missing children. She felt very sorry for their parents and was being eaten up inside by guilt.
The week before the first child was reported missing, there had been a case brought to her about possible abuse. She had interviewed the family and found no evidence so, despite her best instincts; she let the parents take their little boy home. A week later he went missing, he could only have been about seven or eight.
She pulled into a street and saw two children walking hand in hand with an older woman. The children were wearing Halloween costumes; the little girl was a fairy and the little boy had the most adorable pirate outfit on. Smiling, Paige thought of her first time trick or treating.
Her dad had promised that if she were a good girl he would take her out so for the two weeks leading up to Halloween she had set the table, washed the dishes and took out the rubbish without having to be asked. When Halloween finally came she was so excited, she had dressed up as a witch with a tall, pointy black hat and a bin bag wrapped around her shoulders. She borrowed her mum's broom and pretended to fly around the living room.
By the time her dad took her out she was wiped, she barely had enough energy to make it to the end of the street but luckily, the neighbours had found this very cute and she came home with a bag bursting with candy. Well she was only nine at the time.
Turning another corner she realised that she was almost home. Suddenly a piercing scream rang in the air. Paige slammed on the breaks and looked around her to see if she had hit someone. She couldn't see anyone but she felt very uncomfortable. It had sounded like a child's scream.
Paige checked over her appearance again. She applied some red lipstick and pouted before shaking her head and grabbing a tissue to wipe it off. Next up was a raisin colour and after that a burgundy/red. Sighing in frustration she threw the lipsticks on the bed and went back to rummaging around in her wardrobe, looking for an outfit that would match her make-up collection.
She pulled out a strapless black dress and held it against her body, uninspired she threw it onto the bed on top of the pile of clothes she had already went through. Who knew dressing for a Halloween party would be such a hassle?
Half an hour later she had settled on a pair of trousers and a slinky top. Her flaming red hair fell around her face in perfect curls and her lips were a pale pink colour. She smiled at her reflection and grabbed her coat and purse.
Soon she was in her car and heading for P3. Phoebe and Paige had talked Piper into throwing a Halloween party. Well really they had pestered her until she finally caved and told them they would have to organize it herself because she was pregnant and had Wyatt to look after.
Paige was so excited about the party; she had finally gotten a date with the guy that worked in the building next to her. They had been flirting for over two weeks and it was about time something happened.
As soon as Paige entered the club she was impressed. There were fake cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and hollowed out pumpkins were housing candles. A gothic rock band was on stage and the crowd seemed to be lapping it up. Bowls full of snacks like candy eyeballs, chocolate pumpkins and jelly spiders were lined up in a row along the bar and there was an imaginative drinks menu.
Spotting Simon, Paige went over to meet him. He was sitting at a table with a handful of confections and a "witches brew". Paige snuck up behind him and leaned over his shoulder, helping herself to a rats tail. Startled he spun around to meet her, Paige just laughed and took a seat across from him.
"Enjoying the party?" she asked raising her voice in order to be heard over the band.
"Yeah, you organized all this?" He looked around the room, clearly impressed.
"Well, actually, I've been really busy with work lately so most of this is Phoebe's doing," she leaned over and grabbed a candy eyeball from Simon's hand much to his annoyance. Paige just stuck out her tongue and laughed.
"You want a drink?" he asked motioning for a waitress with his hand.
"Uh, sure why not," she relied smiling. "Can I have a mineral water please?"
The waitress smiled and nodded.
"And another witches brew," Simon called after her. "These things have a kick."
It was almost midnight by the time Paige was heading home. Simon had to get up early the next morning so she saw no point in hanging around on her own so she left. She had been having a great time and made a mental note to thank Simon the next time she seen him.
She was just pulling into the street again when she heard another scream. Slamming on the breaks again, she looked around trying to work out where it was coming from. Another cry sliced through the silence of the night. Paige couldn't take it anymore, she focused and tried to sense where the screams where coming from. Just as she was giving up hope, there was one more shriek. Startled she found herself surrounded by blue and white orbs.
The next thing she new, she was standing in a dusty hallway. A spiral staircase sat in the middle of the room and two wide doorways led to the right and left sections of the house. Cautiously, she took a step forward disturbing the thick layer of dust that had covered the floor. She carefully began moving to the door at the left side of the room, deciding that it would be a good place to start her inspection.
The door was stiff but with some pushing she got it open a crack. She slipped through the gap and immediately wished that she hadn't. Her insides twisted and she felt her throat begin to burn and her stomach contents rise. She had seen a lot of horrible things in her life, both with her job as a social worker and with being a witch, but nothing could have prepared her for this.
A cover of blackness slipped in front of her eyes and she tasted blood.
Paige's head was spinning, her mouth was dry and her eyesight was fuzzy. She tried to sit up but found that she couldn't move. Her body felt as though it had been tied down but when she managed to lift her head a fraction she saw no rope.
Opening her mouth she tried to call for Leo but no sound came out. In the silence she heard a creak, someone was coming up the stairs. Desperately she tried to orb but nothing happened. Another creak, she tried calling for Chris this time but her voice was gone. She heard another creak and another one, whatever it was; it was getting closer.
Frantically, she began twisting and turning trying to move in any way she could. The footsteps were now in the hallway; they were just outside the door. Paige's squirming became even more frenzied. The door handle moved downward and the door began to open slowly. It was the longest ten seconds in Paige's life.
Suddenly the invisibly ropes loosened and Paige went flying off the bed. She landed on the floor with a thud and banged her elbow. She had landed right on her funny bone, and it wasn't funny at all. Rubbing her arm, she looked at the open doorway but no one was there.
"Ok," she whispered to herself. "This is just too weird."
She lifted her aching body off the floor and attempted to wipe off some of the dirt that had settled on her. Once again she attempted to orb but found that it was useless.
Well, she thought. At least I can walk.
As soon as the thought entered her mind her legs buckled beneath her and she fell to the floor once more. After several attempts to get up she tried to orb again. Nothing worked.
"LEO" She yelled anxiously. "LEO! LEO, WHERE ARE YOU?"
"I'm afraid he can't help you," the voice was barely a whisper but it was fully audible inside Paige's head.
She spun around on the floor but didn't see anything.
"Where are you?" she asked quietly.
"I'm up here," the voice laughed. "I'm in your head. Not nice is it? Having your thoughts made public."
"What are you talking about?" Paige said aloud.
"I'm talking about what your kind did to me! I'm talking about trespassing in someone's thoughts!"
"I never did those things to you," Paige was still turning around trying to see a secret hiding place.
"No the people that did this to me are long gone," there was a pause. "I believe you saw their remains."
"You mean...in the living room?" Paige thought she was going to be sick. "What about the children?"
"What children?" he asked innocently right before Paige heard someone walk into the room.
She snapped her head around and saw him. The little boy she had sent home, he was standing in the doorway completely emotionless, a trail of blood running down his head. Gripped in his blood soaked hands was an axe, he raised it above his head and ran at Paige.
She screamed and covered her head with her hands he swung the blade down.
The voice in her head suddenly started laughing hysterically. Paige lowered her hands and looked around the room, she was alone again.
"Gottcha!" he gasped, still laughing at his own humourless joke.
"You sick freak!" Paige yelled into the air. "LEO! LEO! LEO! LEO! LE-"
"SHUT UP!" The voice sliced through her brain like ice and she found herself covering her ears trying to make the noise go away.
"Leave me alone!" She said quietly. "Please leave me alone!"
"Or you'll do what exactly?" The voice whispered. "Set your sisters after me? We're above them Paige! We don't need them! And the sooner you realise that the better!"
"What do you mean, we? There is no we!" She yelled into the air.
"That's where you're wrong Paige. That's all that's left, you and me."
"No! No! GET AWAY FROM ME! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" She began to thrash around on the floor.
Her legs lay motionless as she punched the wooden floor until her knuckles began to bleed. She punched and screamed and rolled over the floor until a high-pitched scream flooded her ears and her body became limp on the floor.
Paige opened her eyes and saw a blurred shape standing above her. She screamed and raised a hand to hit the figure but it caught her mid punch and laid it back down on the bed.
"Paige? Are you ok?" Came a familiar voice.
"Phoebe?" she blinked a few times as her vision began to clear. "Phoebe is that you?"
"Yeah, I'm here Paige. Oh we were so worried about you. Leo heard you calling him but when he got there you were unconscious. Thank god you're ok!" Phoebe leaned over the bed and enveloped Paige in a tight hug.
"What about the children?" she asked groggily.
"What children sweetie?" Phoebe looked at Paige in concern.
"The missing children. Did you find them?" She asked again.
"Erm, sweetie, there were no missing children. I don't know what you're talking about." Phoebe didn't want to insult Paige but she had never heard of any missing children.
"Um, I...I don't know," Paige sighed.
"Can I get you anything? Water? Breakfast?"
"I'll have some breakfast, but don't worry, I'll come down for it. I could really stretch my legs."
Paige followed Phoebe out of her room and down the stairs. She entered the dining room and sat down across from Phoebe. Piper came out of the kitchen and sat a plate in front of Paige.
Smiling gratefully, Paige picked up her knife and fork before slicing a sausage in half.
"Are you sure you're ok hun?" Phoebe asked attentively.
"Do it," the voice urged. "Do it, you know you want to. Now's your chance."
Paige looked down at the knife in her hands and then back at Phoebe, a smile forming on her lips.
AN: Right, well, this is unlike anything I've ever written before. I didn't really have much of a plot before tonight but then I started writing and this happened. Please review and tell me what you think, even just to say that it's crap. Thanks.