A Halloween thing. It's super short…and if you manage to get to the end, you're a freaking saint. Anyway, here you go.

Careful What You Ask For

Ring…ring…ring…click!

"Hello? May I ask who I am speaking to?"

"It's me, you idiot. Why do you always insist on asking?"

"Why do you always insist on me being rude?" A sigh. "Anyway, what do you want? It's late, and I want to sleep."

"I got a favor to ask. Let me talk to the other you, before you crash."

"Seriously, what's your deal? Can't this wait until—" The sound of sudden scuffles on the other end. "…You want something?"

"Listen, I have a quick favor to ask you—"

"Yeah, I figured that one out without you telling me. What do you want?"

"Sheesh, you're abrasive at night." A pause. "Anyway, here's what I want from you—I want you to get rid of everybody I don't like."

A pause on the other end. "…That's a pretty tall order. You don't like lots of people."

"Exactly, which is the reason I'm calling you to do it. I can't manage that by myself."

"Pfft, fine. Suit yourself. So, when do you want them gone by?"

"Tonight."

"…Heh, sure thing. Consider it done."

Click!

Ring…ring…ring…

"Wow, that was quick." Click! "Hey. You done already?"

"Just about. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"That's just about what I expected from you. How close are you to finishing?"

A pause. "…Pretty close. Just one more to go."

"Geez, you are quick. It's almost scary."

"Call it a gift."

"Right. Who's the last schmuck? You save the best for last?"

A soft chuckle. "Of course. That's how I roll. The others weren't all that fun, unfortunately…I'm gonna savor this one."

"Super. Who is it?"

"I'll give you a hint. I'm right outside his window as we speak."

"Uhh…that's not much of a hint."

"…Well, then…how about this?"

Tap, tap, tap.

He tripped.

He tried scrambling to his feet, but he fell again with a cry of pain. His ankle was broken.

"Don't run so recklessly, Gray," the low purr of his pursuer's voice reaching him from the top of the stairs. "You could really hurt yourself."

"Wh-what the hell are you doing, Natsu?!" Gray stammered, doing his best to scoot away as Natsu's shadowed figure leisurely made its way down the steps. "Why are you—?!"

"Excuse me?" Gray saw his head tilt slightly as he continued to approach, with no haste. "What a silly question. I'm doing what you asked me to do, Gray. I'm getting rid of everyone you don't like."

Gray's eyes widened in horror. He tried to back away again, but he was up against a wall now. "N-no—but why—"

"You mean you didn't know?" He kept stepping closer. "You will absolutely loathe yourself by the end of this."

"No!" Gray cried frantically, pressing himself against the wall. "This—this isn't what we agreed to—"

"You should have realized this the moment you woke me up, Gray." Natsu towered over him, his words now tinted with the slightest hint of fury. "Look what you've done. Look at what he will wake up to because of you." His cold, dead eyes bored into his very soul. "You'll pay dearly for that. You'll suffer for staining this pure soul with the innocent blood of your victims for your own ends."

"Please—don't—don't hurt—"

"You've ruined him forever." Tears streaked down his cheeks. "I'll never forgive you."

"No…NO!"

Hours Later

Two officers entered the dark building. One of them spotted two figures in the living room. He called his colleague over to turn the lights on—and they were met with a gruesome sight.

The room was covered in blood. It colored the walls and painted the furniture. The word SINNER was scrawled in huge letters across the back wall in that same blood.

Right against that wall were two teenage boys. One was dead; his body was mangled nearly to the point beyond recognition. The other was knelt beside the body. He was also covered in the victim's blood, particularly the hands.

Immediately the two officers were on guard. The one who had initially noticed the two called out first.

"Young man, step away from the body!" he ordered, aiming his gun at the boy in case he proved hostile. "Step away! Right now!"

The boy didn't listen. Instead, he simply raised his head. He wasn't looking at them, but the fear in his eyes was plain as day.

"Please help," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I think it was me…please, help him…"

The second officer stepped forward, one hand on his gun holster. "Did you do this?" he asked in a calm voice. "Answer honestly."

"He's dead…" The boy looked back down at the body. "He's dead…I killed him…I think I killed him…!"

The two officers exchanged looks. Whatever had happened, this boy was clearly disturbed.

"What were you doing here in the first place?" the first officer asked him.

"I…" The boy shook his head as he spoke, trembling uncontrollably. "I can't…remember… I was just talking to him; I—I thought I was at home…I was just talking to him over the phone…I don't know what happened…!"

The two officers said nothing. They didn't try apprehending the boy until he was unconscious from exhaustion.

"Jesus," the first officer muttered as he lifted the boy away from the corpse and cuffed him, "what the hell happened here…?"

The second officer stared at the bloody scrawls on the wall.

"Well," he said, "it looks like the work of a devil to me."

…Yeah, this was stupid. I'm never writing anything for Halloween ever again.