Sorry it's a little late. Here's the Halloween chapter!

Fear Itself

"I don't know what I'm going to go as!" Star huffed.

"I'm going as a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who," Tyler said, covering his face like the statues from the British television show.

"I think I'm going to look like my Lyoko self," Jessie commented as she waved her hand through the diagram. "You know, black cat suit. Minus the claws and screaming, of course."

"What are you all talking about? Where are you going?" Artemis asked.

"It's a holiday called Halloween," Dylan explained. "People dress up in costumes and go to different houses. The people inside give them candy for dressing up."

"Why?"

"It's a holiday where you get free candy," Tyler grinned. "We don't ask questions."

"I'm not going trick-or-treating this year," Stephen said. "My mom's coming home from Afghanistan for a few days."

"My girlfriend wants to hang out," Dylan added, "so I won't be going either."

"So just us three, then?" Tyler asked and the two girls nodded.

"If I can find something to go as!" Star groaned.

"We'll find something for you," Jessie smiled.

"It's getting late," Stephen noted. "We should head home."

"Alright. Artemis, we'll see you later."

"Okay, bye everyone!" They took the elevator up and Dylan's stomach groaned loudly.

"Whoa," Tyler grinned. "I should go as your stomach if I wanted to scare people."

"I'm super hungry, I haven't eaten since noon," he replied. Tyler checked his watch. It was only about 9 – his curfew on most nights was about midnight.

"Hey, let's all get something to eat, on me," Tyler grinned. "We can do this, like, every time we come to Lyoko, each of us takes a turn paying."

"Alright," they grinned. They all piled into Tyler's car and he cruised along the deserted road.

"There's a diner!" Star said. They'd only gone about a block from the factory. Tyler nodded, pulling into the near-empty parking lot. There were only two other cars, and the place inside looked dead.

They opened the door and a bell chimed lightly.

"Look at this," a woman with a strong Southern accent and big, poofy red hair said, approaching them with a smile. "Hey, Rico! We got customers!" She smiled back at them. "Hey there, hunnies, my name's Darla. Is there anything I can get y'all to start?"

"I'll take a Coke," Tyler said.

"Water, please," Star said.

"Do you have lemonade?" Stephen asked.

"Yes we do, hunnie," Darla said.

"Then I'll take that."

"Mountain Dew for me," Dylan replied.

"And I'll have Doctor Pepper," Jessie finished.

"Alright, that's a Coke, a water, a lemonade, a Mountain Dew and a Doctor Pepper. I'll be right back to take your order."

"Thanks," Tyler responded, turning back to the group. "Alright, is anyone getting a super creepy vibe off this place?"

"Yeah," Stephen replied with a frown. "It's just so…"

"Dead?" Jessie said with a malicious grin.

"Right."

"Here y'all are," Darla said, handing them their drinks.

"So, Darla," Tyler started, "why is this place so deserted?"

"Well, we have customers on occasion, but every year 'round Halloween, people stop coming. Probably due to the story about that abandoned factory over there." The group froze.

"Story about the factory?" Star asked.

"Legend has it, about 30 or so years ago, they did some crazy experiments in it and all the people were killed. No one ever found their bodies."

"If no one found the bodies, how do you know they were dead?" Stephen grinned.

"The blood. And the screams." His smile fell.

"Oh."

"But that's all just ghost stories, right? What are y'all gonna order?"

The sound of the scanners charging up rang out in the dark before all five opened. From one came a tall figure in a black suit with spindly, strangely long limbs and a faceless, hairless head. From the next was an angel statue, hands covering its eyes as though it had been crying. The third was a rotting, shambling corpse. The next one had what appeared to be a smoky, human-shaped figure. And the last one had what appeared to just be air, but a low, guttural growl was emitted. They stepped out of the scanners before heading for the elevator.

"Those buiscuts and gravy were to die for!" Jessie grinned.

"Next time try the bacon, egg, and cheese bagel," Dylan replied. Tyler drove in silence.

"Tyler?" Star asked. "What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing." He paused. "The factory. I want to know more about Darla's story."

"We'll go back tomorrow and ask."

"Tomorrow's Halloween," Jessie replied.

"Oh, you're right. Damn!"

"Maybe another time. I'm sure it's noth-"

"STOP!" Dylan yelled. Tyler, in panic, slammed on the brakes, everyone jerking forward. Dylan yanked the door open, running down the street towards a streetlight.

"Dylan!" Tyler called. "What the hell!"

"I saw... something!" he called back.

"What kind of something? Get back in the car!" Dylan paused, then nodded, returning to the car.

"God, Dylan, you're shaking like a leaf!" Stephen noted.

"I'm fine. Really."

"Dylan," Tyler said, putting the car in park, "we aren't leaving until you tell us what just happened. What did you see?" He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, frowning.

"I... saw Slenderman." Star's eyes got wide and Tyler ran a hand through his hair as he let out a loud breath.

"What's Slenderman?" Stephen asked. "Is it bad?"

"He's like an internet urban legend," Tyler replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Think it was really him?"

"No idea," Dylan replied. "But I did SEE it. Long arms, long legs, no face, black suit, red tie. Definitely him."

"No FACE?" Jessie asked.

"Just blank," Star shuddered.

"It's probably a trick," Tyler replied. "Halloween's tomorrow. Maybe it was a costume or something."

"Yeah... yeah, you're probably right." There was a long silence before Tyler put the car back into drive and started heading home.

"Well, hey, at least we're in the mood for Halloween..."

A rumble of thunder roused Tyler from sleep. He glanced at the clock and groaned, frustrated at having been woken at 2 in the morning. He got up and walked to his kitchen, pouring a glass of water. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightening and Tyler saw something in the living room. He froze, unmoving and watching the spot.

"What...?" he muttered. Another flash of light lit the room and he saw the figure of a stone angel, standing and covering its eyes.

"Oh, shit!" he whispered, dropping the glass. When the flash of light had gone, the room was dark and he couldn't see if the angel had gone. Another flash and the angel came into full view again, hands moved down and face turned, stone white eyes staring into his.

"Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god." His phone buzzed in his pocket and he cried out, grasping at it, trying not to look away from the living room as he pulled it out and hit talk.

"H-hello?"

"Tyler," Artemis said, "I think something's wrong."

"Thank you," Star said, face soaked with tears. "God, it was horrible..." She climbed into the car, Jessie and Stephen already inside, incredibly shaken. "It was the demon from Paranormal Activity..."

"Zombies for me," Stephen replied.

"Weeping angels," Tyler added. "Jessie had it worst, though."

"It was a shape-shifter," she whispered. "It turned into people I love and killing themselves..." Star paled and Jessie looked up at Tyler. "I saw you die..." Tyler swallowed and he put the car in drive.

"We need to get Dylan before we do anything else," Tyler replied. "He has to deal with Slenderman. I understand Jessie's was worse, but the psychological torture that Slenderman does..." He shuddered. "I've tried calling him, but his phone must be off."

"Or the line was cut," Star suggested. The car was silent.

"Who's going in with me?" Tyler said as he pulled up to Dylan's house.

"I'll go," Stephen said. "The other two are too shaken up to go out there." Tyler nodded and they stepped out of the car. Looking over at the house, the lights were off. At the side of the building, Slenderman stared into his house, then pause, slowly turning to the two that had just gotten out of the car.

"Uh. Fuck. Get inside," Tyler instructed. The two were frozen, however.

"Go!" Star yelled from the car and the two broke their stupor, sprinting towards the front door and yanking. Locked.

"Break it down!" Tyler said. "One, two, three!" They slammed into it and broke the lock from the old wooden frame, barreling in and slamming into a wall. Tyler slammed his head into a mirror as he ran in.

"Agh!" he cried, holding his head.

"Are you okay?" Stephen asked, checking Tyler's bleeding head.

"I'll hold off Slenderman," Tyler replied. "You just go find Dylan." Stephen nodded, darting off into the house as Tyler took the mirror down, seeing the Weeping Angel and Slenderman in its reflection.

"Alright," he growled, "let's do this." He spun, lashing out with the mirror and hitting Slenderman in the head. It made a noise of discomfort, stumbling back. The Angel had moved slightly when Tyler had looked away, hands out in a grabbing motion. Tyler set the mirror in its hands so it was viewing its own face.

"Don't blink," Tyler said.

"NO! LET ME GO!" Dylan screamed as Stephen dragged him out. His sleeves were ripped, arms covered in ink; lots of words and a recurring symbol of a crossed out circle. "STOP IT!"

"Get him to the car," Tyler said, going to the edge of Dylan's lawn where a sign for a politician advertised "Life Without Bowman Is Just Scary" with a pumpkin on the front, for Halloween. He yanked it from the ground and turned to see Slenderman striding towards him with an awkward, slightly limping gait. "Alright, you bastard! Take THIS!" He slammed the two metal prongs into its head and chest, causing it to scream as he sprinted towards the car. He dove in, slamming the car into drive.

Jessie and Stephen were working to restrain the struggling Dylan, and Star sobbed hysterically in the front seat. Tyler somberly slammed the gas, heading for the factory.

"Hey, Dylan, are you alright?" Tyler asked, holding his shoulders.

"I... I don't know..."

"Hey, Dylan, it's okay. Slenderman wasn't even real. It was one of XANA's tricks. You and Jessie are going to Lyoko and Stephen and Star are staying here. Can you do that?" Dylan nodded with a far off gaze. "Good. Jess, take him to the scanners." The elevator dropped as Star and Stephen stood behind Tyler, who was typing away. "Transfer, Dylan. Transfer, Jessie. Scanner, Dylan. Scanner, Jessie. Virtualization."

The two dropped onto an icy, glacier-esque island, getting to their feet.

"Are you okay, Dylan?"

"Surprisingly... It seems every time I'm here, I feel..."

"Clearer?" He looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah. It's something about Lyoko."

"Enough talk. You guys need to go north. You'll intercept Artemis at the pass on her way to the tower," Tyler instructed. They nodded, sprinting forward.

"You didn't see any of XANA's monsters before today, did you?" Dylan asked as they ran. Jessie shook her head. "Here's a crash course!" In front of them, three creatures hovered through the air. They had pointed faces and pointed stingers, quickly beating wings on the back of their curved, C-shaped bodies.

"They look like hornets," Jessie said, crouching.

"I like that," Dylan smiled. "Hey, Tyler, we've got three Hornets down here!"

"I see 'em. If they're flying, you guys might want to try Burst Flash. It might send them to the ground."

"Good idea. Jessie, cover your eyes." She covered her face as he glared down the three incoming creatures. "BURST FLASH!" The bright flash blinded the Hornets as they stumbled through the air for a moment before plummeting to the ground, one falling into the water around the ice and bursting into a large pillar of light. "That was weird. Tyler, what was that?"

"Dematerialized into the Digital Sea. Don't touch that. Hypothetically, there's a chance it will devirtualize you."

"What's the other chances?"

"Your digital code will be decrypted and you'll be lost forever, codes floating in the Digital Sea."

"Oh. Well then." At that moment, the Hornets began to shake off their dizziness, starting to attempt to fly again. Jessie rushed forward, grabbing one with her claws and pulling it to the ground, ripping and tearing as it exploded. Dylan ran forward, pulling out his pistol. The remaining one shot Jessie, knocking her back.

"Watch out, Jess, that was 20 Life Points." Dylan shot the last one twice, one missing and one hitting it dead on in the eye, destroying it. "Good job guys- Uh oh. Uh, you guys are on your own for a bit. We have an issue. Deactivate the tower ASAP. Over and out." Dylan went up to Jessie and helped her up.

"Looks like they have some problems of their own," Dylan said. They looked forward along the stretch of ice to see Artemis waving at them. "C'mon."

They were all there – all five of the monsters exited the elevator.

"Look at Slenderman!" Star said. As it took a step forward, it paused and seem to skip, like a broken video.

"He's damaged," Tyler nodded. "They can be beaten. But it's going to be tough. Whatever we do, we can't let them get to the terminal."

"Right!" Stephen and Tyler got into fist-fighting position. Suddenly, Tyler felt something grab his hand.

"What the-?" he was cut off as the demon threw him back. He slammed into the wall, groaning as he blacked out.

"Almost there," Artemis said. "What...?"

"What is it?" Dylan asked. "Whoa." A shadowy, black-robed figure stood outside the tower. It turned, its face shrouded in darkness. The only exception was where its right eye would be under the hood, a glowing red Eye of XANA glared back. It saw them and walked into the tower swiftly. Artemis ran up to it.

"Wait," Dylan frowned. "Are you sure its safe?"

"I don't know. But only I can enter Data Towers. If that thing was one of XANA's, it shouldn't have been able to enter. I need to see what it was." Dylan nodded hesitantly as Artemis entered the tower. She stepped forward, each ring of the Lyoko symbol lighting up at her touch. As she came to the center, it drew her up into the upper tier of the tower. It was empty.

"As I expected," she frowned, approaching the console.

"RECOGNIZED: Artemis. INPUT CODE:" She typed, LYOKO.

"Tower deactivated." Around her, the data displays began to go dim, as did the tower itself. "Tyler?"

"He's out cold," came Stephen's voice. "Those things are all gone, though. Just disappeared."

"Do exactly as I say. Find the window labeled RTTP."

"RTTP? Uh, okay, found it. Opened it up, but its just a bunch of really weird code."

"Just hit enter."

"Enter? Alright."

"Return to the past, now," Artemis said as the white light began to swallow up the tower, the sector, Lyoko, the supercomputer, and then the outside world.

"Trick or treat!" Tyler grinned, handing the kid their candy. "Thanks, mister!"

"Don't mention it," he smiled as they ran off. He leaned against the doorframe and grinned as a kid in what looked like a trash can with a plunger on the front came up.

"Exterminate!" the kid said. Tyler laughed.

"A bit of candy for the Dalek, of course," he grinned.

"Hey!" The kid poked his head out of the top, wearing it like a hat. "You're the Doctor!"

"That I am. You have a good Halloween, kid."

"You too!" The kid ran off. He grinned as a girl around his age came up in a police uniform.

"Ah, Amelia Pond," Tyler said, smiling. "Enjoying Halloween, Star?"

"I am. The others wanted to head to the diner at about 11. Can we meet here?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll be here."

"Alright." She pecked him on the cheek. "You're not a Weeping Angel."

"Can you guess why?" he smiled and arched an eyebrow.

"Same as yesterday, Darla," Tyler said. Darla nodded, dressed as a witch, tall conical hat a big, fake wart. "Oh, and Darla?"

"Hm?"

"Since it's Halloween, could you tell us the rest of that story about the factory?"

"Of course, sweetie-pie, let me just give your orders real fast." She rushed back and handed the order to Rico and then hurried back to their booth excitedly, placing her palms down on the table. "Okay. So. Back about 30 years ago, the factory was used by the government for experiments. It was as secret and fortified as Area 51, some say."

"Really?" Dylan asked, his intrigue piqued.

"Yup. Snipers, guard dogs, all that. But, one day, after about 6 months, the poeple stopped leaving. The factory saw no one enter or exit. A few months after THAT... well..." She looked around. "People heard screams. Cries for help. Some tried to enter, but the doors wouldn't budge. Cops showed up, found a bunch of blood. Things written on the walls."

"Things?"

"Mostly gibberish. Some weird bull's-eye symbol and the letters 'X-A-N-A'." The group stopped and looked at each other. "But yeah. Over 80 people, gone, without a trace."

"Weird..." Tyler said, looking between the others. "What year?"

"About 1969, I think?"

"Thanks, Darla."

"No problem, honey."

Tyler sighed and laid on his bed after a long and tiring Halloween. He turned on his computer and found he had a new email. The sender was private.

"What's this...?" He opened it to find a simple string of code, an IP address, login information, and a simple message.

"HELP US"