Halloween Special

My locker door slammed shut just as I barely got my hands out. I turned to glare at the fully pink haired girl. Tipping my head I grinned evilly before taking her hair in my hand. "What the hell happened to your head? Fall into a cotton candy machine."

"Cotton candy!" She snapped shooing my gloved hand away. "I'll have you know that this is the color of a queen."

I snorted back a laugh stuffing my books into my bag. "Yeah the queen of the psychos."

"I don't want to hear it Mister Kruger." She quipped back poking me in the middle of my red and green Christmas sweater.

"Aw don't be that way Doll Face." The words came out smooth as I flashed my creepiest predator grin.

She stared at me for way too long with a stunned look on her face. Finally she shivered. "You do that way too well."

I snickered low. "So Sakura right?" I asked wanting to make sure I was right. Brit had the strange habit of mixing and matching a costume for Halloween. So you always had to ask to make sure it was just one. She looked like Sakura from Naruto but something was off. And I couldn't put my finger on it.

"That's queen Sakura Hokaga of the leaf village." Brit declared pulling up a wide brimmed straw hat.

"You just wanted to be Hokaga and dye your hair didn't you?" I asked pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Halloween is nothing without a good dye job."

"Also I don't think they have queens."

She pouted crossing her arms over her chest. "I can be a queen if I want."

I shouldered my bag and gave her a friendly thump on the back. "Of course you can Doll. Let's go find the sex addict."

She looked my way. "Found him." We both laughed heading out of the school.

)O(

"Freddy Kruger and Queen Sakura; Hokaga of the leaf village."

"I call bull shit." I nipped putting my now fully clawed hand on my hip. "No way in hell you could have guessed who I am."

"Couldn't guess, sugar plum."

"Damn it Jim I'm a dream demon not a sugar plum fairy." I said looking over his costume of Captain Kirk. It was simple but effective. There were a few rips in the shirt but it gave him the chance to yell Khan every once in a while.

"You do make a very cute Kirk. If we find a guy dressed as Spock would you be willing to make out with him." She said laughing and I joined her.

"Maybe Spock would join minds with him." I said adding air quotations. Brit and I fell against each other laughing.

"Oh maybe we can get them to fight." Brit added using the same air quotes I did.

"Careful Spock might be going through his pon farr."

"Nothing I say will stop any of these will they?" Jack glared at the two of us before throwing his hands up in defeat when we shook our heads. "I hope we run into Jason. He kicked Freddy's ass." I stopped laughing and glared at him. "Maybe well run into some kid dressed as Naruto wouldn't that be fun, Sakura?"

"Spoil sport." Brit grouched looking at him with a glared.

"Come on we have some place to be." He added with a grin knowing he won.

"Jason didn't beat Freddy." I added as we walked towards our favorite pizza place.

"I remember Freddy being headless at the end of the movie."

"Leave the logic to your boyfriend, space cadet. No one can actually beat Freddy. He was just playing."

"Still looked like he lost."

)O(

About half way through my first slice I had to take off my clawed gloved. I didn't know how anyone could do anything with that thing on. On the way I had went to scratch my face and actually clawed my face. We left the pizza parlor and I was readjusting my glove so it flexed properly when we took off to the cemetery. It wasn't a long trip as we crossed the city. Getting off the bus we saw several other teenagers looking up at the tall wrought iron gate and stone walls. All three were in costume and were staring at the cemetery with something akin to fear and amazement. The three of us jogged across the street to meet up with the others.

"So you three wanted a race?" Brit said with a cocky smile when they jumped to look at our small group. Jack and I flanked her on either side; which would be creepy because we had emerged from the dark. The boy in the punk rocker costume was staring at my hand mostly at the blades tapping against my leg. I raised my hand and waved the blades at him with that creepy smile of mine. He swallowed taking a step back and I tipped my head away the brim of my fedora covering my amusement. Jake shared in my amusement as he saw the boy back up.

"Yeah but why the cemetery and costumes?" The boy in the bad vampire costume and their leader asked.

"It's Halloween." Jake said bluntly as if that answered any and all questions that would be asked.

"So the route starts here and goes to the other side for the cemetery. Don't damage anything and keep an eye out for security. They normally beef it up this time of year." Brit said stretching her arms behind her head.

"You can't really want to go in there!?" The boy in the ninja costume said his voice trembling.

"Yeah we are. She just said that didn't she?" I asked giving the guy a strange look. He was nearly shaking in his boots. It wasn't just him but all of them. They seemed almost terrified to even look at the place. "Did we miss something?"

There was a moment of tense silence before the leader looked at us. "Look this place…" The vampire paused pointing at the cemetery. "…is haunted." He said finally speaking up.

The three of us shared a look of doubt before we broke out laughing. Jake was leaning against the stone wall holding his gut as Brit and I supported each other.

"Haunted?" Jake barked out between laughs. "You can't be serious?"

"We are!" The three shouted and we stopped laughing. They were really scared of something, trembling in a way that reminded me of a little boy afraid of the dark.

"Legend goes that a bride died only an hour before her wedding and was buried in her gown. Yet because medicine wasn't that great at the time she was actually still alive. She had one of those bells that she could ring if she was alive. So when she woke up the coffin she started to ring it but no one was around to hear. She kept ringing the bell but by the first light of morning the bride had died." The vampire said his voice quivering.

"Yeah it happened a lot back then." I said with a bored sigh. These stories ran rampant about any old cemetery.

"Yes but that's not the end of it." The punk rocker piped in and I rolled my eyes crossing my arms over my chest and tapping a blade up and down.

"Let me guess now she roams the cemetery looking for her lost looooove." Brit said finishing with a ghostly moan. Jake and I snickered.

"The bell starts ringing at and if anyone is in the cemetery when it does she goes after them. Pulling them down into the depths of the earth to suffer her fate." The ninja added stepping back from us.

"Hold on a sec, if no one heard the bell ringing that night then how does anyone know she was buried alive?" I asked.

"Yeah and if she 'pulls them down to suffer her fate'; how does anyone know that it's not like a mob hit?" Jake added.

Brit and I turned to look at him as if he had grown a second head. "A mob hit?" She asked shaking her head. "I don't think the mob would bury someone alive."

"Yeah but where is a better place to bury a body than an old cemetery?" He added shrugging.

"A new one." I quipped shrugging. "I mean a freshly dug grave in an old cemetery would look suspicious but in a new one not so much."

"Would you three stop!" And we did to look back at the vampire. "Look, we are not going in there. I've known people that have gone into the cemetery and never come back."

"Did they betray the mob? I bet they did." Jake said glancing at the cemetery with a look of pure curiosity and wonder.

"Or druggies." Brit added nodding while scanning over the wall and gate looking for a way in. "Most likely druggies."

"It doesn't matter we're not going in and I suggest you don't either." Their leader added before the three of them took off down the street.

I watched them disappear around the corner before turning my gaze back to the massive stone wall covered in ivy. Now that it was just us three I could feel the slight twinge of fear in my spine. "So…" I started.

"Up and over ladies, we came for a race and that is what we are going to do." Brit said walking about half way into the road. She turned running towards the wall her one foot planted against the stone and she ran up the wall four steps before grabbing the top and hauling herself up. As she planted herself on the wall Jake and I smiled before finding our own way up.

I took to the gate. I ran and planted a foot on the one side of the wall. Pushing off sideways I caught the top of the gate and lifted myself so I was straddling the spiked top. Balancing myself I extended my arms and walked across the gate putting a foot between each spike. Jake was doing his famous pole climb and had shimmed almost to the top of the lamp post. He swung out pushing off the post and landed near Brit on the top of the wall sitting down scanning the inside of the wall. I joined them turning to look over the dark area. There were only a few lights that actually marked off the path but through the cemetery were little flickering lights of forever candles.

"I thought no one's used this place for a long time?" I asked scanning across the area for my path. It was filled with lots of trees, mausoleums and tall headstones. All perfect places to use.

"What do ya mean?" Jake asked rotating his shoulders.

"Well look." I pointed across. "There are forever candles, the lights of the main walk are up and the whole place looks cared for. Old cemeteries get forgotten and fall into disrepair."

"Yeah I see that." Brit hummed to herself. "So be extra careful someone might actually be patrolling the grounds. So first to the over side buys breakfast and you can't lose any part of your costume. Show up incomplete you automatically lose."

"Oh that's so not fair." I groaned looking at my hat and glove. "The captain has nothing to lose."

"I could lose my shirt." He said grinning.

"I think that would be more authentic. Kirk normally ended up shirt less by the end of every episode." Brit chuckled out before adding; "Go!"

"You're a bunch of assholes and I hope the dead bride gets you!" I yelled after them as they leapt off the wall.

I pushed off the wall to catch the branch of the tree ahead of me. With my momentum I swung out and landed on the roof of a mausoleum before sliding down the other side of the roof and hit the soft earth. I took off running. I caught flickers of Brit's hair here and there or a flash of Jake's shirt but I never actually saw them more than that.

Eventually I had to slow down it felt like I had been running for hours. My legs ached and I was sweating in my Christmas sweater. I pulled the thing up over my head when a bell rang near me. My hands dropped to my side the sweater in my claws and I turned looking around.

"Funny guys." I called tying the sweater around my waist over my black a-shirt. The bell rang again this time it was closer. "Knock it off." I snapped. I hate ghost pranks. I hate ghost stories. They have and still do creepy me the hell out. The bell rang again. This time it was almost under foot. "Brit! Jake! Stop it!"

I whipped around looking for them but they were nowhere in sight. I turned around again realizing I couldn't see further than a few feet either way. It was too dark. "Guys come on this isn't funny." I called taking a few steps in one direction. My foot collided with something and a bell jingled. Looking down I could see a thin piece of metal with a brass bell and string mounted on it. Rolling my eyes I leaned down and flicked the bell confirming it was the one I was hearing.

"Okay guys you got me. I found the bell. You can come out now." There was an odd silence when the bell rung again. My head snapped down at it and I watched it ring again and again. It was accompanied with a hollow thudding from under my feet. I felt my knees weaken and I couldn't stop myself from calling out. "Hello?"

"Help me please." A soft voice called from below. I blinked and shuddered back. "Please don't go. Help me."

"I can't." I said looking from the voice to the bell.

"Don't leave me alone." The woman's voice cried and the bell began to ring. It kept getting harsher each time it rang. "Please help me!" She sounded desperate. Her voice darkened as a thump from below knocked me off my feet. "Stay with me! Help me!"

I started to scramble up only to be yanked off my feet again. I cracked my chin on the ground and felt something pull at my waist. Turning I could see a mist grabbing at my sweater around my waist. I rolled over and started to untie the thing. The whole time the bell kept ringing and she kept screaming for help. The Christmas sweater started to disappear into the earth as I pulled loose from it. I scrambled back on my hands watching part of my costume disappear below the earth. It fell silent for a few moments as I sat frozen to my spot.

The bell rang my eyes fell upon it. "Hello, are you still there?" I took a fearful breath and slowly stood up. "I know you are there. Help me!" She screamed and the bell started to ring while the dead bride thudded against the earth from below.

I ran the moment I got my feet under me and an unearthly scream echoed from behind. I sprinted forward dodging tombs and plants; the bell still ringing and me screaming in terror. The dark gave way and I could see the wall. I don't remember how I did it but I was over the wall and on the sidewalk on the other side in only a few seconds.

Moments after I had hit the sidewalk Jake came over with a terrified scream; Brit was last and she hit the ground dropping to her knees. All three of us were shaking where we stood. I looked over them. Jake was missing his belt and blaster while Brit was missing her hat and part of her cloak. I took a staggering breath and leaned back against the wall.

"Looks like I won and Brit owns us breakfast." I said letting out a breathless laugh. Brit and Jake looked at me and joined in on the shaky laugh. That was until a bell rang just on the other side of the wall and we ran.

A/N: Sorry guys this was supposed to be out for Halloween but you are getting it now. Thought I would let you glimpse a bit about how Ryoko was in the yester years. Hoped you liked it. The actual chapter will be up tomorrow I just want to give this chapter some glory.

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