Chapter 16

Halloween was finally here. I had plans since Charlie was working to take the kids trick-or-treating. Anna was a ballerina. Mira was a vampire bride. Isabelle was a princess, and Bryan wanted to be a zombie. I had their candy buckets on the kitchen table when I got a call from the school. They were hosting their Halloween Bash and needed an extra helping hand. I tried to get out of it, but I was chosen by the principal himself because I was always reliable. I knew my brothers wouldn't be too busy so I asked Justice to take them trick-or-treating for me.

"And remember to check their candy before they start eating it."

"Okay sis...let's go guys."

I took my nieces and nephews in my car around the block. I promised I'd take them to as many houses as they wanted. Unfortunately I also promised my brother, Patrick, and Tabby that I'd meet them at Haunted Hollows. A scary tourist attraction they have every year. I decided it wouldn't hurt if I took the little ones with me.

I met up with Tabby first.

"Hey you."

"Hey."

I then kissed her cheek.

"Aww how cute...you brought your family with you."

"Yeah..."

"Which one are you?" Tabby asked Isabelle.

"I'm Isabelle and I'm a pretty princess."

"I see that...I like your dress...and is that Bryan under all that makeup?"

"I'm not Bryan...I'm a zombie...and me want brains!"

We all laughed.

"Uncle Justice?" Anna pondered and pulled my pants leg.

"When can we eat our candy?"

"Later tonight alright?"

I beamed a shy smile at Tabby. Jesse and Patrick walked over to us.

"Uncle Jesse!" Bryan exclaimed. He ran to him and hugged his ankles.

"Whoa hey...Justice I didn't expect you to come...don't you have to take the kids trick-or-treating?"

"We've been around some already."

"Good! Now we can all go through the haunted maze together!" Patrick said excitedly.

Jesse grabbed Patrick's arm and pulled him over to him.

"Wait a minute Pat, the kids are too little for that..."

"Aww come on Jess...did we come to have fun or babysit?"

"I can watch them." Tabby told us with a smile.

"You?" I asked.

"Sure...why not?"

"Then how are we supposed to have any fun?"

"What's the matter Justice? Upset Tabby won't be with us and get all scared and hold onto you?" Patrick teased.

"Shut up."

"I know this one is gonna get scared." He replied and ran his fingers down Jesse's back side and grabbed his butt. Jesse gasped and turned around and punched his arm.

"Not in front of my nieces and nephew Pat!"

"Justice...it's really okay...I don't mind...besides I don't need to be scared to hold onto you..."

I smiled at her. She blushed. I then shook my head.

"No...it really is unfair Tab...besides they are my responsibility tonight...would be ours...but somebody didn't return our sister's phone call..."

"Hey I was already on the phone with Patrick that's not a crime...she needed someone and you answered first." Jesse exclaimed. Patrick leaned down and put his head on Jesse's shoulder.

"Hey I have an idea! Why don't we go on a hay ride...we can all do that!" Tabby suggested.

We went with her idea. It was a large cart full of hay and was pulled by an actual horse and driver. We paid our money for the short ride. What we didn't know is that there were jumpscares on the trail. People in costume would run out from behind trees and scare you. Some even gave chase. We were riding through a small pasture and a man with a chainsaw popped out. The girls screamed. The chainsaw roared over their screams. Isabelle tried to hide her face in Tabby's lap. The other two girls Anna and Mira were holding onto each other crying.

"Oh great idea Tabby!" I yelled.

"I didn't know people jumped out to scare you! They didn't do that last year!"

As we were arguing something awful happened. Bryan fell back in the hay. He was screaming, but not because he was afraid. The driver contiued on as he thought we were all having fun. He must have heard several people scream all night.

"Bryan?! Hey Bryan?!" I yelled. I got on my knees and brushed some hay out of the way. Jesse joined me. We all knew he was diabetic, but Jesse and I were the only two that knew about his mind powers and his visions.

"Is it his sugar Jus?!" Jesse yelled. The girls were still crying.

"It's okay girls, it's not real!" We heard Tabby tell them, before she screamed; getting scared herself.

"No...no...no!" Bryan groaned.

"Mom said just to let his visions pass." Jesse reminded me.

"Yeah...you're right."

Suddenly one of the costume actors made a mistake and jumped out in front of the horse instead of to the side frightening the horse and the driver. Jesse and I both looked up.

"You're not supposed to jump out like that! Whoa girl, take it easy!" He yelled.

"No Uncle Jesse!" Bryan screamed suddenly.

"I'm right here Bry!"

Bryan gasped and sat up.

"No! Stop the horse! Stop the-"

Before Bryan finished what he was saying the horse bucked and kicked the railing of the cart. The cart shook uncontrollably. It was going to break loose! We all heard a loud clink and the horse and driver went one way and we went another. The horse's back leg kicked the cart of hay backwards down the trail and down the hill. The wheels rattled on the cobblestones. They hay bounced up and down. Tabby was trying her best to hold on tight to the girls. The cart tipped sideways and they fell from it.

"No!" I screamed and held tight to Bryan.

"Sissys!" He screamed.

Due to our rapid speed the front wheel which was now our back wheel broke loose. It cracked and forced Bryan and I out on one side. We toppled forward in the grass. Luckily we weren't badly hurt.

"Justice!" It was Tabby. She came running up to me with the girls. Some of the actors came with her. They were scuffed up but alright.

"You kids okay?" A guy in a clown masked asked.

We heard a loud crash and the hay ride itself toppled upside down spilling hay and it's two remaining passengers: Patrick and my brother. An ambulance was called and we all ran to see about them at the scene. As we got there Bryan just screamed.

"I saw this!" He cried. He let out another scream. I got on my knees and tried to hold him.

"Bry...Bry it's okay! It was an accident! Bry!"

He tried to fight me. He didn't want me to touch him. They began pulling blood covered hay from under the cart. For some odd reason they were unable to lift it, and turn it over.

"Oh my God...Jesse...that's my brother, let me through! Let me through."

Jesse was pulled from under the cart. His head was badly bleeding, but he appeared to be fine.

"Jesse!" I ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm okay Jus...I'm okay..." He breathed.

"The way Bryan screamed...I could have sworn his vision predicted something awful about you."

Jesse kneeled near Bryan.

"See Bryan...everything's okay."

Bryan just cried.

"Bry?"

Tabby had a scraped up knee from where she fell. The girls had bloody hands from where the tried to catch themselves back in the gravel. Anna had a scuffed up chin. Mira a scraped elbow, and Isa didn't have an physical injuries just a torn dress. Bryan was under me. I tried to shield him from our fall. I had the breath knocked out of me. Jesse looked as if he had hit his head in the side of the cart as it toppled over. All we were missing was Patrick.

It was then we discovered the truth as to why they couldn't move the cart. Patrick had saved Jesse's life by pushing him over to the side. A piece of wood from the wheel had pierced Patrick's shoulder. It was a few inches in his heart. If they removed it Patrick would die. Either way he was losing blood to fast to be helped.

"Pat!" Jesse screamed.

"Jess, no!" I yelled and pulled him back.

"Patrick!"

"Jess stop it...stop!"

I got in front of him and shook him.

"He can't be helped now!"

"Justice...if there's a chance to save him we-"

"There's not Jess, he's pinned!"

Jesse tried to dart from me and I grabbed him. Tabby had tears in her eyes. She left the girls and grabbed Jesse. She gently touched his face.

"Jesse...please try to understand!"

"I'm not leaving him!"

"Jesse...Jess...Jesse!" I cried and pulled him by his jacket collar.

"Look at me, look!"

He breathed heavily as his eyes met mine.

"He's gone Jess...okay..." I breathed. "He's gone."

Jesse just stared at me. The moment I said it they were able to remove the wheel as Patrick passed away. They considered it little inhumane to pull the broken wheel from him like that, but it had to be done. We were all doctored by the ambulance workers there on the scene. They covered up Patrick's lifeless body and put him in the back of one of the ambulances.

We were met with sympathetic apologies by the owner of the attraction, the driver of our hay ride and the actor that scared the horse. I don't think Jesse heard a word of it. I called Harmione to let her know what happened. Tabby called her parents. We all went home respectfully. Tabby drove herself home, as I did Jesse and the kids.

At home Harmione changed the kids out of their costumes and sent them all to bed. Mom and Dad came by a little later. I just sat on Harmione's sofa petting Juju. Jesse stayed outside on the patio: cold and silent.