Wednesday 2: A Halloween To Remember

by Smack Dab

Upon keeping his end of the bargain with the Addams, Stewart is home-free to continue his plans for Halloween. That is until he receives yet another letter from them, an invitation to participate in a little contest, with a grand prize for the winner. Will Stewart accept the challenge to participate, or will he merely play it safe as he did before?

5. The Time Has Come

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing pertaining to the Addams Family, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)

When I got home later that day, I noticed Paul was already waiting for me just beyond the front door. He was actually rather estatic to see me for a change, and I didn't have to guess twice as to why. He almost knocked me over as I made my way through the front-door and into the living room. As soon as I stepped foot inside and shut the door behind me, Paul yanked me through the living room and up the stairs to our bedroom. I just barely had enough time to say to mom who was in the kitchen, most likely fixing up some lunch for me and Paul.

He practically hauled me up the stairs in a hyperactive frenzy, completely excited at the news I had for him. He knew of course that our attendance at the mansion all rested upon the answers my friends would give at the request. I was surprised he had so much confidence they would say yes, otherwise he'd be nowhere near this happy. At least I'd be pleasing somebody here today, because tomorrow was going to probably going to be the hardest day of my life.

Paul shoved me into our bedroom first, before he quickly slipped himself in and shut the door behind him near instantaneously. He held his back to the door with both his arms spread around it, blocking any and all potential escapes from said exit. He was gasping heavily for air before he finally asked me the question he'd no doubt been waiting to ask since I first got home.

"So...what they say?!?"

"They agreed Paul, so yes we can go. If we leave a bit earlier than we normally do, we should still have enough time to enact the plan before the dead-line of 9:00. We're gonna leave around 6:30 tomorrow night so we can act out the plan. Then at 8:00, we're gonna wheel it so we can get there as soon as possible, and God willing not a second later!"

With that, Paul suddenly lunged from the door and embraced me in the tightest hug I'd ever felt from him. I had to wonder if he really was that excited at the prospect of going to a creepy mansion to visit a family he knew little to nothing about, or if this was his way of pushing me into death's embrace earlier than anticipated. A small sliver of hope I had really did want to believe he was just excited at getting to hang out with me, but my doubts weren't going to back down that easily.

I awkwardly patted him on the back with my right hand, before gently prying his arms off my torso. If there was even a prayer of everything working out as planned, it was extremely important I lay down some ground rules with Paul before the day was over. If he screwed this night up for us, I wasn't sure that dying in the Addams mansion would be such a horrible way to go. I gently maneuvered Paul over to his bed with both my hands on his shoulders, allowing him to take a seat at the foot of the bed itself before I got to it.

"Alright...listen up Paul. You have...no, need to be on your best behavior tommorow night! My friends are expecting me to keep you in line while we raid the entire neighborhood for candy, and what that implies is you CAN'T pull the same stupid crap you do every year! That means no unflattering remarks about other kid's costumes, no matter how much they suck or visually amuse you. No throwing bratty fits or temper tantrums when any house just so happens to not have the candy you want, and finally, you can't do anything to slow down the team either! If we're to accept this challenge, we've got to be at the mansion by 9:00 PM sharp, or else no dice!!! Got it?"

Paul looked overwhelmed by everything he was told at once, but his expression told me at least he was taking this seriously. I silently appreciated the fact I wouldn't have to waste further time drilling in his head the importance of not misbehaving here. I still remember the 30 minute long session we had just a few days ago...not something I'd like a repeat of anytime soon.

"Look I get everything, alright? You don't think I understand how important tomorrow is? You're not the only one that's been preparing for this day bro. I'm finally getting to go as Freddy Krueger for the first time in my life, and that's something I've wanted since I was 6! I know I've screwed up in the past, and there's nothing either of us can do to change that, but I promise I'll come through for you this time, okay? You just remember your role tomorrow, and I'll remember mine. Cool?"

Paul seemed serious enough with that response, but I couldn't afford to take any chances given what was at stake here. Not only were my friends counting on me to make sure he didn't get in our way. It also fell upon my shoulders to make sure nothing bad happened to him while we were out there, not to mention whatever the Addams had in store for us at their mansion. For now though, I was confident enough I could trust him to keep on his better behavior. It's not like he had anything to gain from acting like a brat here anyway, he WAS getting exactly what he wanted after all!

Paul side-stepped me to the right as he made his way to the door. He shot me a serious look before granting me one of his trademark arrogant smirks while granting me some "sage" wisdom, as he'd have you believe anyway.

"If I were you, I'd be less concerned about that dumb "plan" of yours, and way more concerned about the thought of seeing your beloved Wednesday again. She must have missed seeing your dweeby face this past week!"

The color from my face rapidly began to drain as just the mere mention of that name sent chills down my spine. I'd been so caught up with making sure everything went according to plan on Halloween that Wednesday sort of just faded into the background. Regardless, the memory of everything that'd been happening to me lately slowly begun to flood back to me all at once. Each new vision or dream just seemed to get progressively worse and more terrifying the more I'd experienced them. If I was to be scared of anything at that mansion tomorrow, Wednesday would be near impossible to beat for the top spot on that list.

As one might imagine, Paul's flippant disregard for my own feelings on the matter left me in a most bitter mood with him at the moment. As I gritted my teeth and balled my hands into tight fists, I made it abundantly clear to Paul that I wanted to be left alone for a while. Granted, he was already on his way out, but the sooner I could make him leave, the better.

"I'd start running out that door if I were you Paul!"

With a jump, Paul quickly opened the door and closed it behind him abruptly. At least now with him gone, I had more time to contemplate what the true dangers of this challenge were. There was the obvious fear of the unknown working against everybody involved. I knew nothing about the mansion itself, beyond whatever dangers or trials they have for any poor, unsuspecting visitors around. There's always the oft chance I'm just taking things far too seriously, and that the challenge itself isn't as literal as I'm making it out to be. Then again, how many families have a butler around 8 feet tall in height dressed up like an actual Frankenstein?

Then as before, there's the family themselves I know basically nothing of on a personal level. I know now of course they're beyond obsessed with Halloween or essentially anything to do with scary stuff. With that in mind, I couldn't expect they'd go easy on anyone bold enough to dare face the dangers of their mansion head-on. I was lucky to have support in the forms of my friends, and I knew Paul would chip in provided he wasn't putting himself at risk by doing so.

The parents, Gomez and Morticia, aren't what worry me so much. Yeah Gomez was frightening as all hell last time, but I couldn't see him getting involved in the challenge himself, at least not directly. Morticia was quite nice when she was here last, so she was by far the least intimidating member of the family to me. The big guy that they had with them last time was scary don't get me wrong, but he shouldn't be a threat as long as I stay out of his way. That big kid with the striped shirt was pretty intimidating as well, being noticeably larger than myself though we were about the same in height. He'd no doubt be something to look out for, but I'm at least somewhat confident Bobby could hold his own against him if need be.

No...there was only one person admist that whole family that really freaked me out, and I highly doubt she needs an introduction by this point.

Wednesday...the object of all my visions and nightmares for all this time. I couldn't understand why this happened now of all times when I never, not once had things like this happen to me before. I mean sure, she always did stand out compared to the other kids in school or in my class, but it's not like I've ever been mean to her before. Granted, I won't lie and say she didn't creep me out before all of this ever happened, but was that really so unreasonable? Her emotionless expression, coupled with the fact she was near totally silent every day made her presence all the more unnerving for extended periods of time.

I said before that I have nothing against this person, and in spite of my better judgement I still stand by that statement. That said, all this creepy stuff that's been happening to me can't go on forever. As of right now, I'm not just going to accept this potential death sentence to protect my friends or even make Paul happy. I'm also going to get to the bottom of why I've been having these creepy visions and nightmares, one way or another!

I landed back first on my bed as I took in a slow deep breath. I can't allow my emotions to dictate what I do here. If anything's to be done right, I have to keep my mind focused on what really matters. I've got to get the plan under way and bang it out in time for the challenge. Then when that's over with me, my friends, and Paul all have to work together near flawlessly in order to get through this thing in one piece. There's no telling what traps or surprises they have there, so we'll be going into this completely blind essentially. That puts us all at a big disadvantage technically speaking. We have no way of preparing for what lies ahead beyond "expecting the worst". The problem with that is...that's not quite the same thing as working out a solution.

The rest of the day went by harmlessly enough. Paul and myself didn't say much to each other following that "heart-to-heart" we had earlier. The silence was quite welcome in all honesty. I needed all the time to myself I could get to prepare for what was to come tomorrow. We'd all be circling the neighborhood at least a couple times or so to squeeze out as much candy as possible from our fellow neighbors. I love boarding as much as the next kid, but not even I'm used to riding for that long without a break. My parents gave both me and Paul a firm talk regarding not being out too late, making sure neither of us caused any trouble for our neighbors, looking out for each other's well-being. All the standard bullet points I'd come to expect whenever me and Paul went out by ourselves.

Later that night, just before bed Paul attempted to strike up some conversation with me before we both turned in for the night. I was still pretty steamed with how he threw Wednesday in my face, but it was important we were both on speaking terms for tomorrow. We all needed to work together here, and I couldn't let some petty sibling BS come between me and Paul's safety.

"So uhhhh...big day tomorrow, huh?"

In more ways than either of us could begin to imagine. I replied to his question with the same level of awkwardness as he asked it.

"Yeah...it really is. Can't believe it's been about a year since we all hatched it together."

Paul let out a small chuckle before his expression turned more serious. I could see the growing sadness in his eyes as it was clear he felt bad over what he'd said earlier to me. It was nice to see he understood when he went over the line, and it also pushed me into forgiving him earlier than I normally would.

"Look, about earlier today- I'm!"

"You're forgiven runt. Just keep the cheap shots to a minimum when we're out there. I'm not sure if I could hold Bobby back for long if he decides to kick your ass."

Paul gulped in fear at my little bluff. Bobby was an obnoxious prick sure, but he didn't have that bad of a temper. All the same, what Paul didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and it was rather fun having some leverage over Paul for a change. I held back the urge to chuckle as I reached over for the lamp to turn it off. We both needed as much sleep as possible if we stood any chance tomorrow night.

"Anyway, night."

I turned to my opposite side after switching the lamp off, my back now facing Paul as he returned my sentiment in kind. He was just slightly more timid in his response compared to my own however, for obvious reasons.

"...N-Night bro."

The following morning, I jumped to my feet as I wanted to get school over with as soon as possible. This was it, Halloween was here at long last! If all went according to plan me, Paul, and my friends would be entering candy nirvana before the night was over. That of course doesn't take away from the huge risks at stake here. I honestly have no clue how I'm expecting myself to travel around the entire neighborhood for at least an hour or 2. Then I have to wheel myself all the way to this "mansion" of theirs before 9:00 PM tonight. Finally, I have to survive this challenge they have in store for us all, and STILL somehow get back home before mom and dad have a conniption fit.

If ever there was a time to prove miracles do exist, I really need it for tonight.

Anyhow, later that day at school, me and my friends were all huddled at our usual table. We all were excited about what we've waited all year around for, and the excitement from the challenge had Tommy and Jason at the edge of their seats. Bobby rubbed his hands together in anticipation at the thought of all the candy we'd be hauling back upon returning home. If we actually did manage to pull this off, it'd be a surprise to me if we didn't need to make multiple trips to get the candy back safely. Marcus seemed slightly happy about everything, but like I said he's always been the quiet one of our little group. He'd rather let the others a chance to speak than take away from what they had to say.

Jason was the first to speak up having bounced in his seat since we all got together for lunch.

"Can you believe it guys? In just a few hours from now, we'll not only be scoring buckets of candy from the neighborhood, we'll also be earning candy no one in our town or even the city has ever SEEN before! This Halloween is gonna ROCK!!!"

"You got that right bro! This Halloween will be the stuff we tell our kids when we're all older some day!"

Bobby grimaced at the mentioning of having kids one day. In fairness, I can't say I was particularly thrilled at the thought of it myself. However, whereas Bobby was born an only child, I had a full-time job at home keeping my little brother in line. If anyone had kids that even resembled Paul, may God have mercy on their souls.

"Ugh...you know some of us are trying to eat here, right? Either way, before everyone forgets, I think we're all missing one crucial detail."

I gulped at hearing that statement. Sadly, I knew better than anyone what he meant by that.

Just then, my friends all began to turn their attentions in my direction. They each had a furious expression on their faces, which could only mean they still doubted my ability to keep Paul on the straight and narrow. I couldn't blame them exactly, but a lack of trust between friends was never an especially comforting feeling to have. Before they all kicked me out of the group for tonight, I tried to reassure them once again that Paul wouldn't be a problem this time.

"Listen guys, I don't blame you for not trusting me okay? I know Paul's ruined a number of Halloweens for us...among other things, but I swear he won't this time! If something does go wrong tomorrow, you can all have my share of the spoils, alright?"

They all looked at each other with surprised looks on their faces. I couldn't quite tell if this was a positive or a negative, but at least they weren't scowling angrily at me like before. Before I could speak up once more, Bobby began to slide his way toward me, looking at me dead on in the eyes. He clearly took this more seriously than any of my friends did, and it didn't take much thought to understand why. All the same, Bobby's stern expression and fierce eyes weren't helping my comfort zone at all here.

"Bet your ass it won't, Stewart. If Paul botches up Halloween for us all this time. Not only will it come out of your share of the loot, you AND him will also be banned from any future Halloweens from this point onward!!"

"C'mon dude, that isn't cool! It's not his fault Paul's a spoiled brat."

Bobby immediately shushed Jason up after the latter defended me. I wasn't exactly surprised that he would do this for me, like I mentioned before me, him, and Tommy all knew each other before we met Bobby and Marcus. If anyone out of the group would have defended me, it'd have to be either Jason or Tommy.

"We've let this go for years now guys! We've even been banned from multiple houses all because of him! NOT THIS TIME!!!"

I sighed in defeat. Bobby could be a smug, gluttonous, prick, but he wasn't wrong here. It might have been my idea from the beginning, but the group should never have to suffer due to one member or another. With my vote becoming basically obsolete, I just nodded my head to show I understood what failure meant here.

"...You've got a deal."

Bobby then extended his right hand to me, which I gave a firm grip with my own as we shook in agreement to what was just spoken of here. His grip began to crush my hand as he made it clear he wasn't messing around with me. I pulled it away shortly afterward as the force from his grip began to feel unbearable. As I did so, Marcus soon spoke up for the first time that day, much to the surprise of everyone else at the table.

"Be that as it may, don't you guys think we should be focusing on the Addams and their "challenge" thing?"

Everyone then turned their attentions to Marcus in that moment in time. Whether he was trying to bail me out of trouble, or simply saw the Addams family and their challenge as more important, I was quite grateful to have everyone's ire off me for the moment. He wasn't wrong certainly, no one really gave the matter any significant thought or concern for a while. I knew Paul's involvement with the plan would make everyone worry, but this challenge was stepping into completely unknown territory. I was the only one among us whom even had half a clue on what to expect, and even that wasn't much by far. That said, it's not like I'd ever seen the inside of the mansion itself, so who was to say what they had in there?

A few minutes went by before Tommy spoke up this time. He locked his eyes directly with mine as he tried to ask me what I knew about the Addamses from the one visit they paid me.

"Say Stewart, what can you tell us about the family? What were they like when they visited you?"

I immediately flashed back to the interactions I had with the family themselves. Gomez's impassioned rant, Morticia's easy-going explanation on their family's unique Halloween traditions, Wednesday's ever-present death stares from dad's easy chair, the big dude's intimidating stature, and that large kid's angry expression the whole time they were there. These weren't especially pleasing things to recall, but I intended to answer the question I received to the best of my abilities.

"Uhh...well for starters Wednesday has a brother. He didn't say anything, and neither of her parents mentioned his name, but he looked pretty angry the whole time he was there. He's about my height, but he's roughly as big as Bobby is. Her parents are Gomez and Morticia. The former is her dad, and he basically ranted at me the whole time because I didn't scare his daughter. Morticia is the mother, and she was the only nice one amongst any of them. They also brought with them this reeeeaaally tall dude to my house. I'd say he's close to 7 feet tall, if not even taller. Lastly, Wednesday was her usual self. Just staring a hole through me the entire time while I squirmed around in fear at my seat."

Jason and Tommy looked surprised that someone so big was basically a butler for the family. Bobby seemed more worried than anyone present, but I couldn't tell if that was because I mentioned that massive, butler dude, or because there would be a kid about his size at the mansion. Marcus just crossed his arms as he took in everything I'd stated thus far. He seemed in deep thought at what awaited us later on tonight, but made no further comment on it as he stayed adrift in his thoughts for the moment.

Before anyone else could add on, I decided to speak up once again to continue the focus on the mansion itself. Compared to surviving through an old, creepy, rundown mansion which none of us knew anything about in advance, circling across the neighborhood a few times on our boards for candy was a literal cake-walk.

"Anyway, I've never actually seen the mansion itself, but given what the Addamses are into, I can't imagine things will be easy. This is why we all need to work together here! If we're gonna pull this off, we all need to be on the same page guys. There's no telling what they have in store for any unsuspecting visitors in question. No matter what happens while we're there, we've all got to stick together, no matter what!"

We all shared looks with each other as my words thankfully sunk in to my skeptical buds skulls. I threw my right hand out in an effort to get everyone to do as we did whenever we came to a universal agreement. It took them a little longer than normal, but eventually they came around and each placed their right hands along with mine. Once all our hands were together, we all did our usual thing which I personally lead for a change.

"Ready? One...two...three...BREAK!!!"

After school, I finally returned home after one of the most tense interactions I'd had with my friends in a long time. They had reason to be aggravated with me of course, but I never once thought they'd be this fed up with me. Granted, I know I'm far from completely innocent here, but it's not like I was the only one with something to hide. With that said, I made a promise to keep Paul in line and see us through this challenge, and that's exactly what I intend to do. The only thing I pray for is we all can make it through this in one piece. If fate, God, or whatever could do that one thing for me tonight, I won't be asking for anything else come this Christmas. I can personally guarantee that!

Anyhow, I waited anxiously in my room as I dug under my bed for my costume. It was now 6:00 PM, and in just 30 minutes from now my friends would be at my front door. I was now completely decked out in my costume. The white kimono, long black wig with the hair pin for the ponytail, my trusty samurai sword to my right hip with the golden stripe running down it's sheathe, and the small brown sandals which completed the package deal. I liked to think I looked pretty slick in it, though the hair itself didn't look quite as cool as I thought it would...guess that's the breaks, huh?

Paul soon slipped himself inside the room, having just gotten back from the bathroom. He too was fully clothed within his own respective costume. The black fedora hat, the tattered up christmas sweater, long black pants, razor sharp (albeit plastic) claws, and even the rubber mask with Freddy's trademark burn scars and deformities. He held a devilish smile across his usually overconfident face as he clearly took great pride in how he looked in it. I had to admit, it honestly rather suited him, though he still was a bit too small to make it look anything resembling intimidating. He soon called out to me as he noticed my worried expression.

"Yo! You ready yet?"

I turned my head to the left to face him. I hadn't realized just how panicked my expression really was, but at this moment I had every right imaginable to be worried! There was no more time to plan, reassure, remind, or otherwise...this was the big day! The biggest Halloween of my entire life, not to mention with a HUGE stake on it in addition to the plan I'd already constructed. We were essentially walking head long into the lion's den completely unprepared. All we had was our team-work, and our trust in one another, both of which were about to be tested in the absolute most brutal way possible!

"Yeah I'm good to go man...just a bit tense about the whole thing still."

Paul huffed at hearing that, seemingly annoyed by my honesty in still being nervous about what we were about to do. He was used to my hesitation in most things by now, but I'll admit I can get a bit overbearing with it at times. I just couldn't help it in this case, and in all fairness, how could I?!?

"Y'know, you don't have to be wallowing in your self doubts in here all by yourself. We have the rest of our lives ahead of us for regrets! Let's just get out there and have some fun for a change, yeah?"

I snorted a little before lightly covering my face with my left hand. I might have a tendency to worry too much, but that's only because I'm the only one to give anything any significant thought! Paul only tended to worry when the odds weren't in his favor, and my friends were always too busy living in the moment to think about anything else. At the same time, Paul made a decent enough point. I decided to reply in jest to lighten the mood and keep my spirits up in any way possible.

"Alright fine, lead the way bro."

Paul smiled at me before stepping out into the hall, leaving the door to our bedroom wide open. I promptly rised out of my seat at the foot of the bed before joining him out in the hall myself. We quickly walked our way down to the living room, where both our parents were patiently waiting for us. My mother was overjoyed at seeing us both in our costumes, which she demonstrated by tightly embracing us upon reaching the living room. After a little cheek pinching and our standard kiss on the cheeks, she quickly moved to the side so we could make our way out into the night. Paul led the way as I followed from behind, but soon dad placed one of his hands on my right shoulder, abruptly halting my progress.

"You can wait outside if you want Paul. I just need to remind Stewart of something before you kids go out."

Paul just shrugged before opening the door and closing it behind him. This left me at the mercy of whatever my dad wanted from me at the moment. He soon turned me around so I could face him directly, and placed both his hands on the tops of my shoulders, as he normally did when making a serious point.

"I know you already understand all your basic responsibilities out there. I just want you to promise me something...try and remember what I told you before, okay Stewart?"

I'm not the type to tell people what they want to hear if I can help it, but it served me no purpose not to just yes my dad away here. It was bad enough I'm essentially lying to both my parents anyway, and to make things worse I'm not even sure if I'd make it back home tonight. I firmly nodded my head to show I understood exactly what he meant by those words.

"Don't worry dad, I won't. You can count on me!"

He smiled warmly at me before locking me in a tight hug of his own. I embraced him back fully as it might just be the last hug I ever get to experience again. I know this kind of thinking isn't a good mindset to have, but I can't be too sure of anything that'll happen tonight. No matter what happens to me though, so long as I can get Paul back home safely, that's all that truly matters to be perfectly honest.

"Alright then, off with you now. Have fun and be safe out there Stewart!"

"Thanks dad, I will. I love you guys!"

My dad tussled my hair before allowing me to join my brother out on the front door. I grabbed my board to the upper left corner of the room before finally heading out. I first took a deep breath as I enjoyed the fresh, cool, crisp air of the young autumn night. I never really paid attention to the little things like this before, but I guess that's what we all do when under the threat of death. The things we never would give a second thought to normally suddenly become meaningful. When the idea of all of it being taken away from you comes up, you suddenly begin to savor every last moment of it possible.

Anyway, Paul was to my right as he waited patiently for my friends to arrive at our front door. I checked my wrist-watch to my right arm as it read "6:25 PM". Within just 5 minutes from now, if not even sooner, I should be hearing the rolling of wheels coming from 4 different skateboards. Paul gripped his own board tightly as he was clearly ready to get on with the plan. He was growing impatient judging by the force in which he grabbed the board with. I could feel my nervousness begin to resurface as the last thing I needed was Paul forgetting the central focus on team work here.

After a rather slow 5 minutes went by, I could hear my friends rolling down the street on the way to my house. The rolling of their wheels became gradually louder as the seconds soon turned to minutes, and before I knew it all 4 were upon me and Paul. There was Jason in all of the Zelda gear he mentioned at school, only difference was he was also wearing a pair of dark blue earrings as well. Tommy was wearing the large black cape he spoke of from before, in addition to his gray vampire wig, slight makeup, blood red contact lenses, and the tuxedo he wore for the dance last year. He did look pretty sick to be honest, even though the old-time horror movie monsters aren't really my scene in all honesty.

To their rights were Bobby and Marcus. The former was wearing his Terminator costume as promised, and in spite of the shared animosity between us, I couldn't deny he looked pretty cool in it. Finally, there was Marcus wearing his black Grim Reaper style robes with the rusty, somewhat bent rake he got from home. Those robes suited him perfectly, but the "scythe" he showed off was a bit of a disappointment. I wasn't exactly expecting a knock-out here, but it just made the whole look feel alot more silly than I know he was going for.

Bobby was the first to speak up out of everyone. I wasn't particularly looking forward to what he had to say given how he felt about Paul joining us tonight.

"Well looks like the gang's all here...how you doing Stew?"

I had a serious expression on my face as I took in a deep breath while preparing to respond, immediately fearing the worst of what was to come.

"Fine Bobby...nice costume."

He let out a snide chuckle before mentioning our little agreement from earlier today.

"Thanks man, just remember to keep...that in line while we're out handling the biz. Comprende?"

I gritted my teeth in anger at how Bobby referred to Paul just now. He's a demented rug-rat that doesn't know when to shut up at the best of times, but nobody but no one talks bad about my little bro! As tempting as it was though, losing my cool in front of everyone would shoot the whole night down in flames. I repressed the urge to violently cave Bobby's nose in as I gave the calmest reply I could muster.

"Consider it done."

Everyone nodded their heads as they turned their backs to me and Paul. We both joined them at the front as we all prepared to race off into the night. We began to wheel our way to the rendevouz point dead center of our neighborhood. From there, we all pick a street we want to ride down first, collecting from as many houses as we can reach before regrouping in order to pick out another one.

We were about half-way there when Paul pulled me to the back of the group. Confused, I lent him my right ear as he begun to whisper something...err, less than flattering about Bobby's costume.

"Is it just me, or does Bobby look like a fat mini-me version of the Terminator?"

Try as I might, I couldn't help but snicker at Paul's little quip at Bobby's expense. I was supposed to be keeping him in line and making sure he didn't cause trouble for the rest of us, but Bobby's friendship with me was on the rocks in the worst way possible. I snapped out of my mild amusement in order to scold Paul from disobeying my commands of not acting out.

"Accurate, but what did I say about not bad mouthing others tonight?"

Paul scoffed at what I'd reminded him of, but made no complaint as he took his arm off my shoulder. This allowed me to get back to full speed as I wheeled on ahead to join the others. Before I could gain any real momentum though, Paul soon joined me to my left to make another crack about one of my friends.

"Also, what's up with Marcus's "scythe"? What junk yard in hell did he have to raid to get that lame-ass thing?!?"

Yep...this is gonna be a looooooong night.

"...Paaaaaaul!"

I growled under my breath as my patience was beginning to wane rapidly. I had no time to waste on Paul's crap when we're supposed to be making the candy score of a life-time here! Then we've got a mansion of death to somehow reach before it closes, and then survive and leave before the night is over!

"Hey, I'm just saying!"

I sighed in defeat, having nothing else to add or comment with for the moment. I rode up ahead to join the others while Paul once again joined me to my side. Eventually, we reached the backyard of one of our favorite neighborhood houses like we all agreed upon for the rendevous point. After Jason pulled out the map from his left pocket, we all analyzed it briefly before deciding on a street to start with.

Once we'd picked our respective streets, we all raced off in different directions to carry out the precious deed. With Paul at my side, we were visiting 2 houses at a time, allowing us to cover more ground and rake in more sweets. I knew Paul wouldn't be able to carry too much of the loot on his own, while still riding at the same time. I wasn't looking forward to all that extra weight being planted on one of my shoulders, but I needed to make sure Paul could still run away if need be...for later on tonight.

A little over half an hour goes by and I'd been through about 4 streets already. Paul and myself were feeling pretty worn out, with this next pass being our 5th one together. I paused for breath and decided to sit down on a street corner not too far off from where the guys were waiting for us. It took Paul less than a minute to join me to the right as he abruptly plopped down on the corner next to me. We both huffed and panted for air as we'd been riding non-stop for a while now. How Paul even still managed to carry his treat bag was nothing short of a miracle.

"Phew! Wasn't that fun? What time is it right now?"

I quickly checked my wrist-watch so I could answer that question. It read "7:50 PM", I began to ponder if I'd have enough time for one more ride, but I decided against it as we needed all the rest we could get before it was time to head off toward the mansion.

"It's 7:50. We have about 10 minutes to rest up before we've got to travel to the mansion. Let's go, we gotta meet up with the guys Paul."

Paul let out a groan, not really wanting to leave his position, but made no arguments as he lifted himself off the ground. We soon wheeled our way back to the rendevouz point where my buds were also taking a breather from all the riding we'd been doing. They were doing far better than me and Paul were, but in fairness they actually took the time to pace themselves with every trip. I generally do the same, but having to watch Paul as well as collect candy gave me no time to consider rest.

Tommy was the first to notice our return as he turned his back to face us. He briefly waved in our direction, which I returned eagerly.

"Hey! You guys okay?"

"We're holding up Tommy. I just checked my watch, and it's almost 8:00. You guys still wanna wheel it to the mansion, or should we cut our losses and haul back the loot before it gets too late?"

Tommy looked back at the rest of my friends to see what they had to say. I certainly wouldn't mind heading back a bit earlier tonight, but I wasn't going to let my friends go alone without my help. I care about Paul alot, even more than myself in fact, but I care about my friends too. I can't, nor will I let any of them get hurt if there's something I can do about it!

"What do you think guys? Is it worth it?"

They all took a moment to catch their breath before answering one by one. Jason was the first to go before anyone.

"I've got plenty left in the tank still. Count me in!"

"Call me a cliche, but I can never do with enough candy. I'm going!"

"I've got nothing else better to do tonight. Let's do it."

Tommy looked back at me with a determined smile. Not that it surprised me, I knew as long as the others still wanted to go, he'd want to go as well. That's what he and Jason had in common, neither of them liked being left out of things. I can't say a small part of me doesn't feel the same way, but I digress.

"I believe the group's made up it's mind. The only question left is whether or not you'll be joining us?"

I turned my head right to look at my little bro once more. Before I went any further, I had to take his safety into account first. If there was even the faintest of chances I could get him to go back home, at least I'd be risking my life to protect my friends, and not his as well!

"It's not too late to back out of this Paul. We've already scored more candy this night than any other year before it. You're free to go back home if you want to."

Paul just emphatically shook his head to clarify he didn't appreciate my subtle efforts at protecting him. I had a feeling he wouldn't give in so simply, but I really wasn't in the mood for debating this at the moment. I had more than my fill of worries as is.

"You really think I'm just gonna sit back at home and twiddle my thumbs while you go off with your friends to have the Halloween adventure of a life-time?!? Yeah, no sale big bro."

I began to grow frustrated once more as I wasn't leaving Paul out of this on purpose. I was just trying to be a half decent sibling and to make sure he wouldn't be put into needless danger. I replied again trying to persuade Paul into seeing reason, while also keeping my temper in check simultaneously.

"Do you have to make everything difficult Paul? I'm not trying to be a party pooper here. I'm just trying to be a good older brother!"

"That's all fine and dandy, but I'm not a baby Stew! It's not like I've slowed anyone down so far, right? I just want to make this Halloween one we'll both remember years from now. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? They could be harmless for all we know, and even if the worst should happen, we could just out-run them all on our boards!"

Jason scratched his chin in thought as he took in each word that was spoken. He soon gave his own opinion on the matter despite not being apart of the conversation himself.

"I know it's none of my business, but Paul might have a point man. Even if they turn out to be psychos or whatever, we still have our boards to fall back on. It's not like any of us need the extra candy anyway. We're all just going for the fun of it, right?"

The others began to nod their heads in agreement to his claim. I just sighed and shrugged, not really knowing how to refute anything that had been stated for the moment.

Soon, Bobby perked up with a somewhat annoyed expression on his face as it was clear he didn't want to waste further time on this matter.

"Uhh gentlemen? Not to be pushy, but time is of the essence here. If everyone's in agreement, I say we start moving right now!"

"Alright fine, have it your way Paul. We'll all head back to our homes to drop off the loot.Then we'll meet back here and head off to the mansion. If we all hurry, we should still be able to reach it before it's too late."

We all put our hands in a circle as we normally did upon coming to a universal agreement. Paul even joined in by putting his hand in the circle as well, much to my personal surprise.

"One...Two...Three...BREAK!!!"

A/N: Okay, I fibbed just a tad. Make no mistake, things are about to become quite chaotic however in the coming chapter. I do sincerely apologize for how long it's taken to get us here, but for what it's worth, I will prove that good things come toward those whom wait. See ya soon! ;)