All Hallows Eve

Disclaimer: I don't own SK but I do own everything else.

Alex-Hernandez, this is for you!

Note: Title is in keeping with the 'book' chapter name theme, and a running joke in SK. (hint)

Chapter Three:

Page Three is Torn

"Look, we have to do something!" Ryu was close to pulling out his hair in frustration, which was saying a lot. "We have a group now. Faust went in there alone…" he glanced pointedly at Ren. "And don't you think it wise to at least stop whoever or whatever did this?"

"That's what the police are for, Ryu."

"Not if it's a spirit." No one seemed inclined to look at him, staring at their feet or fidgeting hands, but never at Faust. "Whatever, I'll go without you."

"No!" several voices chorused.

"Oh? Does this mean you've changed your mind?"

"Perhaps."

"Yes."

"No."

With that sound indecision, the group set off across that same weedy yard that Faust had walked through not so long ago.

Unseen by all of them, the girl in the window turned away, tilting her hat over her eyes.

The stage was set.

They stepped cautiously inside, the house's interior just as decrepit and still impressive as its exterior. There was a thick layer of dust over everything; obviously no one took care of the house was still stately despite the outward appearance and the disuse, done in varying shades of gold, ebony, and burgundy. The candle holders were golden, the long tapered candles looking new despite their probable age, looking at them, one could well imagine what it did to the surrounding décor, though whether that was to highlight it or to make it unnerving with their flickering, no one could decide. All the portraits were the type that the occupants' eyes followed you no matter where you went, almost accusing in their subtle malice. The hearth was empty, cleaned out except for a small pile of ashes that were shifted around by the air filtering in from the chimney. Other than that, everything was strangely silent and suspiciously peaceful. This made it all the more obvious what happened next.

Behind them, the bolt slowly slid home, locking them in. They heard the click of said lock, and whipped around to see their escape path irrevocably barred.

"What the-? That was unlocked before!" Horohoro noticed, striding over to the door, first trying to unlock it, then trying to open it futilely.

"Great, we're trapped!"

"We could always break a window."

"True."

"But that would be disrespectful to the house, we can't have that." a hauntingly familiar voice added from behind them. There was a tense silence, no one wiling to turn around first. "Oh come now, you act like it's not everyday you see a ghost!" They were suddenly surprised to see Faust appear before them, in quite a shocking state.

Faust's arms were lacerated beyond belief, supposedly from the barbed wire, blood leaking from the wounds to drop to the floor… but it never hit. His eyes were wide, unblinking, all-knowing, and quite dead. Currently, he was staring at Ren expressionlessly, eyes devoid of emotion even more so than usual.

"Look, I'm sorry! I didn't know!" he shouted, more than a little unnerved by Faust's lifeless stare. Faust said nothing, floating there in complete stillness. Faust blinked slowly… once… twice.

"That doesn't matter to me Ren. I quite enjoy being dead, I suppose."

"So you're not mad?" Ren paused, not wanting to ask the question burning in his mind, but needing to, "How did you die?"

"Oh. That. It was horrible. Absolutely dreadful." Everyone unconsciously drew closer, listening intently. Relishing in the retelling, Faust continued, "I walked into the house, searching for something interesting to placate you. So as I was walking around, I got the familiar feeling that I was being watched. I turned around and saw a little girl at the top of the staircase. She told me- Well, I'm not supposed to tell you what she told me, but anyway… I began to ascend the stairs, only to have those damned wires wrap around my arms and pull tight." He looked at his still bleeding arms and smiled. "Not exactly razor wire, but it did the trick."

"What trick?"

"Why, it let me die quickly as I hung from the roof, of course. It wouldn't have been very pleasant to have died slowly (but then again…). You would certainly have found me before I could- Well, it seems I have another secret to keep." Faust gave one of his high-pitched laughs, before smiling brightly.

"Why? Why so many secrets?"

"Yeah, what is it with this house?"

"Nothing, nothing, it's always nothing!" Faust sang, laughing so hard afterwards that had he been living, he would have coughed up blood. But he soon sobered up. "I'm lonely." Faust started to go a little transparent, especially around the edges. "Oh so very lonely." He began to fade more, increasingly faster now.

"Wait, Faust we need answers!"

He was gone, disappeared before their eyes.

"But what is there for it?" his disembodied voice swept through the room, chilling them to the bone. They knew nothing good would come from this.

"That guy…" Ren said, angrily, "You never could get a straight answer from him, even while he was alive! I bet we could learn more if we went to his body ourselves." With that, Ren ran off up the stairs, hoping to find a door or window to the roof. He flung wide the double doors at the top, stepping through boldly. He suddenly regretted leaving the rest of the group behind as those same doors slammed shut behind him. They locked and it was like the sound of his fate.

The others that were left behind began beating on the door in earnest, trying in vain to open it. They shouted his name but got no answer. Then, all at once the noises started.

"No!"

Then a sharp scream, long, drawn out, and moving through the house at an alarming rate. Interspaced during the scream were various crashes and bangs that they could follow along the house with their eyes. When the sounds reached the far end of the house, they all ran to the window to see Ren flung through the big upstairs bay window with an impressive shattering of glass. He was reaching out as if grabbing a shirt to catch his fall, but there was nothing there. His arms reaching out desperately to try and slow his descent, he stared up at the broken window. He realized that he would meet the ground at any instant, and twisted around to look, his eyes widening as he watched the instrument of his death rise up to meet him. He landed in a broken heap with the sickening wet crunch of a body rupturing.

He had reached in that first moment as if someone or something were there. There was nothing there… but it was unanimously agreed that there was nothing there anymore.