thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! you guys rock! this short came to mind watching all the old scary movies as halloween approaches...and since i posted a halloween short last year, it seemed appropriate, enjoy!

Summary: Maybe Alexia has been watching too many scary movies.

Happy Haunting

2015

"Babe!" Steve called up the stairs at his wife. It was Halloween night and he was taking Jack and Lucy trick or treating while Alexia stayed home to pass out candy; twelve year old Julia decided that she was too old to go trick or treating, opting to go over to Grace's for the night instead for a sleepover. Steve was standing with nine year old Lucy, who was dressed as a witch, waiting for Alexia to come downstairs with four year old Jack for his first ever trick or treat.

"Is he almost ready?" Steve called now. Trick or treat was about to start and Lucy was bouncing on her feet in anticipation. Truthfully, this was one of Steve's favorite nights of the year because he loved taking the kids out trick or treating.

"All set," Alexia grinned as she was coming down the stairs, leading Jack by the hand.

"Oh no," Steve murmured under his breath. The rainbow wig; the jumpsuit with the polka dots; the red nose.

"Daddy, look!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm a clown!" Lucy snorted to keep from laughing, the girls knowing by now about their father's irrational fear.

"I see that," Steve nodded, smiling fakely.

"Mommy helped me pick it," Jack said.

"No kidding," Steve said, casting a look at his wife who was biting her lip to fight off her own laughter.

"Are you ready Jack?" Lucy asked, handing him his plastic pumpkin bucket.

"You guys have fun!" Alexia called after them as they headed out the front door.

"You're the worst," Steve informed his wife.

"No, I love you more," Alexia grinned at him and he made a face.

"What are you gonna do all night anyway?" he asked, since she usually had company to pass out candy.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Probably just watch whatever movies they have on." She smirked. "Maybe It."

"I'm not talking to you," he announced, though he did give her a quick peck on the cheek before following the kids down the front walk.

"You promise?!" Alexia shouted after him, feeling pretty pleased with herself as she went back inside, settling on the couch to watch her movie marathon.

Alexia woke up on the couch, not sure how long she had dozed off for. She laid there for a moment, her eyes still hazy with sleep, taking in her surroundings. She wasn't in her house that she shared with Steve and her kids, but she did recognize this place. The old couch, the mismatched furniture from various thrift stores, the overall tiny space.

"Hey!" one of her college roommates, Jill, said as she tossed Alexia's duffel bag at her. "Good, you're up."

"Jill?" Alexia asked in confusion. Her college apartment in Maryland?

"Lex," Jill joked back, making a face. "C'mon, Em's waiting in the car."

"For...what?" Alexia asked, getting up. She glanced in a mirror and saw a nineteen year old version of herself staring back.

"Halloweekend at my parents' cabin," Jill reminded her. "Deep Creek Lake, remember?" She glanced her roommate over. "What's going on with you?"

"I just had this...really weird dream," Alexia shook it off. Everything felt so real; maybe the house was the dream, with her thinking up her future. "Where's Steve?" she asked and Jill sighed.

"I know you're still a little sour because he can't make it up this weekend," Jill said. "But, it'll still be fun." She grinned, grabbing her own bag from the floor. "Now, seriously, c'mon. Ethan and Matt are already at the cabin." She grinned. "They got the beer."

"Can't wait," Alexia said with a fake smile as she followed Jill out the door. She wanted to call Steve before she left, but with her roommates rushing her out the door it wasn't possible.

While she was missing Steve, it was working out to be more fun than anticipated. Thankfully, her friends weren't the type to cling to their boyfriends, making her feel like a huge fifth wheel. After they got up to the cabin, they cooked out while the sun started to go down. Once it was dark, they lit a bon fire and were sitting around talking.

"You guys know about what happened up here, right?" Matt, Emily's new boyfriend was asking.

"Oh please," Jill rolled her eyes, excusing herself to go into the house the bring out more to drink. She knew one of the guys was going to try to start something like this with it being Halloween and all. With her being from Maryland and Emily just across the border in Pennsylvania, they both had grown up hearing local legends.

"I'm betting Lex is the only one who hasn't heard it," Emily said, nudging Alexia's shoulder in teasing. After all, she had grown up not far from Deep Creek and Jill's family obviously had a house there; both Matt and Ethan had grown up nearby so they knew the stories.

"What?" Alexia asked.

"You know this used to be a summer camp, right?" he was asking. "Until they had to close it down because of the murders."

"I've heard this before," Alexia said in confusion.

"BS!" Emily called, laughing. "You're from Hawaii. Do they even have ghost stories in Hawaii?"

"No, just the north east," Alexia made a funny face at her and Emily made one back. "Seriously though, that's Friday the 13th. My brother showed me that movie when I was eight, we watch it every year."

"Don't you think all those stories are based off some truth?" Matt asked her now and she rolled her eyes.

"No," she said simply. "Because if there was some psycho in the woods with a machete, I think we would have heard about it on the news."

"Careful," Emily joked. "The skeptics always go first."

"Ha ha," Alexia said, finishing her beer. "Did you guys see where Jill and Ethan went?" No one noticed that, during Matt's story, Ethan had gone to follow Jill into the house.

"They haven't seen each other in a month," Emily pointed out as she sipped her own beer, with Ethan going to school in Virginia. "Where do you think?" she joked.

"Well, if this is a scary movie, they'll go first then," Alexia said, making the others laugh.

"You two head inside," Matt nodded at the cabin. "I'm gonna go on a beer run."

"Drive safe," Emily told him, kissing him once before following Alexia inside.

"What's that?" Alexia asked, nodding back the hall of the one floor cabin. There was something on the floor next to Jill's door in the hall.

"I don't know," Emily shrugged while Alexia walked over. "Lex, c'mon, they probably want some privacy," she said, though she did follow her room mate.

"Em," Alexia said seriously. "It's blood."

"Are you guys screwing with me?" Emily asked defensively as Alexia pushed the bedroom door open.

"OH MY GOD!" she screamed. There was blood all over the room.

"Jill!" Emily was screaming at the same time, though screaming wasn't going to do any good.

"We have to get out of here," Alexia said, grabbing Emily's hand and leading her outside.

"Shouldn't we call for help?" Emily resisted.

"We can do that in town," Alexia insisted. She knew staying at the cabin was a bad idea, that whoever had killed Jill and Ethan had to be close.

"Do you think it's-"

"Don't say it," Alexia warned as they walked through the dark towards where they parked the cars.

"C'mon Lex," Emily insisted.

"Yes," Alexia rolled her eyes. "I think it's Jason, and that Deep Creek Lake is actual Crystal Lake, and that we're all screwed because we've been partying all night and none of us are-"

"AHH!" Emily shrieked.

"Don't do that!" Alexia insisted, having jumped about a foot in the air. "What are you screaming at?" Emily just pointed to Matt's car, with the door wide open, his body inside and the ground soaked in blood. "Em," Alexia said, trying to stay calm. "We have to get out of here, ok? Where are your keys?" Emily handed her the keys, both girls running over to Emily's car.

"I don't believe this," Emily said, fighting off tears.

"Dammit!" Alexia said in frustration, the car not starting. "AHHH!" she was screaming now, seeing the masked killer coming towards the car. They moved to lock the doors while she fought to get the car started.

"OH MY GOD!" Emily screamed as the glass of her window broke.

"Em!" Alexia called, unlocking her own door and falling out, pulling her roommate over the seat with her. They took off running in the woods, back towards the cabin. Alexia thought Emily was right behind her, but when she looked over her shoulder she wasn't with her anymore, having fallen behind; she heard screaming. Against her better judgement she headed back towards the house to call for help; naturally the phone was dead.

"Ah!" she jumped, feeling someone touch her.

"Lex, it's me!" Steve assured her, getting her to look at him instead of trying to fight him.

"What are you doing here?" Alexia asked.

"I came up to surprise you," Steve explained. "I just saw Ethan and Jill, what the hell is going on?"

"We've gotta get out of here," Alexia told him now.

"No kidding," Steve said, taking her hand and leading her back towards his car. "What's going on baby?" he asked as he attempted to start his car.

"I don't know," Alexia shook her head. "Matt was telling this stupid story, then Ethan and Jill disappeared, then we found Matt in his car and now Emily's gone," she was rattling off.

"Lex, it's ok," Steve assured her. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

"Why isn't your car starting?" she demanded, then noticed something behind him at his window; it was the killer. "STEVE WATCH OUT!"

"STEVE!" Alexia was screaming in her sleep.

"Whoa, whoa, easy!" Steve said, with her practically wrestling him as he tried to wake her. "Lex!" he said and she woke up, calming down. "What's wrong?" he asked gently as she looked around. There she was, back in her house, her kids sorting their candy on the kitchen table while she was on the couch with Steve.

"Mommy?" Jack was asking, coming over. "I got you a cup!" he said, with his word for reese's cups.

"Oh, thank you," she told him, kissing his head; she heard the scary movie music on the tv. "Can you turn that off?" she asked her husband. He smirked at her.

"You scared?" he asked though he did oblige her by turning it off.

"Not funny," Alexia insisted, though it did seem like karma for what she did with the clown costume.

"C'mon," he said, kissing her head before helping her up off the couch. "Less movies, more candy."

"Sounds like a plan to me," she smiled, following him into the kitchen.

thanks for reading! :) hope you liked the yearly halloween special lol please let me know what you thought! enjoy celebrating my favorite holiday lol anyone doing anything fun? costumes? would love to hear about it! enjoy your weekend! :)