Disclaimer: I do not own Static Shock, The Phantom of The Opera, or the song "Think of Me" (Although it is my favorite song from the musical).

Thank you Worker72 for reviewing the last two chapters!

Richie shuddered at the fearful look upon his friend's face. Never had he seen the usual confident Virgil appear so shaken. Richie gathered the courage to move closer to where his friend stood shaking.

"Who's watching?" Richie asked pushing Virgil away from the window.

"Richie, don't!" Virgil shouted. He reached for Richie's arm too slowly giving the other boy enough time to pull back the curtains.

Richie glanced over to the adjacent yard. Richie's eyes widened upon viewing the doors of a beige SUV open. A woman who appeared to be in her early thirties stepped out with her two children, one in junior high and the other in later elementary following her lead. The mother pressed a button on her set of keys which opened the trunk. The three hurried over to the trunk to grab the plastic bags and hurry inside before the rain fell harder.

"V, it's just your neighbors," Richie said turning to face his friend.

Virgil's mouth dropped. He looked Richie in the eyes to see if the boy only said such words to ease his fears. Virgil checked after Richie to confirm his statement. Much to his surprise it was just as Richie described. The woman ushered her children inside the hurried in after them, promptly shutting the front door.

"But I saw someone else there," Virgil retorted as he dropped the curtain.

"You were probably imagining things," Richie replied. "You know being on edge about that letter. It's only natural you'd see—"

"No, he was wearing a black hoodie," Virgil snapped. "I saw him, he was right there." Virgil pointed at the empty space where the figure once stood.

"V."

"He had his hands in fists. He was staring at me."

"Virgil."

"He was staring at me!"

"VIRGIL!" Richie screamed grabbing his friend's shoulders. Richie felt Virgil's clammy skin beneath his palms. Virgil stared up at Richie who attempted to give off the impression of being collected. "Calm down," he spoke softly. "You were upset and saw what your mind wanted you to see."

Virgil knew what he saw when he stared out the window. Still behind it all Richie's logic was sound. This was not the first time he let his imagination get the best of him.

Virgil took a deep breath and nodded. "You're probably right, Richie." Virgil, still shaking, made his way over to the window once more. He lifted the curtain to find the mother returning to her vehicle to retrieve the one last bag. She closed her door and locked it with the automatic key. Her nine-year-old daughter waited for her on the porch, hopping as she reached the steps.

Virgil surveyed everything outside looking for any suspicious movement. Nothing. He closed the curtain and sat down on his bed.

"Maybe I am only imagining this," Virgil said outloud to himself.

"What?" Richie asked.

Virgil shook his head and smiled. "Nothing." He shrugged the thoughts from his mind and placed the crumpled note on the dresser. "How 'bout we order a pizza and play some videogames 'til nightfall."

"You read my mind!" Richie exclaimed.

Virgil found it difficult to sleep that night. He lay wide awake thinking only of the man in the black hoodie. He knew the man was only a figment of his imagination, something he thought up to make sense of the letter. The blood had dripped down the sheet of paper, losing all proof of the text. There was something about that man that seemed so familiar to Virgil, but all Virgil could conclude was that this man only wanted trouble. There was little doubt in his mind, save the fact that perhaps the guy did not even exist, that he was the one who delivered the letter.

Virgil shut his eyes and tried to force happy thoughts into his mind. Every fond memory from his past somehow returned to one involving either Talon or that mystery man. The thoughts ended up exhausting him. Around two in the morning, Virgil drifted into slumber.

Although it was a long sleep, it was in no way peaceful. Virgil dreamt that he was running through an open space in his Static costume. The only difference is that his usual mask was in the shape of the half-mask worn by Erik in The Phantom of the Opera. The mask still retained its normal color. Though it revealed his identity, thus losing its purpose there were none around to spot him. Virgil continued to run, looking for any sign of life. He saw abstract shapes of dark colors swirling about in the realm of nothingness. The sound of a heartbeat accompanied his sprinting. Virgil increased his pace. Blood splattered all about him, landing on his costume, though not staining. Virgil glanced up at what appeared to be a bird with golden feathers fluttering above him. There were eighteen wounds on her body, each delicately dripping blood like rain.

There were odd noises coming from behind him that sounded like a distorted scream. Virgil glanced behind him to reveal nothing. Two candles appeared on the wall in which the wicks lit enough for the superhero to make out the figure of a man. The hallway began to stretch as Virgil, though standing still, gradually moved farther and farther from the creature. Virgil turned around to find himself standing on the edge of a cliff. Virgil turned back around to find the man in the black hoodie standing directly in front of him. The stranger's eyes flashed a deep red making Virgil shriek and step backwards. His foot stepped in a vacant area, making him lose his balance. Virgil found himself falling into a deep, dark abyss to which there was no bottom. His heart felt the fall as his eyes only saw endless black before them.

He looked up to see the candlelight falling dimmer as he dropped. The man in the black hoodie watched him plummet deeper into the pit. Virgil raised his arm asking the stranger for help. The man reached into his pocket to which Virgil hoped to release a rope or something else he could grab onto. Instead the man pulled out an envelope. He brought the envelope to his lips, gave it a quick kiss then flung it towards Virgil.

The cream-colored envelope fell faster than Virgil, landing on the unmasked part of his face. The envelope transformed into snow, freezing and soaking Virgil's skin. Virgil touched the icy surface to feel it melt when in contact with his fingers.

The man became smaller as Virgil drifted away, farther into the pit. Soon the stranger disappeared from his view. All that was left of the light vanished leaving Virgil to fall forever into a realm of darkness and silence.

Virgil woke up with a start. He shook finding himself in deep darkness. He hurried over to the lightswitch and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the lightbulb illuminate his bedroom. He glanced over at the clock to discover it was only five on a Saturday. Virgil clenched his blanket and turned over on his side hoping to drift back into sleep. He kept the light on to ward off the taunting images that flashed through his brain. That image was too clear to be only someone he made up. The atmosphere was too real. The sweat poured from his forehead, but the room was too frigid for him to remove the blanket. About an hour and a half later, his mind rested enough for him to fall into another state of sleep.

OCTOBER 28

Virgil woke at eleven to the smell of pancakes and frying eggs. Virgil made a quick trip to the bathroom then dawdled down the stairs in his blue pajama pants and a white tank top.

Virgil turned the corner and entered the kitchen where the rest of his immediate family congregated. His father sat at the table sipping coffee and reading the morning newspaper. Sharon stood over the stove in her pink housecoat making pancakes and eggs with cooked bacon resting in the pan.

"Morning, Pops," Virgil said with a yawn. Robert briefly glanced up from the column to give his son a smile.

"Hope you're hungry!" cheered Sharon.

"Hungry for vomit?" Virgil asked knowing the breakfast would taste horrible.

Sharon walked up behind her brother and smacked him on the head with the cooking spoon.

"Wash that before putting it back in the food," Robert said without looking up from the paper.

Sharon laughed while Virgil found no comedy in his statement. Usually he would have said something witty prepared for Sharon, but his mind was elsewhere at the present moment.

"Virgil, are you okay?" Robert asked placing the paper on the table.

"Huh?" Virgil asked looking up.

His father eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm just a little tired, I didn't sleep well," Virgil said while he wiped eye-boogers from his lids. He stretched as Sharon put a plate in front of him. His nose wrinkled and his stomach turned.

"It's not a TV, eat it, don't watch it," Sharon said putting a plate in front of her father.

Virgil prodded what Sharon considered to be food with his fork. The eggs ran a bit, knowing for a fact they were supposed to be scrambled and not over easy. Virgil considered whinning, but a stern look from his father forced him to at least try the meal they were thankful to have. Virgil took a few bites not enjoying the taste one bit.

"Hope you kids have your costumes ready," Robert said near finished with his meals.

"Costumes?" Virgil asked.

"Yeah, Trina's party is tonight, dummy," Sharon said rolling her eyes.

"You forgot?" Robert asked.

Virgil's face became red.

"You do have a costume, right?" Robert asked his son with a tone in his voice.

"Sure," Virgil said not knowing if he had one or not. He chugged the orange juice then excused himself from the table and dashed up to his room. Sharon shook his head and muttered something about her ungrateful brother.

Virgil searched his closet for something he could throw together for the party. Through his many outfits and assorted clothing nothing was coming together. At one point he was tempted to go in his Static costume. He decided against that option upon remembering the time Sharon suspected him to be the town's greatest hero. The last thing he wanted was for Sharon to resume her suspicions.

The CD player from Sharon's room blared music that sounded strange to her brother's ears. Virgil found Sharon's odd choice to be different from her boyfriend's beats she usually played on repeat until Virgil was ready to smash the album. After the first track, he recognized the second to be the overture on The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. He wondered when his sister received that album thinking that it had to be recent as the feature film had not been out that long and he never could remember her playing it previously. Suddenly he remembered his dream.

Virgil put his hands over his ears telling himself that it was only a coincidence. If anything, Sharon played that CD last night and that was what caused the dream. Not that the song mattered much, for all he could clearly remember was falling as that stranger stoically watched without offering any help.

"He's only a dream, he's not real," Virgil repeated to himself. The glowing red eyes surfaced to his mind. Virgil took a deep breath reminding himself that some of the bang babies he fought on a regular basis were way scarier than the creatures he met in his dreams. It was not as though his nightmares could harm him in the physical sense, not to mention there was medication for people who had recurring terrifying dreams.

Virgil repeated his chant thrice more until he felt his nerves returning to their normal state. Once he calmed himself Virgil removed his hands from his head. The smile was brief as he went to cover his ears once more for Sharon was now singing along to Christine's part in "Think of Me," in a falsetto voice that did not suit her range.

Virgil banged on the wall that was shared by both his and Sharon's room.

"What?" Sharon called.

"Stop singing, please!" Virgil fake begged.

"Shut up!" Sharon yelled turning the volume up louder.

Virgil smiled hoping the raised volume would drown out his sister's voice.

Virgil continued to search through his closet. As the title song from the musical, "Phantom of the Opera" began to play he considered giving the movie a chance as the music did not sound too bad. Virgil found himself humming along with the melody as he pushed through the many jeans he owned. At last he came upon a pair of brown pants he rarely wore. When he saw the lime green shirt a little ways down a sudden idea sparked. It was nothing too creative, but he decided to paint his face orange, color his hair green with spray-in die, and go as a pumpkin.

Virgil grabbed his wallet to count out fifteen dollars then hurried down to the kitchen. Robert stood in the kitchen putting away the remainder of the clean dishes. Virgil approached his father and asked him if he would drive him to the Halloween store. Robert agreed since Trina called not five minutes ago asking him if it would be too much trouble for him to pick up a few more orange and black cups to match the plates. She had underestimated the amount she already owned, but she was filling in for someone who called out and would not have the time to run to the store before the party. Robert insisted it was no trouble.

The two hurried out to the car.

"Can I drive?" Virgil asked.

Robert nodded tossing the keys to his son. Virgil caught them and hopped in the car. He stuck the key in the ignition and fastened his seatbelt.

Robert closed the door and asked, "Anxious are we?"

Virgil shot him a smile then turned his attention behind his shoulder as he backed out of the driveway. Robert clutched his heart when Virgil nearly ran into the neighbor's mailbox. Virgil jerked as his foot slammed on the break. He quickly switched the driving mode then sped out of the neighborhood despite Robert's shouting for him to slow down.

The entire to the store, Robert nitpicked about everything that Virgil needed improvement on. Virgil let his father's advice go in one ear and out the other. Robert heard a rumbling and groaned when he noticed the sky darkening a full three hours before its scheduled time. Virgil compensated for his horrible driving with a perfect parking job.

"Let's hurry," Robert said as they rushed inside to beat the rain.

Virgil announced his whereabouts would be in the accessory section of the store. Robert nodded and headed over to where the decorations and paper products were located.

Virgil dawdled over to the makeup shelves over to the right of the accessories. He searched through the numerous packages for something in orange. His eyes darted through the colors that consisted of everything including white, black, and gray. There were combination packages that consisted of everything save orange.. There were packages of fangs, false scars and wounds, and even some extreme effects such as a giant screw in the head or a pencil in the eye. Sitting on the bottom shelf were bottles of fake blood. Virgil sighed and moved down a little ways to where there was blue and purple fairy makeup. He scrunched his nose then smiled at finally finding a kit that contained orange, black, and white. The model on the cardboard was portrayed as a mix between a skeleton and pumpkin. Virgil picked up the makeup kit and headed over to the temporary hair dye.

There was a girl only a few years his senior with short, spiky, blonde hair holding a can of red spray-on dye. She had a stud in her left nostril, one piercing in her left ear, and two in the right as well as a tattoo of a spider on the side of her neck. She was wearing a black coat and tight, blue jeans. She bent down and picked up another can, this time being of green hair dye.

Virgil took a glimpse at the color on the can top and decided that was the color he wanted to go with. He reached down to where he saw her pick up the can.

"Good choice," she said as Virgil selected his dye.

"Thanks, you too," he said eyeing the exact same color she chose.

They shared a laugh.

"Virgil," he said facing her.

"I'm Susan," she said crossing her arms.

"What are you going as?"

"A green fairy. How about you?"

Virgil looked down at his shoes and said, "A pumpkin."

"Ah, to give your hair the leafy look," Susan guessed.

Virgil nodded. He looked up when realizing she was not going to laugh at his idea.

"Creative," Susan commented. "You do Halloween often?"

"Not really," Virgil replied with a shake of his head. "But I'm invited to a party tonight."

"Cool. I'm going to one tomorrow night. And then on Halloween too."

Virgil smiled. Susan returned his smile. She suddenly glanced behind Virgil then returned her attention to him. Virgil lifted his eyebrow assuming she had not heard his question.

"Hey, what's with your friend?" Susan asked before Virgil repeated his question.

"What friend?" Virgil asked wondering if she was referring to his father.

"The one back there?" Susan said nodding behind them on the other side of the store. "I saw him follow you in and he's been looking at you the whole time you've been over here."

Virgil turned around and his eyes widened. The man in the black hoodie stood on the other side of the store, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. If Virgil could see his eyes he knew they would be glaring.

Virgil turned back to Susan who looked at him with confusion.

"I don't know him," Virgil whispered.

Susan gave Virgil a strange look. Virgil saw a brief state of panic fall over her features. It was the same look he knew he sported when he first saw the stranger.

She looked over at the guy who had yet to move. She returned her attention to Virgil. "He must know you."

Virgil tried to keep from looking at the stranger standing twenty feet behind him. There was something about the guy that enticed him to continue looking his way. If Virgil could see his mouth he knew the stranger would be smirking. Virgil wanted to storm over to him and find out what he wanted, but knew it was too risky a move to perform in a crowded store.

"Virgil," Robert called walking over.

"Mr. Hawkins!" Susan exclaimed as she clapped hands with him.

"How have you been, Susie?" Robert asked.

"You two know each other?" Virgil asked.

"Yeah, he helped me out a few years ago when I was going through difficult times," Susan answered.

"I see you met my son, Virgil," Robert said.

"He's your son? What a small world," Susan replied.

"It really is," Virgil said momentarily forgetting he was being watched.

Susan and Robert spent a few minutes catching up. She thanked him again for helping her get the job at the comic book store a few years ago which had helped her save up enough money to attend a community college. Robert remained humble despite her gratitude. There was another rumble of thunder and a few flicks of rain against the glass wall that caught the Hawkins' attention.

Robert glanced down at the merchandise in his son's hands. He smiled at the two. "We need to get going," Robert said to Virgil. He turned to Susan and said, "Take care."

Susan nodded. She then smiled at Virgil and said a quick goodbye.

Virgil and his father paid for their items then left the store before the rain picked up. Robert decided it was best he drove home incase the weather worsened. Virgil nodded then looked back at where the eerie guy was standing earlier. The stranger no longer stood there, nor could he see him anywhere else in the store. Virgil continued to glance back at the store while they left, but each time had the same results.

Virgil climbed into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. His eyes returned towards the direction of the shop to find the man in the black hoodie standing outside the store. He leaned against the glass wall with his eyes fixed on Virgil. Virgil felt his stomach drop. He looked over at his father who was focused solely on driving. Virgil returned his gaze to the creep knowing he needed to find a time to meet him alone and discover what he wanted. Still a part of him was reluctant to find out.

Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think about the changes. Is it scary/thrilling enough? Does it need more? Is there anything that needs work (especially in the realm of horror and pace, I tend to write really slow-paced stories, so I want to know how the speed of this story fits). I especially want to know what you think about the dream sequence. Thanks again for reading. I look forward to hearing feedback.