It's spooky season! And I had the itch to write a follow-up to 'Something Wicked'. It picks up a year after the events of the last story, you don't need to read it but be warned there are a few references to it. I tried something a little different this time around. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Power Rangers

Chapter 1: Just For Frights

"Ahh!"

A door slammed open, hitting the wall with a thud as little feet skittered through it, down the wooden stairs, hitting the ground with a heavy clunk, legs fumbling as they headed toward the first solid object. Which just happened to be a pair of legs dressed in deep pinstripe purple pants. The small body shifts and tiny hands reach around to grip the fabric.

Light grey eyes blinked and looked down at the quivering body, then up at the door where other small faces began to peep out. Dark lips curved into a smile as the man gently pulled his leg free, brushed his light purple jacket back, and crouched before the young boy.

"Now what would a brave young man like you be so afraid of?"

Big brown eyes looked up at the pale face under the shadow of a fedora and blinked. "The… there… there's mon…monsters in there," the little boy whispered, as his hands dropped to his sides gripping his shorts.

"Monsters?"

"Yeah, big scary ones," he replied, releasing his pants and raising up by his head, fingers curled into claws. "There's bony ones, and squishy ones, and hairy ones with big glowing eyes. And, and…" his voice drops further into a barely audible whisper, "Clowns."

"Clowns?"

"Creepy clowns. Very creepy clowns," he repeated with a shudder, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Nathan!... Nathan where are you?… ouch! Stay together, don't do that."

The two of them looked around as a harried-looking teenager appeared at the door, surrounded by four or five children and trying to move without tripping over them. The little boy dropped his hands and shifted behind the man, who turned around with a knowing look.

"Something tells me that's not the only thing scary in there." With a gentle sigh, he reached out and gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Nathan, that's a very strong name. Now listen to me. Monsters… and clowns, can be scary. But only if you let them."

"How does that work?"

"Monsters get their power from us. When you take it away, they're not so scary anymore. They might even be scared of you."

The boy peeped around his shoulder as the teenager thundered down the stairs, dragging the other children behind him. His eyes locked with his and whatever hint of worry was etched into the elder's face quickly morphed into a scowl. "There you are!"

The man placed a finger against the boy's cheek and turned his head so that their eyes met once again. "The next time you see a monster, you look him straight in the eye and say, 'You don't scare me'. And poof your fear will disappear," he said, snapping his fingers with a little flair.

"Really? I can be brave like the others?"

"Really. What we believe Nathan has a lot of power and that's stronger and scarier than any monster."

His eyes sparkle with a purplish tinge and he taps the boy on the nose. Nathan blinks and stares at him as the teenager stomps up to them and grabs his hand. "You can't run off like that. Do you want to get me in trouble?"

The little boy blinks and shakes his head as the man pushes himself to his feet, adjusting his jacket and brushing down his pants.

"Sorry about that man, kids you know they scare easily. This one just ran out on me."

Eyes twinkling the man adjusted his hat and turned to the teen, his lips tilting upwards to one side. "No harm done. Nathan and I had a wonderful conversation." He winked at the boy who was trying to pull free from the elder boy. He smiled at the man as he succeeded, offered a small wave, and scurried over to the other children.

"Should've got 'em leashes," the teenager grumbled as he dragged his feet, lumbering over to the children who were excitedly talking amongst themselves and trying to usher them out the gates.

The man chuckled as he watched them leave, walking across the way toward a carousel with a giant laughing pumpkin sitting atop, slowly turning around as a barely audible tune wafted through the air. The children looked up in awe and broke off in a run, leaving the teen scrambling behind them.

He chuckled and touched his hat, his ears filling with the sound of lighthearted giggles and squeaks as more children skittered around, running in and out of the house, in all likeliness dragging their weary caretakers behind them.

"Excuse me, sir, can I help you?"

He turned around to find a young man standing behind him. He was wearing a bright orange t-shirt with a dark outline of a smiling pumpkin on it. On the left corner of the chest is an emblem of an eagle with wings spread and the letters SG within it. Around his neck was a lanyard with a card identifying him as a volunteer.

"I'm sorry about that," he continued, gesturing towards the children that just left. "We try to get guardians to keep an eye on their charges but some of the kids get really spooked in there."

"No harm done. I suppose this wouldn't be a haunted house if someone didn't get spooked."

The young man looked back at the house, a two-storey structure with an attic that was painted a deep purple. At first glance, it looked a little lopsided, the frames of the door and windows were crooked and there appeared to be thick drapes behind them. By the door was a large cat with a grin, while pumpkins were scattered around. At the very top, shaped like a witch on a broomstick, the weathervane creaked as it slowly shifted in the wind. On either side was a crooked, leafless tree curling up to it.

"Yeah, a haunted house," he mumbled as he turned back to him. "It's actually very kid-friendly, but some of the older kids like to move the props around and scare the younger ones. It's a problem, but what can you do? It kinda breaks the illusion if we follow them around trying to keep them in check."

"Oh, what's a little scare on Hallow's Eve?"

"S'not Halloween yet."

"It won't be long now."

The volunteer shrugged and asked if he could help him with something. "Are you looking for your kid? Or are you one of the acts?" he asked looking him up and down.

"Oh no. A little… well not so little birdie told me about this place. So I came to, as you say, check out the sights and the frights of course."

"And you came here? In the middle of the day?"

"It is open, correct?"

"Yeah, but this place is kids' stuff. If you want spooky and scary, check out the haunted house on Covenant St. At night. It's got all this cool animatronic stuff and a major gore factor. That's a real haunted house."

The man tilted his head to the side, his eyes sparked purple in the light before he turned his attention back to the volunteer. "Nonsense, it has plenty of potential, this entire place does. You just need to know how to look."

"Wha…"

Before the words could leave his mouth, the man turned away, bending to the side to pick up a worn, leather bag and striding through the gate mumbling, "So much potential."

The volunteer watched him stride away in the direction of the carousel and disappear into the crowd. "That is one strange dude."

He turned around and froze, his breath catching in his throat and eyes wide. Before him the haunted house had a deep purple aura around it, shifting like plumes of smoke rising into the air. The first floor windows titled towards each other, burning with a flaming orange light while the door and downstairs windows merged into a sinister Jack-o'-lantern grin, curling upwards and burning with a bright light. The trees on either side bent forward and arched around the house, naked branches curling inward with pointed tips glinting in the light emanating from the house.

"Aaron! What are you doing?"

He blinks, for a moment the house shifted back to the way it was, but then shifted back, the aura blooming with more intensity. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head violently. Taking a deep breath he slowly opened his eyes. The house was as it had been before, as it had been since the carnival opened. Now standing before him was a girl with braided hair, pulled back, wearing the same T-shirt and standing with her arms on her hips. A group of children wearing masks scattered around her.

"Aaron! C'mon, we've got work to do."

He slapped his hand over his eyes and dragged it over his face, before pulling himself together and walking over, slowly shaking his head. "It's gonna be a long Halloween."

That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it and would love to hear what you think.

I know I've been away for a bit and have another ongoing story - which I will finish - life just got a little busy. A friend of mine challenged me to do this - as a means to distract me I'm guessing - but I couldn't say no. I'm hoping to update every other day.

Till next time...