Hello there! I hope you all are having a good morning/afternoon and evening where you are. I'm back with another chapter! And since Halloween is literally on our doorstep, I decided to treat you all with a Halloween special! And my first seasonal chapter ever! I never thought this will happen on my end. Anyway, enjoy this lovely chapter everyone!
"Excellent work class! Since we've covered all of today's lessons, you all have free time for the rest of the day."
The class cheered all at once, as the students enjoyed their free time with much fanfare, for it was another typical day at Aberdale Elementary, with Ms. Baker took her seat at her desk and rested and letting the students enjoy their day. Clarence wasted no time talking to Sumo and Jeff, the former busy clashing with Saphira and the latter busy interacting with Malessica, while Kimby and Courtlin were talking with Haru.
"Hey Sumo, hey Jeff, hey Malessica."
"Hey, Clarence!" The kids greeted him simultaneously.
"I can't believe it's already Halloween! What are you going to do tonight?!" he asked.
"Trick or treat, though Courtlin wants to attend a costume party," Courtlin replied.
"Oh, that sounds like fun," Jeff remarked.
"We're going trick or treating as well," Sumo interjected. " And I'm going to be a werewolf."
"That's a great idea! I suggest that we dress up as mythical monsters for this year's Halloween," Clarence suggested.
"Way ahead of you," An enthusiastic Jeff smiled. "I got my costume ready for the occasion."
"What do you have in mind, Clarence?" Sumo asked.
"A griffon!" Clarence happily answered. "My mom is making the costume."
Malessica gasped. "A griffin! That's so cool you guys. I can actually picture you all in your costumes." She couldn't help but giggle. "Anyway, I'll be going back to my desk."
"Bye Malessica," Clarence waved, as he watched his classmate head back to her desk.
"About time," an exasperated Saphira said, before facing Sumo. "Now, where were we?"
"Get over it, you drama queen. It's just a handkerchief!" Sumo merely rolled his eyes.
"Of course you would never understand, as expected from a ruffian like you." Saphira expressed his disgust.
"And proud of it," Sumo then blew a raspberry at his classmate's direction
"What's this?" Robin smirked. "Am I seeing a snob getting his just desserts?"
"This doesn't concern you!" Saphira shouted, before walking away from the scene.
"What's his deal?"
"It's nothing important," Sumo waved dismissively. "Anyway, you should join us for a trick or treat tonight!"
"No can do, guys. I don't do Halloween." Robin shook her head, much to the trio's shock.
"What?! Why?" Clarence demanded.
"It's just not my thing. Plus, I don't like being in those silly costumes," Robin nonchalantly answered.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Clarence tried his best to change her mind.
"I'm not going to join in and that's final!" Robin snapped, slamming both hands on the desk, as her outburst made the whole classroom silent, getting everyone's attention, including Ms. Baker.
"What's going on?" she asked with concern.
"Oh, it's nothing, teach."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, just a disagreement that got out of hand," Robin insisted.
"Yeah, it won't happen again." Sumo chimed in.
"Well…okay then," Ms. Baker reluctantly accepted their answer, before heading back to her desk, much to the group's relief.
"Sorry about that," Clarence bashfully rubbed his arm.
"It's okay, it wasn't your fault." Robin accepted her friend's apology, before sighing. "I'm going to go back to my desk. Call me whenever that snob is bothering you again."
"I think we got it, but thanks," Sumo smiled, as Robin headed back to her desk.
"What was that about?" Clarence pondered. "I get it's Halloween, but why did she lose her temper like that?"
"You did push her button one too many times," Jeff pointed this out, before pondering himself. "Maybe she just had a bad experience."
"Or maybe it's something much deeper," Sumo suggested.
"I highly doubt that," Jeff shook his head in disagreement.
The bell finally rang, signifying the end of school, as the kids quickly rushed out of their classrooms, eager to get themselves ready for tonight. Ever since the fall season arrived, the weather was starting to cool, but despite this, the sun was still ever present and remained warm throughout the season, though this hardly phased everyone's plans for Halloween.
While the trio walked towards their destination, almost every house they passed by was decorated, each impressive as the next.
"Wow, everyone really is getting ready for tonight," Jeff took notice.
"Too bad this year's Halloween is on a school night," Sumo groaned. "I really want to eat my candies all night long."
"We'll just enjoy all the time we are given!" Clarence cheerfully suggested.
"Here here!" Sumo cheered.
"No arguments here," Jeff nodded in agreement.
Before long, the trio raced toward the neighborhood, wanting to save time before the main event begins.
"Trick or treat!"
"Aw, you guys are so adorable! Here you go, boys!"
"Thank you!"
The male neighbor closed his door shortly afterwards, as the trio left the house they visited with much satisfaction. Despite being very early in the evening, the whole neighborhood filled up throughout Aberdale, with every kid and parent ready to celebrate tonight as much as they can.
"Alright, that was like the ninth house we visited," Jeff noted.
"We sure are making some good progress," Sumo commented.
Clarence looked over to his right and spotted a familiar face. "Hold on, is that… Belson?"
Sumo and Jeff looked in Clarence's direction and much to their dismay, it really was Belson, along with Dustin, Nathan and Percy, dressed in their own respective costumes.
"Belson!" Clarence ran towards the group without much thought.
"Ugh, not now," Belson groaned with irritation, while his friends happily waved at the trio.
"Hey, you guys." Nathan was the first to greet them.
"Whoa! You guys look cool!" Clarence complimented the group's outfits.
"Thanks, Clarence, My parents helped me make this cool costume," Dustin accepted his compliment, as he was dressed up as a necromancer mage.
"Cool Me too!" Clarence then turned his attention to Nathan and Percy, both dressed up as a barbarian and Pharoah, respectively.
"Love the costumes by the way!" Clarence praised their outfits.
"Thanks, Clarence."
"That's so kind of you to say that."
"Holy cow, that is a lot of candy you collected!" Sumo remarked.
"How many houses did you visit?!" Jeff asked, equally surprised as his friends were.
"Twenty minutes ago, though, Belson's mother is driving around for us tonight," Dustin answered.
"Aw, what?! That's not fair!" Sumo complained.
"Hey, I'm still enjoying myself and that's what matters." Belson said, before sticking his tongue out.
"Whatever," Sumo rolled his eyes.
"Of course only you would be enjoying this, Belson," Jeff deadpanned.
"Say, why don't we just continue to trick-or-treat?" Clarence interjected. "Maybe there are a few more houses that we haven't checked out yet."
"Hang on, what are you supposed to be?" Belson asked Jeff. "You look like an out-of-date roller skater."
"I'll have you know that I'm dressed as a vampire and well-mannered one at that," Jeff answered.
"Except you missing your fangs, pointed ears and red eyes." Belson pointed out.
"I just wanted to do my own take on what a vampire should be," Jeff said defensively.
"Anyway, since we're all here, why don't we go trick or treating together?" Clarence suggested.
"Clarence, no way!" Sumo protested.
"If you're happy about it, then, I don't mind," Jeff merely shrugged.
"I'm down with that," Dustin said, with Nathan nodding his head.
"The more, the merrier, I always say," Percy happily cheered.
"...Alright, you guys can come," Belson reluctantly agreed, earning him a hug from Clarence, before letting go a few seconds later.
"So what's the next house you want to visit?" Percy asked.
"How about we find a haunted mansion or a suite to shake things up?" Dustin grinned
"But how are we gonna find a place like that?" Jeff asked.
"Besides Belson's neighborhood, I did notice several suites on the outskirts from here." Nathan replied. "Plus, I don't think going trick or treating in a gated neighborhood would be a great idea."
"That's a bit too far, but let's do it anyway!" Clarence declared.
"Might as well, since we have nothing better to do," Sumo, along with the rest of the group, agreed to this plan.
"Alright, follow me." Belson escorted his friends to where his mother was, as she smiled seeing her son coming back with more friends.
"Where do you boys want to go next?" Cynthia asked.
"Outskirts of Aberdale." Her son answered.
"Oh, that's a bit far," Cynthia expressed her worries. "Are you boys going to be okay with that?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine mom," Belson replied, before rubbing his head sheepishly. "And we'll make sure to be safe too."
Cynthia reluctantly nodded, before starting up the car and drove towards their destination.
"Trick or treat!"
"OH! So adorable right there! Here, take some candy!"
The gang accepted the candies given out, before heading back out to the streets, but they were far from being satisfied.
"Well, that sucks! That mansion didn't have a haunted house or anything." Dustin complained.
"Just keep looking. I'm sure there's more," Belson insisted.
The group continued to travel around, hoping to find a haunted house; unfortunately, though, there were several suites, mansions and even a couple of penthouses, but not a single one of them held a haunted house. Eventually, feeling exhausted, they sat at a nearby bench, taking some much-needed break for the moment.
"Gosh, that was probably like the fifth mansion already," said Jeff
"Somethings not right. There are supposed to be a lot of haunted mansions, yet there aren't any around!" Clarence complained.
"Clarence, not everyone's going to celebrate Halloween."
"What?! Everyone celebrates Halloween, Jeff! Who would hate celebrating it?!"
"Clarence? Sumo? Jeff? What are you guys doing here?"
The group turned around and saw Haru in front of them, dressed in what appeared to be a fox costume, with nine tails slightly towering over her head, fox ears, small blue eyes and a small mouth where her head was, with the "fur" having a light auburn tone. Needless to say, the boys were quite surprised by their classmate's costume.
"What with that lame outfit?!" Belson cackled at the sight of his classmate's costume
"You're one to talk. All you're wearing is a hockey mask!" Haru barked. "At least your friends put in the effort."
Belsosn merely rolled his eyes, while Clarence gazed at his classmate's costume, clearly awestruck at the sight.
"Haru, you look so adorable in that!"
"Thanks," Haru felt bashful from Clarence's compliment. "It took some time to get this kitsune costume fixed up, so I'm just happy it was ready in time. "
"Yo Haru!"
Everyone looked to their right and saw two figures rushing toward them:it was none other than the twins Aki and Fuyu in their costumes: the former was dressed up like a certain magical girl, wearing a white and blue sailor uniform and even having dyed blonde hair to boot, while the latter was dressed up like some sort of demon from Japanese folklore, including the wild, mangy hair, fake fangs, wrappings, baggy pants and even carrying around a fake club.
"Look at you, Fuyu! You look so cool!" Sumo praised her.
"Thanks for the compliment, Sumo! Took me a good week to get this Oni costume just right, even if it was exhausting," Fuyu happily explained. "So, what are you guys doing here?"
"Trying to find a haunted mansion! But so far, we're having little luck." Sumo replied.
" I hate to tell you this, but you guys may have come to the wrong street."
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.
"Well…" Haru began. "I don't know how to say this gently, but this part of this neighborhood has a negative attitude towards Halloween."
"What would cause them to have such an attitude?" asked a confused Belson.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Everyone ran toward the source of the voice and just a few blocks away, they spotted an elderly woman picking up junk and garbage off her lawn.
"Ugh, teenagers are at it again!" The elderly woman shouted, trying to strip her lawn of the garbage. She had shoulder-length white hair, light skin and blue eyes and despite being old, she was quite muscular and well built and had few wrinkles on her face, much to everyone's surprise and wore a simple blue colored tracksuit and white running shoes.
"Hey Mrs. Marebelle. What in the world happened here?" the elderly lady turned to see Haru, along with the rest of the group, approaching her.
"Good evening Haru and it's nothing to get worried about," Mrs. Marabelle looked around and sighed. "Other than removing the junk that those darn teens left behind."
"Why would they do such a thing?" A confused Clarence asked.
"Because this place doesn't serve out that much candy," Marebelle explained. "At this point, though, I believe they are doing it just out of spite after all of us turned our backs on Halloween due to The Great Exodus Incident."
"The Great Exodus Incident? What happened?" Aki asked.
"It's a long story, kid, but by the time I explain everything, Halloween will already be over! All I can say is don't let me or the incident stop you kids from having fun!"
"If you say so then," Haru reluctantly accepted her answer, before the group walked away from the house and resumed their trick-or-treating, but not before taking notice of Jeff's costume.
"Uh… what are you supposed to be? Some type of circus clown?" Jeff frowned in response, as everyone but Clarence couldn't help but snicker.
"I'm a vampire and a well-mannered one at that."
"How are you a vampire if you are missing the fangs and red eyes?" Aki innocently asked.
"...Oh boy," Jeff sighed, as he doesn't know how to explain this without hurting her feelings.
"What are you supposed to be? A sailor girl?" Belson asked Aki.
"I'm a sailor guardian!" she pouted.
"A what? Sounds like a title only losers like you name themselves," Belson rudely laughed.
"You are going to pay for that!" Aki grabbed her crescent scepter and pointed at the bully, as it began to glow. "Crescent Beam!"
"What is that going to do?" he sneered, not taking her claim seriously.
Without warning, the brightness from the scepter glow brightly, before flashing onto Belson's eyes almost immediately.
"AUGH!" Belson winces in pain from the bright light and heat, before collapsing to his knees, causing the whole group, except for Clarence and Perry, to laugh at his expense
Aki did her "in the name of justice" pose. "Take that evildoer!"
"Dang!" Dustin let out a whistle. "You just got owned by a little girl!"
"Nice one, Aki!" Fuyu happily cheered for her sister.
"He had it coming," Jeff quipped.
"I couldn't agree more," Haru added.
"Hey, you guys want to join us?" Clarence asked the trio.
"Oh! Can we join them, Haru? PLEASE?!" Fuyu and Aki asked in unison. Haru paused for a moment, before facing the group.
"Are you guys together?"
"Why yes we are!" Percy replied.
Haru pondered for a moment, before turning her attention to the twins.
"Let's go, Aki and Fuyu. We don't have time for it."
"Oh, come on!" Fuyu complained, prompting Haru to glare back, shutting her up and along with Aki, all three siblings went in the opposite direction on their own.
"What's her problem?" Belson asked, as he was getting up onto his feet, still reeling from the pain.
"For starters, Haru doesn't like you and to be honest, I can't blame her," Jeff bluntly pointed this out.
"Whatever, let's just continue," Belson rolled his eyes, before the boys resumed their quest to find a haunted mansion once more.
"Mom, tell me again why we're in the store?"
"Because I quickly need to get a few things. I promise it won't be long."
"Fine," Belson reluctantly walked with his mother with Clarence not far behind, while the rest of the boys decided to stay in the car and rest.
"Don't worry, your mom said it won't be long."
"It's not that. It's just that we're going to waste a lot of time."
"Belson…" Clarence began, before the bully cut him off.
"I don't want this night to be wasted, but we're doing just that!"
Before he knew it, Belson found himself in a hug from Clarence. Normally, he would tell the optimistic boy to let go, but for once, he'll make this an exception, even if his views towards him won't change all that much.
"After your mom is done shopping, we can ask the others what they want to do," Clarence suggested. "It's still a bit early to just give up."
"...Thanks, Clarence, I needed that," Belson said with a small smile.
"No problem!" Clarence expressed his appreciation.
Soon, the two boys caught up with Cythina, who was now wrapping up her shopping. As they waited in line, Belson looked around out of boredom, before spotting a familiar face next to him.
"M-Morgan?"
The boy turned around and frowned upon seeing the bully, but as soon as he spotted Clarence with him, Morgan calmed down a bit but remained cautious. Unlike everyone else, he wasn't dressed in a costume, wearing only a white shirt, black sweatpants, a red apron and shoes.
"What are you two doing here?" Morgan asked.
"I can ask you the same," Clarence replied.
"I'm just getting a few things for my mother." Morgan answered, just as Cynthia noticed his presence.
"Hello there, are you one of my son's friends?"
"Not really, ma'am, but I am one of his classmates."
"Still, thank you for putting up his antics in class."
"I just ignore him for the most part" Morgan muttered. "Anyway, nice to meet you, Belson's mom."
"Call me Cynthia, um..."
"Morgan."
"It's nice to meet you, Moran," Cynthia nodded. "Anyway, you have a good night."
Cynthia, Belson and Clarence left the store, but as they made their way back to the car, Belson couldn't help but pondered what he saw just now.
"I wonder why he was wearing an apron," Belson remarked.
"He did say that he was getting something for his mom, probably for cooking," Clarence suggested. "That or he could have been painting."
"There wasn't any paint on him," Belson pointed this out. "Do you think that…he might be working in this store?"
"Maybe," Clarence shrugged.
"Whatever it is, it's not our business anyway," Belson concluded, just as they got back into the car, with Belson in the front seat, while Clarence got in the backseat.
"I want to apologize for how tonight is going," Belson spoke up. "Should we just forget about looking for a haunted mansion and just resume trick or treating like everyone else?"
Everyone, save for Clarence and Jeff, were silent for a moment and couldn't believe what they heard just now. Belson was never the type to apologize and even stranger, he was sincere about it.
"...Don't worry about it," Dustin was the first to speak up. "What time is it now?"
"It's eight thirty-eight," Belson replied, checking the digital clock from the car.
"Well…" Nathan began. "I think the school is holding an event tonight, but it could be something entirely different."
"Really?" Sumo deadpanned. "Well, we have gotten enough candy for the night, so I'm down with whatever."
"Agreed," Jeff nodded his head, with Dustin, Percy, and Clarence agreeing as well.
"Mom…" Belson spoke up. "Can you take us to Aberdale Elementary…please?"
"Sure thing," Cynthia smiled before she started the car and drove to their new destination.
"Belson, I know admitting fault isn't easy, but we appreciate the apology," Jeff said with a smile.
"Thanks.." Belson bashfully replied, before facing the window and looking outside.
"Ugh!" a tired Ms. Shoop groaned, as she took a seat in the teacher's lounge.
"Are you tired already?" Mr. Bulsara asked, taking a sip of his water bottle.
"Don't start," Ms. Shoop sighed. "I had a long day today. You know that."
"Fair enough, though I'm surprised you decided to stay after tonight."
Ms. Shoop shrugged. "I didn't feel like being bothered by a bunch of trick-or-treaters."
"I can relate. Halloween was never my thing anyway," Mr. Bulsara agreed.
"Funny you mention that, as I would believe you if not for the silly hat," hearing Ms. Shoop's remark prompted Mr. Bulsara to chuckle in response.
"Well, one of my family members is a huge fan of the TV show called "Equestria Mares" and she begged me to dress up. I didn't want to upset her so I caved in. It's not much, but she happy regardless and that's what matters."
Ms. Shoop only rolled her eyes in response. "You do you."
"Gladly!" Bulsara laughed, before giving Mr. Shoop a few slices of pepperoni pizza. "Here I saved some for you."
"Glad it's still fresh," she smiled and took a bite from one of the slices, as she, Mr. Bulsara and the rest of the teachers were celebrating Halloween like everyone else at Aberdale Elementary.
Normally, the school would have been closed up like any other day, but since this Halloween, it was open for just this occasion, with the party being held in the gym. The attendance, however, wasn't quite big, with many trick-or-treating around town, but enough people did show up, so it was better than nothing. Unfortunately, not far from the school, two particular boys just finished doing something far more malicious, but were hardly happy with the outcome.
"Ugh! We only have toffee candy, raisins and granola bars back there!" one boy complained.
"Come on, you should have known that after taking that old man's bucket." Another boy pointed out.
"Still I didn't think it would be ONLY just those three!"
"We still have time left for the night, so less complaining and more looking."
"Trick or treat!"
The boys ran toward the direction where the voice was from and came across the trio, Belson, and his friends, who were now walking towards the next house, as they glimpsed at the large haul the group have with them..
"Dude, look at the bags! That must be worth four bucketloads of candy at least!"
"I'll say, the amount of money we can make from that will be huge!"
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"You know it."
A devious smirk formed on both boys' faces, as they cautiously followed them into the night.
"Okay, that went well," Jeff happily said.
"Ready to head to school?" Clarence asked.
"Not yet, I still want to check a few more houses," Percy replied..
"Us too," Nathan and Dustin spoke in unison.
"Alright, but let's make it quick," Belson said with a slightly impatient tone.
Soon, the gang made their way to the next block to resume trick or treating. Upon arriving around the corner, they spotted two figures near the traffic light, staring at them directly.
"Well well well, look what we have here?" it didn't took Sumo too long to recognize who was speaking to them.
"Cooter?!"
"At least you recognized us, Sumo. That would make things much easier for us."
The two shadowy figures came out and revealed themselves to be two male teens. One of them was Cooter, who had fair skin, dark eyebrows, one left blue eye and one right black eye, a scar similar to Joshua's, a pointy chin and short ginger hair, with the side of the head partially shaved off and wore a dark mauve hoodie, black pants, and gray-and-black sneakers.
The other teen next to him was Seabass, who had tan skin, a square-shaped head, dark brown hair that was also shaved on the sides and tied into a long rattail, a unibrow and oddly shaped brown nose and an underbite and wore a gray shirt with torn sleeves, high-waisted dark gray shorts and black shoes.
Needless to say, the group had a mixture of shock and fear on their faces.
"What are you two doing here?" Beson demanded.
"What does it look like to ya?" Seabass mockingly asked.
"Um…trick or treat?" Percy innocently asked, causing the teens to laugh their heads off.
"You're not wrong about that," said Cooter. We are getting candy, after all."
"Probably stealing them from the other kids." Sumo wasn't impressed by his answer, earning another laughter from the teens once more.
"Now, be a good sport and hand over the bags." Cooter ordered, as he and Seabass began to approach the group.
"Fat chance!" Sumo stood his ground.
"Do you know how much we did to get even half of what we got?!" Dustin asked, folding his arms.
The two teens grinned more deviously in response, before Seabass took out a metal bat Cooter took out some brass knuckles, causing the mood from the group to become more tense.
"Now, are you going to be good little good boys and hand over your candies?" Cooter menacingly asked.
"About that…" Belson turned around, faced his friends, and shouted…
"RUN!"
All at once, everyone began to turn tail and ran for their lives. Sumo, of course, tried to stand his ground, only for Jeff to grab his arm and force him to run with the rest of the group.
"After them!" Seabass shouted, as he and Cooter chased after the gang.
Coco was enjoying her time writing in her diary, as she sat down on the steps in front of the school, dressed as a mermaid. Today wasn't kind to her, as some teased her for her costume, but thankfully, several people did compliment her outfit, with even a few even taking some pictures with her, much to her joy. She couldn't understand why some would be so mean for no reason, but as long as people liked her for her, that was good enough.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of a group running down the streets and recognized them as Clarence, Jeff, Sumo, Percy, Nathan, Dustin and even Belson, followed by Seabass and Cooter following them and were heavily armed, their intentions anything but harmless.
"I gotta do something,']" Coco got up and ran towards the group, waving her hands around as fast as she could.
"Wait, is that Coco?" Clarence did a double take and sure enough, it was his fellow classmate. "Hi Coco!"
"Greet me later!" Coco shouted back. "Just follow me!"
The group did as they were told and followed Coco, as she led them inside the school, with Seabass and Cooter not far behind.
"Are we charging into an elementary school?" Seabass asked. "Maybe we should call off this chase."
"And give up just like that? Not in a million years!" Cooter objected and continued the chase, with Seabass following his partner once more, bursting through the front door altogether, rushing through the hallways and ignoring their surroundings, focusing on not losing the gang's trail. Upon arriving at the playground, however, they found themselves in a huge maze, filled with scarecrows, hays, fake vegetables and pumpkins, but the gang was nowhere in sight.
"Great! We lost them!" Cooter exclaimed.
"Let's not panic," Seabass tried to calm his friend down. "Let's just continue through the maze.
Just then, they are stopped by a huge sign hanging on the ceiling:
Welcome To The Maze!
If you can find your way out,
You'll be qualified to win the lottery!
Good Luck!
"This is interesting," Cooter stretched his chin as he imagined what the lottery could be. Candy? Money? Toys? Or something far better?
"A lottery eh? Let's do this!" Seabass excitedly shouted.
"Only because those kids are here in the maze with us," Cooter reminded his partner.
The two teens passed through the sign and entered the maze, unaware of what was about to transpire.
"Ugh! Are we there yet man?!" Cooter loudly asked.
"How should I know?!" Seabass snapped back. "How long has it been since we've been in the dang maze?!"
"I have no idea!"
"Wait! I think I see it!"
Seabass points to what appears to be a booth and a bowel. Both boys ran up to it and they were greeted with another sign.
Congrats!
You made it past Level One!
"W-what?! Level one?" asked a confused Cooter, before reading the sign once more:
Now you have two options
End it here and get your ticket
Or continue to Level Two, where you have the chance to earn a better prize?
"...Let's continue. I bet those losers are still in that maze," Cooter made up his mind.
Fifteen minutes later…
"We made it…that..was pure…torture," an exhausted Seabass commented.
"Yeah…" Cooter agreed. "At least we finally cleared it."
Both teens look at the sign right on the left:
Wow, you managed to conquer level 2!
Excellent work!
Want to end your run? Or Continue deeper?
"L-Let's go," said Cooter. "We've already reached this far. Might as well finish it."
"I'm with you all the way." Seabass accepted his friend's answer before they charged onwards to the next maze.
Twenty-five minutes later…
"Heck yeah!" Seabass shouted as he and Cooter high-fived each other as they reached the booth, greeted by another sign right next to it:
You conquered level 3.
That has to be admired to endure all that.
Call it a night? Or grit your teeth and continue?
"You already know what our answer is!" Cooter shouted as he and Seabass pressed through.
Thirty-nine minutes later…
"Finally…." Cooter tiredly muttered. "...We cleared it…"
"That was-" Seabass began, breathing heavily in the process.
"Cruel?" Cooter finished.
"I was going to say horrible, but yeah, it was cruel," Seabass remarked.
"What?!" There's more?!" Cooter cursed, as he slammed the booth and read the sign:
Looks like You completed level 4 it seemed.
Pat yourself on the back. You earned it!
Well, what will you do?
End it here or complete the final maze?
Be warned, this maze will test you and push you to your limit, and most likely question your very sanity.
"Come on, we got this in the bag!" Seabass tried to calm his friend down. "This is the last one!"
Cooter groaned in frustration, completely exhausted from going through one maze after another. Still, winning the grand prize was enough for him to march forward into the final maze.
'At least he's not giving up,' Seabass muttered before following his friend.
"Thanks for saving our bacons, Coco," Jeff expressed his gratitude to her.
"Yeah, we owe you for that one," Clarence added.
"It was nothing guys," Coco bashfully accepted, not used to being praised at all. "Anyway, that's such a cute costume you got, Clarence!"
"Thanks, Coco! I am the mighty griffin! Raw!"
Coco laughed at the adorable sight of her classmates; The gang was enjoying their time inside the gym and relaxing on the bench, as the Halloween party was starting to wind down. As such, only a couple dozen people were present, reserved for those who conquered at least one or a few more mazes. She had only been able to conquer the fourth maze, as the final maze proved too much for her. Still, she was happy with the progress she made and now waiting feverishly for the raffle drawing.
Mr. Bulsara and Ms. Shoop entered the gym, the former carrying all five booths containing the tickets.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone!" Mr. Bulsara talked through the microphone. "We will now begin the raffle. But first, I commend you all for taking up the challenge and completing the mazes, even if for those that weren't able to do five."
"Whoever created that maze is an expert at making kids cry!" Belson shouted with pride.
Mr. Bulsara ignored the bully's comment and was about to start the raffle, when there was a loud thud noise, as everyone turned around and saw Seabass and Cooter entering the gym, covered in sweat and gasping for air.
"Wait! We conquered all five mazes!" Cooter proclaimed. "Are we too late?"
"Sorry to say this, but you're both late," Mr. Bulsara replied. "But I'll make an exception just this once."
Both boys let out a sigh of relief, as the teacher took their raffle and resumed the raffle drawing, while the duo took a seat at the bleachers. Meanwhile, Clarence, Jeff, Sumo, Belson, Dustin, Nathan, and Percy hid behind the bleachers, looking on with dismay.
"Dang it! I thought we shook them off our backs!" Sumo complained.
"Forget about that! I can't believe they passed all five mazes like we did!" Nathan expressed similar frustration.
"Let's not panic, everyone," Belson attempted to calm everyone down. "We can sneak out to the exit on the left."
"What?! No way! I'm not losing that grand prize!" Sumo argued.
"Fine, you guys can stay and get beaten up by them! I'm out of here!" Belson turned around and made his way to the exit, only to bump into Mr. Reese, who was dressed like a typical Ancient Roman citizen.
"Belson, be careful next time. You could've gotten hurt," said a concern Mr. Reese.
"Uh, sure, I'll keep that in mind," was all Belson said and was about to continue, when…
"There he is!"
"Let's get him!"
'Crud!' Belson fearfully shouted, as he cowered in fear with the duo eagerly approaching him with glee. Fortunately for him, though, Mr. Reese quickly stood between them in the nick of time.
"Hold it right there! I dunno what you want with my student, but I'm not letting you harm a single hair on him!" Mr. Reese shouted.
"Crap!" Seabass stopped in his tracks, while Cooter was still charging at him.
Mr. Reese stood his ground, preparing for the worst. Then, a miracle happened: without warning, a small baseball flew right across the basketball court and hit Cooter right in the face, causing the teen to tumble down on the floor.
"Looks like I still got my killer pitch," Mr. Bulsara said with satisfaction.
"Alright, you little troublemaker, you will tell us why you are chasing one of our students!" Ms. Shoop walked up towards Seabass, who froze where he stood, before letting out a sigh and caved into the teacher's demand.
"Alright, alright. We'll tell you everything!"
"Might as well join in and tell them everything too," Jeff remarked, as he and his friends came out of their hiding spot to witness the scene unfold in front of them.
"Well, this shall be interesting." Mr. Reese spoke, rubbing his chin with intrigue.
"...And that's what happened," Percy finished the group's story.
"You boys have been through alot." Mr. Bulsara expressed his sympathies towards his students
"Geez, being chased by these teens for no reason other than they felt like it and on Halloween too!" Mr. Reese glared at Seabass and Cooter, just as the latter was starting to regain consciousness, before facing his co-worker. "Well we can't ignore this anymore. Ms. Shoop, would you like to do the honor?"
"And I got JUST the perfect punishment for these punks."
"And what would that be?" Cooter fearfully asked.
He got his answer when he saw Ms. Shoop grinning wider than a Cheshire Cat and her eyes looking very devilish that looks like it can melt anyone's soul on the spot.
"We're dead," Seabass meekly said, as he and Cooter shuddered in total fear.
"Welcome back boys!" Cynthia happily greeted her son and his friends. "You guys were gone for a long time! Everything went okay?"
"Somewhat," Sumo nonchalantly replied. "We didn't find a haunted mansion in the end,"
"But we did get quite a lot of candy and each of us got money too," Nathan finished.
"That's wonderful!" Cynthia smiled that her son had a great time. "Thank you for keeping my son happy, boys."
"Mom! Come on!" An embarrassed Belson groaned, while Sumo, Nathan and Dustin chuckled.
"No worries," Clarence casually waved his hand.
"Alright, I'll take you all home." Cynthia said. "Fasten your seatbelts."
The boys did just that and Cynthia happily drove away, ending this year's Halloween on a satisfying note…well, almost satisfying.
Back at Aberdale Elementary, Seabass and Cooter were outside dumping trash in the dumpster, while Ms. Shoop kept a close eye on the two, all the while holding a megaphone towards their direction, acting as a drill sergeant.
"COME ON! PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT! THE SLOWER YOU GUYS ARE, THE LONGER YOU'LL BE HERE!"
"Ugh, I can't believe this!" a tired Cooter muttered.
"Cooter, let's just get this over with," Seabass said with annoyance.
"Easy for you to say!" Cooter angrily shouted back at his friend.
"Hey! No complaining!"
Both boys groaned in response as they endured their given punishment, their complaints echoed throughout the night, a reminder that they won't have a restless night one bit.
And that's the end of the chapter! I do hope you enjoyed it! Can't believe 2023 is almost over. Where did the time go indeed? But regardless, I will resume forward. And hopefully I can start working on other fandoms at the end of this year going into 2024. I have one more surprise for you this week so stay tuned!
That's it, everyone! Happy reading and Ciao!
