October was soon coming to a close, and that just meant keeping up on busy work for Frankie, Pyra, and Mythra. For as quick as they found their new roles, they settled into them rather well. For the first time in forever, Frankie actually had fun with his homework- getting to watch and look at some of his old favorites like the Walking With Series or discovering new and interesting, if a bit iffy for him personally, watches like Out of the Cradle through a more analytic review… oh, he was already plotting out the future in his head! First he'd ace this degree and start off small in the analytics lab… do that for a couple years and try for his Bachelor's… then his Master's and that would mean getting to go on digs himself! Early human civilizations, remnants of Pyra and Mythra's past, dinosaur fossils, the possibilities seemed endless!
Mythra was an absolute standout amongst her peers. Taking charge and staying in top form all throughout training and her first real jobs in the form of parking duty or being a ranger of a nearby park. As brash as she was, she wasn't stupid. Her cold scowl, even from afar, immediately took her targets by surprise and it was often enough to get them to straighten up, but harkening back to her days when she thought she could never be more than the Aegis, she laid down the law flatly, firmly, but with care for the common man. When it was all done, she would even offer a joke or two to let the people she was disciplining know she had their best interests in mind and was only doing her job… sometimes more than a few jokes would be cracked and get her just a tiny bit distracted, but for every flub she caused, she was just as quick to right it and get things straight once again. Now THIS was something she could get used to.
Ironically, Pyra -the first to find her wanted path- was the one struggling the most now. Her script was completed and finalized to one she was very satisfied with. A memoir of sorts but with an adventurous and educational twist. Again, whether or not she'd be able to convince the minds of hundreds of a lost "upper world", she didn't mind. She was just happy to finally have a story to tell… but that was only one side of the coin. She needed a crew, she needed set pieces, she needed an audience. Frankie and Mythra wouldn't cut it- they'd be too busy in their own professions anyhow, but where to finally get the ball rolling? She was clueless. Rubee would make a great lead with her emotional voice and penchant for the stage, but everyone else was a bit of a blockade in and of themselves because of their own lines of work.
Speaking of work, she would hear talk of this coming event, "Halloween". Completely foreign to her. She recalled Frankie mention it once a while ago but that was it. She didn't really think much of it apart from the decorations of little pumpkins and ghosts and bats she assisted in making and placing all over the library. The day before, Kari had hit everyone with the news that they'd be closing down early the next day to celebrate Halloween. Nora chuckled boisterously as she bragged about how cute her kids would look in the outfits she picked out for them, while Ron admitted that he wouldn't be partaking in many… outdoorsy activities… but some nevertheless. Then there was Pyra… lost… but intrigued.
…
"You wanna know what Halloween is, Pyra?" Frankie asked, shutting down his laptop after another busy day of work and school, settling down for the afternoon.
"People won't stop talking about it… I wanna be in the know too!" She explained.
"Well, I'm no expert, but the tradition nowadays is to dress up in a tight knit group with your family, go door to door, shout Trick or Treat! And get candy! Ahhh… the single digit days were the best… going in my dad's... or, I guess now, my, big ol' truck with his side of the family out in Riverside… then go to my cousin's aunt's and have some taquitos and egg rolls before getting to play some late night tag…"
"Dress up? As anything?" Pyra asked with a tilt of her head.
"Ghost, grim reaper, caveman, Pokemon, Ninja Turtle, the world is your oyster! Though… I haven't really had the chance to do much for… obvious reasons…" He admitted, looking away somberly. In response, Pyra pouted heavily and took hold of his face to face her own.
"None of that mopey stuff now, mister! Listen up! You and I both have a problem here… and that's that we aren't rightfully in to the holiday spirit! We need to change that!" She declared, "You have so many stories to tell about your family, but I have yet to see any! Let's make the most out of what we can and just go visit just for the occasion!"
Frankie's heart skipped as he stepped out of Pyra's grasp.
"U-uh- w-well… you see the thing is…" Frankie tapped his fingers together nervously, searching for an answer as he sweat heavily while Pyra stared him down. He eventually let out a sigh and gave it to her straight… "With how long it's been… I don't think I'd be very welcome…"
Pyra's expression softened as she walked over to Frankie, gently rubbing his head in sympathy, giving him a small and encouraging smile as she did so.
"I understand… too well, as a matter of fact… but you can't leave them in the dark forever…" Frankie nodded silently. "…but I'll let you come to that decision when you're ready… the point still stands that we've got to do something about our… Halloween-less position!"
Before Frankie could think of a suggestion, his cell phone suddenly rang… he recognized the area code… maybe it was one of those internships he had been applying to recently! Taking a deep breath and answering the call, he put on a deep and professional voice for the other person calling.
"Hello." Pyra felt herself jump a bit at the sudden lower cadence of his voice.
"Hi, is this Frankie?" A woman asked.
"Frank… Guosmán… yes…" Frankie's voice trembled just the smallest bit as he was thrown off by the oddly casual greeting.
"Oh good! It's me, Brianna! We met at the cooking competition, remember?"
"O-oh! Y-yeah… Mythra wasn't too much for you and Mia, was she…?" Frankie asked. He was also tempted to ask how on earth she got his number… Mythra must've clued her in on it during her stay
"Oh! Is that Brianna! Put her on speaker! I wanna talk!" Without missing a beat, Frankie did as he was told and scooted closer to an excited Pyra. "Hello?!"
"Oh, Pyra! Is that you? Hello sweetie! How are you two doing?!"
"Oh, well… we're here by ourselves trying to figure out what we wanna do for Halloween- it's my very first you know!" Pyra answered heartily.
"Oh, do tell? What a coincidence… as a matter of fact, that's exactly why I called you- if you… don't mind helping me out with something."
Frankie looked over to Pyra, unsure if he should take her up on her offer. As nice as she was, Brianna was still a relative stranger to the lot of them… aside from maybe Mythra, but even then, that was limited to seven mornings and seven nights, really. Pyra, however, didn't falter a bit as she eagerly snatched the phone from Frankie and answered for the both of them.
"Of course not! Just tell us what you need us to do, and we'll be more than happy to help!"
Powerless to stop her, Frankie sighed in defeat, but also his usual bit of fondness whenever Pyra got overly excited.
"Well, Pyra, Frankie… the thing you may not know about Mia and I… is that we're kind of Halloween aficionados- every year, we decorate the house all spooky and creepy and what have you and give the kids a couple scares and only the best candy bars! This year, I wanna go a little extra- it's been over ten years since we've been married so I'm going full blown Haunted House… it's gonna be big… it's gonna be scary… it's gonna be fun… and most important of all, it's gonna be a surprise… there's already a bit of my own family here helping out setting the inflatable… think you can help me with the interior and the food?"
Those parting words echoed through Frankie and Pyra's minds as they followed Brianna's instructions of "past the casino and up the mountains". Labor after schoolwork didn't exactly sound very promising to Frankie at all… but he also didn't want to disappoint Pyra, who was practically bouncing up and down in the passenger's seat in excitement for her part… maybe he could get onto cook duty, he'd be able to handle that for sure.
In her own rapture, Pyra did have to try her very best to focus herself and imagine what kind of atmosphere this big surprise would need… spooky for sure, but also fun and engaging… it was no different from conducting her play, she had to say to herself over and over again. She had to impress Brianna, she had to impress Mia, Mythra, and any families that would come their way for such a spook-tacular celebration! She was also a bit nervous as well… every time she felt her concerns grow more than she'd like them to, she put a hand on her core crystal and looked over to Frankie, who smiled back reassuringly her way… every now and then placing his hand over her free one to keep the both of them at ease… yeah, this would definitely be possible…
And then they saw the house.
A house? No, it looked more like a MANSION with how huge it was. Only two stories tall to be sure, but the craftsmanship was impeccable, the exterior was wide and teeming with greenery and attractive earthy Autumn colors, the driveway itself was large enough to pitch a tent in, and there was even cobblestone leading right up to the deep caramel colored front door! Frankie and Pyra were so taken aback by the mass that the house presented before them that they didn't even take notice of the blow up haunted house right next to it. Its simple plastic and rubber look with cartoon ghosts and trees decorating its front paled in comparison to the abode itself… that said, the ornate dragon and Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas animatronic welcoming guests in just in front did add a bit of character.
"How… does one afford all of this…?" Pyra asked, exasperated.
"Oh, there is a WHOLE story behind that… one with thievery… deceit… trial… and victory… I'm sure Brianna can tell you all about it if you ask, that's her tribe's history, after all."
The very moment the two stepped out of the truck, Brianna opened the door and happily welcomed them in with open arms.
"Hey! It's so good to see you both!" The brown haired woman hollered as she pulled the two of them into an unexpected but very welcomed hug. "Did you make it here okay? Nobody down the mountain giving you any trouble are they?"
"U-uh… n-nope- everything went fine." Frankie responded, still getting used to being more chatty.
After a bit more small talk, Brianna was quick to introduce the small bit of her family that had shown up, setting up the outside of the haunted house she was preparing, and after that, she finally took the two inside. While simple, it was still positively enormous and lavish, with marble countertops, light golden walls, and white tile flooring decorating just the kitchen! They couldn't even imagine what upstairs would be like…
"Sorry for the mess… I'm over here trying to juggle cooking and getting stuff together, it's…" Brianna made a distasteful groaning noise as she scrunched her face up in displeasure. "-listen, I know you two care about Mythra just like I care about Mia- this has to be as good as it can be- and that's why I called you specifically- it's all matters of the heart at the end of the day."
Before any more words could be exchanged, Pyra shot her hand up into the air as she stood her ground confidently.
"I want to help with the interior!"
"Oh! Goodness- I didn't expect such enthusiasm right away- um… are you okay handling the food, Frankie?" Brianna quivered as she let out a slight giggle.
"Y-yeah- I-i can do that! What're we working with?" Frankie rubbed his hands together excitedly as Brianna opened the door to the fridge.
"Hot dogs. Hamburgers. Chicken wings. Nothing too difficult, just get the grill fired up and we can start!"
"W-well… if it's… not too much to ask… can I use the oven for the chicken wings?"
"Oh! Oven roasted! You're speaking my language, dearest… take whatever you need…"
With an excited breath, Frankie immediately took to the cooking area and went right for the raw chicken wings, scanning the fridge quickly for the recipe he had in mind… now there was just Pyra and Brianna.
"Alright, Pyra, shall we get the boys outside and get this party started?" The older woman asked.
"Hmm- forgive me for being confrontational… but is there anything in particular you had in mind?" Pyra tilted her head curiously at Brianna, who put a finger to her chin in thought for a moment.
"Well… spooks and scares and the like, isn't that enough?"
"Well… this whole 'Halloween' concept is completely foreign to me as is… but if we really want to make this special for Mia and the kids… we need a hook, don't you think?"
"A hook? You got me… lay it on me!"
A devious smirk crossed Pyra's lips as she twiddled her fingers deep in thought, looking outside at the blowup haunted house and the boxed decorations Brianna had yet to unveil… lights… camera… action.
…
As Brianna's relatives had fired up the grill and cleaned it up for good use, some had wondered exactly where this "Frankie" fellow Brianna was talking about had been… the coals were already starting to die down and he had yet to show his face. One of them went inside to check on him and the young man was revealed to be patting the chicken wings dry. He had gotten through about seventy five of them as he took a look at his spices. Spicy… sweet and smoky… garlicky… savory… sugary… yeah… those sounded perfect! The guy who was interested in Frankie's experiment seemed to be impressed, and after he had taken some of the start ups for the burgers and dogs, he was eager to lend a hand and an ear- one Frankie was all too happy to talk off as he explained his thought process and what recipes he had thought to- one of which, being a mix of soy sauce and teriyaki was a simple one he thought of once some time ago. Nevertheless, the food was smooth sailing.
Much of the same could be said about the decor, but Pyra was being EXTREMELY top secret about it, shooing away even Frankie whenever his curiosity was piqued, and indeed, behind a big black tarp, whispers from her and a number of other people and set up could be heard from the kitchen, which only made Frankie and the other more curious about what was to come… he did have to admit that for as sinister as her giggles were, they were captivating-
And while Pyra was setting up last minute prep downstairs… Brianna had taken Frankie up for a little walkthrough… all part of the plan…
"Ta-da!" She cried, slamming open a closet door, kicking on the lights to reveal a myriad of all kinds of Halloween costumes, brand new, vintage, and even some hand made. Frankie's eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight for himself.
"With… all due respect, Brianna… why do you have this?" Barely eeking out a question as he walked forward with her.
"Emergencies like yours and Pyra's, of course! Plus… how can you throw out something as sweet as this…?! Honestly…" She lamented, holding out a child's costume of Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
"Well, you got me there!" Frankie honked the nose on the costume for no reason in particular before Brianna started snuggling it fondly.
"Six years old when this film came out… ahhh… that was one of my favorite Halloweens…" Brianna cleared her throat out of embarrassment as she hung the costume back up and continued on as if nothing happened. "Well, we've got plenty to go around, don't worry too much about the sizes, when you cook as often as I do, you're prepared for the butterballs-"
Frankie inspected curiously as he listened to Brianna go on and on about the costumes littering the room, and every now and then, he'd let out a small laugh, being reminded just a bit too much of Pyra as she stopped every other second, it seemed, to gush about a costume from her teen years or one Mia happened to look… quite fetching in not too long ago, but still, nothing seemed to jump out at him… then he took a look at the very back and his pupils dilated in sheer delight as he marched towards it, almost in a trance.
"…and this one was from the time we all took a trip out to Anaheim for the 'Not-so-scary Halloween Party' at… Frankie? Are you doing okay?" Brianna hurried over to him in concern as he pointed ahead in a direct manner.
"That one. I want that one." He said in a monotone voice.
"Ah! The blow up! How cute! It won't be too hot for you, though…?"
"It's worth it…"
…
Nightfall. The witching hour was finally upon the city, and Mia and Mythra were on their way back to the former's house- separately this time. Mythra hadn't even intended to follow Mia home after work. That last conversation with that drunkard at the park was… very taxing to say the least, and she just wanted to get home. After taking him back to the police station for questioning and doing a bit of inspection at that same park, declaring him harmless, if just a bit confused, she was ready to head home… until she got that phone call from Frankie, telling her to meet him and Pyra at Mia's house. She didn't even have much of a chance to ask what for, all he said was, 'it's a surprise'. Like a child, Mythra was hooked, and she immediately headed back away from home to trail Mia off in the distance… plus any night with Frankie, especially one before the weekend just made her giddy.
When she pulled up to the house, she was just as surprised by the sheer size of it and the surrounding area as Frankie and Pyra were… now, however, the harsh gleam of the moonlight shining through blackened clouds cloaking the area in an eerie mist decorated a striking and unsettling scene of the large blow-up house, seeming so inviting despite its cartoon characters creepily smirking at any of those brave enough to enter- but that spooky dragon, with lit-up eyes, billowing a smoky substance as it growled threateningly… it really made the large real house behind it seem… chilling. Her eyes darted back to the road ahead, and there is where she saw Mia, back turned towards her, staring up in amusement at the ordeal in front of her. At her side? None other than Rocko and his wife, daughter, and… well, an assortment of children to be sure. Whether they were his or a relatives, she couldn't quite make out, but there was another surprise, as well… little Sally! And her mother of course. Feeling no further reason to keep herself away from all this excitement, she opened the door and joined the excitable crowd.
"…and you too? Don't you think you're a bit too old for trick-or-treating, dear?" Rocko's wife, a lovely pale woman named Jessica lightly jested their daughter, donned in black cat ears, tail, and paws while her dress was done up in pink and black stripes, huffed and pointed to her in protest.
"You're NEVER too old to go trick-or-treating!" To sell her point further, she playfully swiped a paw Jessica's way as Rocko laughed heartily.
"Attagirl, Tasha- you tell her good!" Jessica rolled her eyes at her husband before exclaiming in surprise as she noticed one of the kids had gone missing from their group.
"Martin! Stop touching the dragon and get back here now!"
"Th-they won't take me away… will they, mommy…?" Sally asked, shivering timidly in her little bee outfit as her mother kept her close.
"Of course not, baby… it's all fake and just for fun… and I'll fight 'em off if they try!" Sally smiled at her mother's reaffirmation while Mia nodded satisfyingly her way.
"That's the way it's gotta be done- you're a good woman, Tish."
"H-heya, Chief… I'm not imposing am I…?" Mia turned to the sound of Mythra's voice. Surprised at first, she was happy to see her nevertheless… but she wouldn't be the first to greet her.
"Auntie Mythra!" Sally hollered excitedly, forgoing any fear she had as she practically lunged face first into Mythra's leg, hugging it tightly and happily. The sudden display of affection caught her off guard, but Mythra nevertheless chuckled back at the little girl, gently patting her back in her own greeting.
"Heya, kid… Hope you haven't been missing me too much…"
"How many bad guys have you put in jail, huh? Do you gotta beat 'em up? Do you eat donuts every day?" Sally would've gone on for much longer had Tish not intervened and pried her away gently.
"Okay, honey, okay, auntie Mythra's probably JUST getting off work, we should leave her be… unless she'd like to join us in trick-or-treating…?" She raised an eyebrow Mythra's way, and before she could answer, Mia's eyes sparkled with excitement as she brought her in closer.
"WHAT?! YES! Oh, Mythra, even I haven't seen anything like this before! You gotta come through with us! You won't be sorry!" Her bright blue eyes shone with excitement while Mythra sweat gently in both nervousness and excitement at the offer.
"W-well… I-I'm not exactly ready for all of this- Frankie just called to tell me and-"
"Mythra- I am your boss and you're gonna enjoy yourself with us… or… YOU'RE FIRED!" With a boisterous laugh, Mia threw a white cloth over Mythra, covering her entire body save for a couple of eyeholes. Blinking indignantly, Mythra looked over the simple costume and sighed in defeat… acceptive defeat, but defeat either way.
"Well… this isn't exactly what I had in mind…"
"Ahhh, there'll be plenty more years for you to get the hang of it- this is just the appetizer! Rocko- you and the fam ready?"
"You got it, Chief!" Rocko brought in his wife and daughter excitedly and heartily, knocking the wind out of the latter as she dropped one of the kids down tho his feet, all four of the little ones laughing excitedly.
"Don't worry, auntie Mythra! I'm a bee, and bees sting! I'll keep you safe!" Sally announced, pounding her chest confidently as she looked up at Mythra's ghostly figure.
"Heh… sure thing, kid, I'll keep that in mind…"
"Alright then! Ladies and germs… let's get a move on!"
And with Mia's rallying cry, the little squadron of spooks and eeks went forth towards their first step… into the unknown.
The house was coated in a cold and thin mist while wailing ambience tickled the ears of each individual who went on in, howling of wolves, distant barking of dogs, even the loud and aggressive cawing of crows welcomed them in to the dreary and intimidating wheat field that lay ahead of them. All seemed to be going well if a bit unsettling so far… and then… SHE appeared.
"BOO!" Pyra shrieked louder than she ever had before, getting a jolt from most everyone in the group as she jumped in front of them, wearing simple farmer's attire. The small kids, Sally included, screamed briefly before erupting into a chorus of excited giggles. "How kind of you all to visit us! You've just taken your first steps into the Adakai Corn Maze! My name is Olivia, and I'll be your guide for the night!"
"Hi Auntie Pyra!" Sally waved excitedly.
"Sally! Didn't you hear? Her name is Olivia! Be nice to her!" Tish jokingly scolded her young daughter.
"Oh- right… hee hee-"
"Your getup isn't exactly the most terrifying, Pyra…" Mythra chided her through her ghost costume, causing the younger of them to walk up to her in faux sympathy.
"Oh no… a weary traveler already having met their grizzly fate…? Ah… I knew not who you were in life, good sir or Madame, but my sympathy is with you completely… but never fear! I will help you pass on over to the other side as safe as can be! Just keep a close distance behind me and we'll be on our way!"
Pyra did an about-face as she seemingly skipped ahead carelessly, humming Old Macdonald, of all things, to herself, expecting the others to follow.
"She's a bit jarring if you ask me…" Tasha lamented.
"Oh, nonono, I've met this lady before… she's got somethin' up her sleeve at all times… I think this is what we call a false sense of security…" Mia pointed out suspiciously.
"Sure is a good thing they got us on our side, eh, Chief? Eh, Jess?" Rocko childishly nudged his wife, who pushed him away in fond annoyance.
"Yes, yes, we got a big strong man and a big scary police chief keeping an eye on us- I don't know WHAT I would've done without you two…!" She rolled her eyes away from him as Rocko's sly and cheesy grin failed to falter.
"I trust Auntie Pyra! She's nice!" Sally exclaimed as the group moseyed on forward.
When Pyra felt the crew was just behind her once more, she raised her arms up to the sky, continuing her shpiel.
"Observe, if you will… the intricacies of the crops, blocking off each and every chance at easy entry and escape no matter which way you look! Bad news for any creepy werewolves, or, or spooky specters and chainsaw-wielding marauders… good news for the lot of you with me leading the pack!"
"You're not doing a good job setting the mood, you know!" Mythra shouted from the back. She seemed to be the only one really unimpressed with the ordeal, the rest of the lot, from Sally to Mia seemed genuinely intrigued. Pyra wasn't deterred in the slightest, only chuckling to herself through a toothy smirk before whipping around to face them once more with her usual wide and motherly smile.
"When you tend to a place such as this as much as I have, it's really not so bad! So with that in mind, if some of you will put your trust in me and stop being so unnecessarily rude, we could have a grand old time!"
She was talking about her, she knew it. Mythra pouted and growled from behind her cloth as the group all carried on forward. Pyra eagerly and dramatically pointed out the tallest stalk and longest winding rode as she spoke, explaining the intricacies of the whole set up in a flare she wasn't really used to before… but she was enjoying every second of it, nevertheless. As happy as Mythra was for her all the same, she was getting antsy… and she didn't hesitate in letting it be known one last time right as Pyra was about to point out one last track.
"Hey- you big goofball! You said Frankie would be here, where is he?!"
The rest of her group, minus all the young kids sighed in annoyance, as Mythra was breaking the illusion.
"Who's Frankie, Auntie Mythra? Is he your-"
"NO."
Mythra wasn't about to start this argument with a child… especially not one she knew so well.
"Please, friends… try to remain calm! Now if you'll all just pay attention and follow me we can-"
And just like that, Pyra was spirited away by an eerie black blur. It was so sudden she didn't even have time to scream… everyone else sure did though. The kids, especially, were quite shrill and excited in their bout of fear as they all looked around nervously and chattered incoherently.
"P-P-P-P-PYRA WHAT THE F-"
"BE QUIET! EVERYONE!" Mia shouted over the crowd, raising her arms authoritatively to the sky, cutting off Mythra's swear quite intentionally.
"Mia… with all due respect… YOU SAW WHAT JUST TOOK HER FROM US DIDN'T YOU?!"
Mia shushed Mythra harshly and quickly as she placed herself ahead of the pack, protectively barricading the lot of them with her own body, scanning the maze dutifully.
"I know things seem bad… but there's something… maybe even some ONE out there tryin' to get us! And a peep too loud is gonna get us snatched up like little red back there! Does everyone remember her instructions?!"
Whispers and chatters fell amongst the pack, nobody wanted to admit they didn't know EVERYTHING all at once… but each one remembered something at the very least.
"Auntie Pyra said we gotta stay in a group…" Sally pointed out.
"Yeah- and we gotta look for the lights beyond all this wheat!" Rocko added.
"And we can't let ourselves get too lost in this… PERFORMANCE." Mythra finished.
"That's right! Remember, everyone, this is all a game at the end of the day… and if we don't confuse our ambience with our natural lighting, we should be smooth sai-"
Mia, and everyone else, froze in place as the faux grass in the area began to rustle. Instinctively, the police chief held up a hand signal for everyone to stop. Her cold eyes swished left and right carefully, weeding out the sound and a body moving around as best she could. It wasn't much longer after that, did a creepy and croaky laugh suddenly eek out of the grass… it was cold… old… and shifty… Mythra felt her own heart stop as she shifted her own eyes nervously here and there… this… was certainly VERY different than anything she'd experienced in similar calibers.
"W-what the hell is that…?" She whimpered.
"Language, Mythra…" Tish scolded as she covered Sally's ears, the little girl clutched to her mother's leg as close she could.
The little boys and girls that Rocko and Jessica were watching over looked down by pure chance and spotted a lone piece of candy on the other side. One of the boys, Martin, grinned ear to ear at the sight of it… it looked like a full size chocolate bar! Without even thinking, he bolted straight ahead from Tasha's grasp to grab it.
"Martin! Get back here!" Tasha whispered harshly. Rocko and Jessica were about to collect him themselves just before he collected the candy bar, but just as the child's grubby little hands extended forward to reach for the treat-
A heavy set of hooves SLAMMED down in front of him, forcing the boy to scuttle back in a panic. Looming over the lot of them was a pitch black horse with glowing red eyes, and a headless man laughing madly and wickedly, a glowing, burning Jack-o-lantern smiling evilly from his scrawny arms.
"STAY FOCUSED! DON'T LETTIM TRIP YOU UP! HE'S NOTHIN' MORE THAN A SCREWY FAIRY TALE! FOLLOW MY LEAD!"
Mia shouted valiantly over the screaming, terrified crowd. The headless horseman's mount reared up on its hind legs, letting out a devilish cry, not a neigh, but a screeching howl. With her body still guarding the people behind her, Mia guided them all in a circular motion, forcing both rider and beast to switch attention much too fast for the both of them. In the creatures' confusion, Mia pushed Mythra ahead, making sure she'd be behind them all now while Rocko was ahead of the pack now, Mia playing caboose as the crowd booked it out of the corn field. The headless horseman roared in anger as his mount shrieked demonically. The chase was on.
"A-A-AUNTIE MYTHRA!" Sally shouted, her little legs struggling to keep up with the lot of them, tears rolling down her face. Tish and Mythra both looked down at her in worry, before flashing each other angry and determined looks, each grabbing a hold of her hand and lifting her high off the ground.
"Take any dance classes, Tish?" Mythra asked.
"Not since the Husband passed!" The mother responded back.
"Better lock in whatever you learned! Cuz I ain't slowin' down for nobody!"
"How… far is he?!" Tasha looked around frantically. Rocko took the liberty of answering the call for her, swiveling his head around quickly to see the horse and his cackling master right behind Mia's tail.
"One trip and we're done for!" The big man responded.
The Headless Horseman wasn't the only one in pursuit. From the thicket of the foliage, bright yellow eyes gleamed hungrily as a chorus of ravenous snarls echoed amongst them all. Mythra turned one way and then the other. Werewolves, flanking both their sides! With a vicious howl, one leapt up in the sky, momentarily halting everyone until Mia gave Mythra a good knee-jerk and forced them to keep moving as their attacker landed on the other side.
'Come on, Mythra, you dunderhead… you've dealt with WAY worse before! How do we…' As Mythra cursed herself, she looked down at Sally and suddenly felt a spark of inspiration.
"Hold on kid, we're going for a ride!" Without another word of exchange, Mythra hoisted a screaming Sally up upon her shoulders, surprising both Tish and the little girl, whose excitement had yet to settle down, for as she rested on Mythra, a flock of ravens swooped down from out of NOWHERE and shrieked and clawed and laughed so deviously.
"nEvErMoRE- nEvErMoRe!" We're the cries that could be heard as the corvid circled above.
"A-auntie Mythra-!" Sally cried.
"You're on a fine lady, little girl! Just hold on to her for real life and don't let go!" Mia assured the child.
"Yeah! And we're her superiors! So if you got a problem with her, don't be afraid to shoot us a note!" Rocko hollered with a chuckle.
"Not the time, dad!" Tasha flustered back.
"It's all right, kid… just keep an eye out… and don't let go… I'm right here… we're a team right now, you and I! You wanna work with me some day? Here's your first taste! See anything out there?"
"Just focus, baby, focus! Mama's right here… we're right here…" Tish comforted her daughter, who steadied her breathing slowly.
"You got this, Sally!"
"Yeah, go- AAH! SCARY DOGGIE!"
The children down below cheered as the little girl cupped her hands over her eyes and scanned the area, ducking as she evaded the leaping wolves and swooping birds… and then she saw… Pyra out in the distance! She was affixed to a steak, and arms outstretched to the side.
"Auntie Pyra! They turned her into a scarecrow!"
"WHAT?!" Mythra squawked indignantly at Sally's discovery and turned a furious shade of red, growling and increasing her speed significantly. "I DON'T CARE IF THIS IS A GAME YOU CHEAP LOSERS! NOBODY HURTS MY BABY SISTER AND GETS AWAY WITH IT! AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"
Mythra darted forward, Sally hanging on for dear life, slicing through the fog, leaving everyone in the dust.
"MYTHRA! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO STAY TOGETHER!" Mia warned her, turning to still see the Headless Horseman cackling madly, now with a werewolf right behind him on his steed. "They ain't lettin' up! Let's move it, people!"
Using her whole body, Mia shoved everyone from Tish to Rocko, up ahead to follow Mythra and Sally. The Headless Horseman chuffed in anger as he commanded his beastly battalion ahead, every single lycan leapt out of the bushes and flanked their aggressor, leaping onto all fours, snarling and growling viciously after their targets.
"We can't shake these guys!" Rocko hollered.
"Of all years, why is it this one I had to dress up like a cute little kitty?!" Tasha whined, whipping her head wildly up and down and all around.
"Stay focused, people, and don't look back!" The police chief at the back screeched as they were honing in on Mythra and a screaming Sally. It was hard to tell if the screaming coming from the small child's mouth was that of fear or laughter… but Mythra seemed to have a handle on her either way.
"Still got her in your sights kid?!" She asked the buzzy girl, who dusted herself a little bit before looking dead ahead once more, evading the birds.
"Um, um… let's see… a-ah! There! To the left!"
"Then that's where we're going!" On a dime, Mythra steered herself according to Sally's directions, and the entire troop was forced to do much of the same… more tripping than appreciated was involved, perhaps even a bit of swearing, but they followed her nevertheless!
With Mythra and Sally so far ahead, naturally, they found themselves alone with Pyra first. The blonde came to a dead halt and ripped her costume off the very moment they came to her resting place. Pyra hung limply on all sides, seemingly unconscious, thankfully, alive and well. With Sally still on her shoulders, she hurried up and went on to untie her.
"Stupid freaking a-holes… hitting me where it hurts and blindsiding me from all angles… who do they think they are…?" She muttered to herself.
"Auntie Mythra…? Are you okay…?" Sally asked. Mythra sighed in response and continued her task while answering the little girl in a dour sort of way.
"I mean… I've dealt with worse before, kid… but this being my first Hallo-whosi-whatsit or whatever it's called… I can't say I'm the biggest fan… none of this has been very nice at all! Scaring you and all these other kids to bits… andnofrankieinsightisntsomethingilikeeither…" She mumbled that last part as she moved over to Pyra's other tied wrist.
"Yeah… Halloween is scary…" Sally admitted, lazily kicking her feet as she stayed in thought, "but we all get to dress up and play and have lots of candy! I like trading my chocolates for the necklaces, they're yummy!"
"Well that's good for you, but I could do without all these cheap jumpscares and spooky tricking cra- uh… stuff…"
"Well… mama tells me that anything worth doing is worth doing twice… and people like Halloween and Trick-or-Treating a whole bunch… so that's gotta mean something, right? And when I got mama and you here, that makes things not so scary!"
Mythra looked up at the girl briefly and sighed heavily, but fondly… for as simple and childish as her solution was, it was reassuring either way… and she couldn't quite explain it, but it almost felt familiar.
"Yeah… I guess you're right, kid… but I ain't doing it like this ever again!" She spoke crossly.
"Oh! Auntie Pyra is slipping!"
Sure enough, just as Mythra finished undoing the knots on Pyra's other wrist, the redhead flopped down off the stake and practically rag-dolled herself to the floor.
"Pyra! It's me, Mythra! You okay?" The blonde rubbed Pyra's shoulders vigorously in an attempt to revive her… but then… just as the fog parted so slightly, a bit of light shined down on Pyra, revealing her skin was now a hideous charcoal gray color, deep scars adorned her body, causing Sally to shriek in terror and Mythra to slink back in much of the same fashion. "P-Pyra?!"
"braiiiiiinnnnssss…" the gray Pyra moaned.
"W-wha-?"
"brAaaIiiiNNNNssssSSSS…!" Pyra's grotesque figure twisted and turned horrifically, her bones practically snapping and popping into place as she stood up and reached her arms needingly and hungrily out in front of her, her face bruised and mangled and torn in all different places- was one of her eyes missing?!
Mythra and Sally screamed in unison as their group suddenly caught up to them.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD-?!" Mia shrieked as Pyra trudged frantically towards them all.
"They got her, they got her! LET'S KEEP GOING!" Mythra yelled over the crowd, turning the other way and getting the others to follow her as the zombie Pyra swiped at them, growling in anger as the headless horseman and his werewolves finally caught up to her, literally dragging her along in their chase as she was screaming.
"This IS all a game, right, boss?!" Rocko asked.
"It's a very convincing one if it is!" Mia shot back.
"Let's not lose focus, people! We got to look for the light for a way out!"
"Kinda hard to do when it's all fog!"
"Wait! Wait! Out there! The moon!" Sally hollered over her mother and Mythra's arguing before it could escalate any further, and sure enough, even amidst the fog, the moon outside shone bright.
"Alright, people! This is our only chance! GOOOOOO!" Mia shouted her own war cry as the whole lot of them practically leapt into action with one final push away from the screaming specter, the zany zombie, the aggressive animals, and a chorus of hideous laughter out into safety in the outside grass, where, a cityscape seemed to wait for them?
"Well… this is… odd exterior design…" Jessica mused after the group caught ahold of their breath and their surroundings. Everything seemed to stop the moment they made it outside. The laughing, the music, the ambience, it was dead quiet…
"…sooooo… did we win…?" Tasha looked around nervously, pushing out a shaky smile as best she could.
Then an unsettling and shaky piano started to play.
"Oh my… I think it's just begun…" Tish stared straight ahead and swallowed hard as the music grew louder.
Their attention was directed towards a large body of water far off into the distance. As the piano continued playing, it was joined by string instruments that started off adding to the ambience in an almost warning sort of way until they increased just enough in both speed and tempo… as if something was approaching… and sure enough… out of the water… the ripping, waving, crashing water, a large black body part slowly came up for air as haunting and upsetting lyrics accompanied the music.
"Perse…cution…. of the….. Masses….
Sacred… blessings….. count for… nothing…
Oh god… give us your protection…..
Let no… blame lie… at the innocents… who have prayed…
If your high praise is all we have
Let us not be with-out you…"
It was a head… a disgusting mangled head that looked like it was scarred with radiation burns. Eyes too small… teeth too big, legs too fat… everything followed one after another so unsettlingly that the crew could only stand in petrified horror as the now-fully emerged creature stood up tall above the water. It was hard to really tell what it was thinking. Its face was as blank as the rest of its body… it just stood there… staring… not even at them… just ahead… and then it craned its neck down slowly to the lot of them, who jumped as their gazes met.
"…"
"…."
"….."
"…"
"….."
"…SKREEEEEEEOOOOOOOOONNNNNKKKKKK!"
The loud, ear piercing shriek of the creature forced the group to huddle together, in a feeble attempt to make themselves look bigger. It didn't deter it one bit, and instead forced it to lumber forward, contorting its body in unnatural, bestial ways, its horrific and unhinged jaw snapping all on its own. Though initially freaked out, with a better look and feel of the creature, they were able to think more clearly despite their petrification.
"Alright, gang! We're outta the frying pan, so here's what we're gonna do- split up and find a weak spot! Those guys back there are the least of our problems now!" Mia demanded.
"You heard the boss lady, get a move on! Children and teens first!" Mythra barked back, scooping Tasha close to herself and letting her take all the smaller children away while the adults hurriedly split themselves up like a star. The creature halted and grinned in menacing curiosity as the little people down below scurried from it… in fact it seemed to like it.
"SKREEEOOOOONNNKKK!" It roared one more time as it flailed and thrashed around wildly, its long tail waving around just as rambunctious as its primeval head swivels tried in vain to lock on to a target.
"Are you crazy sure we didn't wander into another dimension? Cuz I'm losing my damn mind over here!" Tasha wildly lamented, as Mythra tried to find a good hiding spot for them.
"You're asking a juvie, over here! I dunno how any of this works!"
"A-auntie Mythra-" As much as her little feet could carry her, Sally still struggled to keep up with the older kids and the very much adult Mythra, it hardly looked like she was even touching the ground, just a massive squabbling shuffle of madness forming just underneath her body… and that's when she tripped.
"If I die…. in this world…..
Who will know…. something of me?
I am lost…. no one knows…..
There's no trace….. of my yearning…."
A dramatic and haunting chorus sounded in the area just as the little girl tripped over herself, sending herself flying backwards from the momentum she had built up. Mythra and Tasha turned in horror, their own speed and momentum forcing them to be unable to stop. Mia slid to a slow stop as her mouth swung open, watching the child fall back. Rocko and Jessica poked out of their own little corner, both of them just as shocked as the rest. Tish's own cry for her daughter was drowned out by the deafening song orchestrating Sally's fall from grace… which directed the creature to her direction.
"If I die in this world (But I must….. carry on…..) Who will know something of me? (Nothing worse can… befall) I am lost, no one knows (All my fears, all my tears…..) There's no trace of my yearning (Tell my heart….. there's a hole…..)
I wear a void….. Not even hope…. A downward slope…. Is all I see…."
Sally could only look up at the imposing, menacing creature, as its huge form loomed closer and closer to her, its quickened movements slowing to a crawl as its large thighs carried its devastating weight to its selected target. Petrified, she couldn't even scream.
Enough was enough. Mythra and Tish sprung into action from their corners, leaving the safe kids behind them all at once, everything came to a silent trudge as everyone watched the two ladies rush forward to save the small girl.
"STOP!" Tish hollered as she and Mythra enveloped Sally into a tight hug, covering her whole body with their own. The creature strangely followed their command and seemed interested in the ordeal more than anything. Angry tears formed in their faces as they bared their teeth at it, a language they knew it understood.
"You are to not lay a single finger on her!" Tish snapped.
"And if you think you can… just try getting through us first!" Mythra's tears were flying already, her heart beating rapidly as Sally clung to her mother, still looking up at the creature in terrified awe.
Without another exchange… the creature opened its disgusting maw up wide as a bright purple light flickered deep in its throat, it flickered on and off… on and off… until it shone blindingly at the two woman, braced for impact as with a deep, long, creepy breath, the creature stood up tall… its tail anchored completely to the ground with onlookers watching in utter terror… when then…
"Trick-or-Treat!"
Everyone stopped. Mythra and Tish and Sally looked up at the suddenly darkened mouth of the creature, which shut it down just as quickly as it had lit up, but it still remained motionless. In fact, that sound came from behind them. It was the Headless Horseman- no, it was Brianna! She stepped out into the light, cloaked all in black, head where it should be, and a wide grin on her face while she held her pumpkin head close to her body… and out in the light, the imposing black stallion looked little more than something that would come out of an elementary school play, and all horror towards it was officially dead in the water as the two men playing the horse poked their heads out of the holes of the costume.
"B-Bri?! That was you?!" Mia asked, flabbergasted as she stomped over to Brianna, whos happiness morphed into a sheepish grin.
"W-well… I wanted to make it special for our tenth, but… I guess we might've gotten a bit overboard…" She admitted.
"Overboard? I disagree!" Pyra suddenly emerged from behind the horse, still done up in her zombie get-up, but perfectly fine other than that. "I'll take full responsibility if some of the children were a bit too shaken up, but one must remember- kids can take just about anything so long as you give them a happy ending!" She pointed out proudly.
"Yeah! It's Halloween! What else were we gonna do?" A female werewolf by her side suddenly piped in, getting a wider smile from Pyra.
"Y-you…you… YOUUUUU!" Mythra let go of Sally and Tish, storming over to Pyra with her arms held out in a raptorial fashion, though the redhead didn't seem too bothered.
"Happy Halloween, Myth-" She was cut off by her older sister pulling her into an angry and emotional, but tight and relieved hug. Chuckling lightly, she hugged back and rested her head on her shoulder.
"That's a stupid way to scare someone… you big idiot…" She growled as she tightened her grip on Pyra.
"Haha… maybe next year we should keep it on the down low for us specifically…"
"W-wait! But if you're here, where's-"
"¡Hola!" The creature suddenly cried as a zipping sound was heard. Sweating heavily but looking none too different at all, Frankie came out of the creature's back, panting heavily with his phone in-hand. "I-I hope none of you are too shaken up… I'm sorry…"
Mythra's stampering feet and growling voice rushed over to him as she reached for his cheeks, squishing them in and out as gruffly -but not too harshly- as she could.
"YOU BIG DUMMY! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA! WERE YOU IN ON THIS TOO?! I'M GONNA-"
"Yes-yes! Mythra, I missed you too!"
As the two's jovial arguing continued, the other adults and kids could only watch in utter bewilderment… and after those first few seconds of realization, all of them busted out into a wild burst of laughter. Sally, strangely enough, seemed to laugh the loudest as her heartbeat returned to normal. Still holding on to her mother, both of them snuggled each other tightly, just relieved to be fully safe and sound.
"You… planned ALL of this…?" Mia asked Brianna intimately.
"Oh, well… not exactly as extravagantly… that was Pyra's idea…" The Native American woman rolled her eyes to the plumper little lady.
"Hello!" Pyra waved politely.
"That was awesome! Hey, Py, if you need us for anything like this again, be sure to give us a call!"
"Hell yeah! We're ready to throw down!" The two men who made up the horse cried.
"Count me in!"
"Yeah! And me!"
Pyra was absolutely beaming, blushing hard underneath her mask as she was showered with praise, her whole body seemed to be shaking with euphoria. Mia couldn't help but laugh to herself a bit as she turned back to Brianna.
"You're an idiot… makin' me feel like a kid again… but it was fun… I love you…"
"I love you too, hon… happy anniversary…"
The two women embraced into a passionate kiss before parting and staring adoringly at each other's eyes. But Brianna knew the night had just begun.
"Alright, everyone! The test run is a success! Maybe when the real deal starts to come around let's… not get them too close to home, alright?"
"You can count on me to keep them all in check!" Pyra shouted excitedly as she waved her hand in the air.
"Perfect! But before that… who's hungry?"
…
And the night proceeded much of the same as usual, albeit a bit less intense after each family picking up their treats. Mythra even got in on the act too, acting as the farmer, "Olivia" guiding the guests through the corn maze while Pyra still acted in her lumbering zombie form, with werewolves and ravens and the Horseman flocking in from out of nowhere for some good old fashioned jumpscares. Frankie was absolutely having a blast all the same as he romped around in the large kaiju suit, now with a much more eccentric step in his stride. But as the night continued, people left, Rocko would have to get up for work the next day, and Sally would be able to do those candy swaps that she so enjoyed, leaving really only the Adakai and Guosmán families by themselves to help themselves to the unfinished food and forgotten candy. Lots of big chocolate bars and sweet poppers, bliss! Before anyone could get too tired, however, Mia did beg the question of who exactly Frankie was trying to portray, having had the costume in that closet all this time, she wasn't the most familiar with its origins even still…
"Oh dear…"
"Hey! Hey! Come on! You're gettin' your ass kicked by a couple of worms! Get up! Get up you big fat lizard!" Mia shouted as they watched Frankie's movie in their large living room.
"He was still the bad guy at this point in the series, Mia… it'll get better soon-" Frankie advised.
"Mmm… I just hope they'll be okay without their mama…" Pyra said sleepily, as she was already dozing off on Frankie's shoulder.
"Oh, Pyra, it's all just a big cycle… they'll be just fine…" He scratched her scalp gently as he let her rest on him.
"Mmmm… good…"
It was then that Frankie turned to see Mythra scarfing down a load of candy she had collected for herself, still entirely invested in the movie as she gorged.
"Heh… is Halloween okay now, Mythra…?"
"Mmf- shut up, Dummy, they're wrapping him up, this is the best part…"
"No! No! Don't fall in the water! What're ya doin'?! GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
And with one last big laugh from the lot of them, that Halloween night finally drew to a close as the movie concluded, definitely one for the books later down the line…
