Chapter Text
It was a night on Halloween. The moon hung in the sky, bloated like a glowing balloon. Most of the children had returned home with their parents to gobble down the candies they have painstakingly gathered from street after street.
However, there was one last house for you to visit.
Some distance away from the quiet town and the woods serving as its barricade stood a large mansion that laid forgotten in decay. Rumours had it that it once belonged to a prestigious wealthy family. However, after the family’s last descendent passed away, most of the residents had moved out.
Except for one.
Some said it was a man, a stranger cloaked in the shadows. Others said it was the crazed ghost of a resident who passed away. Needless to say, it was enough to attract the attention of curious youngsters.
Your cousin was one of them. Though unfortunately, his curiosity was not one of good intentions. He took joy in poking fun at people who were different, harassing them whenever he was bored or seeking attention.
You were of course, one of his victims, often teased or publically embarrassed by one of his ‘fun’ pranks at school. Oh, you would never forget the shame when your cousin tripped you on your way to your desk and the roaring laughter that followed once your underwear was revealed to your entire class.
So when he showed up at your house with your new Halloween costume as a gift, you knew he was definitely up to no good.
“It’s easy. You just got to lure the guy out for us to get a picture,” your cousin instructed you, gesturing to one of his friends who held a camera.
“But what if he’s not at home?” You asked.
“He will be. He’s always shut in there during Halloween. Besides, that costume of yours should convince him to answer the door.”
“Hey, maybe this isn’t such a good idea. What if that dude thinks she’s real and-”
“She’ll be fine,” Your cousin snapped back, turning to you with a smirk. “It’s why I got the costume in the first place.”
You lowered your eyes to the cloak and dress, fiddling with the red ribbon.
“Hey don’t ruin it,” your cousin warned. “Or else you can say goodbye to your treats.”
You stared at the pumpkin bag dangling in his hand and reluctantly nodded.
“Good, now go ring that door. We’ll be waiting at the back.”
Once your cousin and his gang hid in the bushes, you headed up to the door. Up close, the mansion merely looked empty, but you could have sworn you saw a shadow flicker by the window. And that alone was enough to leave you terrified.
“Why did I agree to this?” You muttered under your breath and knocked on the door.
Not a single sound was heard as you waited with abated breath. With each passing second, you strained your ears for the sound of footsteps. Your hand reached out for the door again when a loud creak pierced the silence.
Through the crack in the door, there was only darkness. For a moment, you thought you were staring into an empty void.
Then came the glowing blood red eye.
You stumbled back in surprise, staring with both terror and awe as the face of a man appeared from the darkness. Long, black curtains of hair served as a veil that swept over the right side of his ghostly pale skin.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” The deep voice mused.
Your feet stood rooted to the floor at the sinister grin etched on his lips.
“A little human dressed as a vampire? I don’t know whether to find this an insult or amusing.”
Your lips trembled as you finally found the courage to speak.
“T-Trick or t-treat.”
“Oh? Is it already that time of the year?” The man chuckled. “Forgive me little one, it’s been awhile since I had a visitor. I’m afraid I don’t have much to give.”
“I-It’s okay.”
“But what’s this? There isn’t even a single bag of sweets on you.” You gulped as he scanned the surroundings. “And you are alone at this hour. Little one, where is your family?”
“M-My parents are b-busy with work. I didn’t want to trouble them, Mister.”
“Is that so? How kind of you.” Somehow you can’t help but feel the sarcasm in his tone. “However, it’s dangerous at this time. You should head back home now, little one.”
Just before the door closed, you quickly spoke up.
“M-Mister, would you mind stepping out of the door?”
He stopped, eyeing you suspiciously. “Why?”
“I-It’s just I have never seen you in town before. Did you just move in, Mister?”
A dry laugh rumbled from his throat.
“Unfortunately no,” The man smiled solemnly. “I’m afraid, I have been living here far longer than I should have.”
The sudden melancholy in his words left a pang in your chest.
“By yourself?” You asked.
At his silence, you suddenly felt tears brimming in your eyes.
“Little one.”
You flinched at the gloved hand petting your head.
“How pure of you, to shed tears for someone like me.”
You slowly lifted your chin to meet his gaze, closing your eyes slightly as he brushed the wet droplets away.
“Little one, take these.”
You opened your hands to accept a handful of red gem-like candies encased in worn out wrappers.
“Share these with your friends hiding in the bushes,” He said with a smile. “If they refuse to return your hard-earned treats, you may always come back for more.”
You watched as the door closed shut, leaving you to return to your cousin and his gang in a daze. Least to say, he was far from pleased with the result.
“Crap, so he knew from the beginning,” your cousin grumbled, turning to his friend who had the camera. “Did you get a good picture?”
“Not really. Couldn’t see a thing in that lighting.”
“Well I guess we’ll be getting some extra candy tonight.”
Your cousin snatched the red candies from your hand, handing them out to his friends.
“H-Hey, we were supposed to share.”
“Says who?” Your cousin sneered. “You couldn’t even do your part right. An idiot like you doesn’t deserve any treats on Halloween.”
As he and his friends returned to the town, you headed back home empty-handed, wondering if one day your cousin would get his comeuppance.
Then the sirens of an ambulance came in the next morning.
Hours later, you found your aunt crying in your mother’s arms.
They were dead – your cousin and his friends from last night.
The local hospital had confirmed their deaths in the evening. According to the doctors, they were in constant pain. The painkillers had no effect and other medication seemed to either temporarily alleviate the pain or worsen the condition.
And so they screamed, cried and convulsed in violent spasms until their dying breath.
The only clue the doctors ever found about the strange condition was the remnants of tiny blood red candies inside their pulverised organs and blood vessels.