FicWad

"Bye kids, be good. We're leaving," Mom called from the door, towing her luggage along. She and dad were going on a holiday.

"But mom! I wanna go trick-or-treating!" my younger brother, Dylan was on the brink of tears. He refused to change out of his Halloween costume.

"Honey, we've talked about this. You can only go trick-or-treating if Melissa or Kelvin accompanies you," mom replied sternly.

"Not in a million years!" my elder brother shouted from the kitchen.

"No way, I'm too old for trick-or-treating," I replied hastily. I don't want to get caught in a Halloween costume, holding a bag full of sweets while trotting down the neighbourhood. That would so ruin my reputation in school, not that I have a decent one to begin with.

"There you have it. Alright, I really have to go. The aeroplane's not going to wait."

"C'mon sis, just this once... Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee?" Dylan still wouldn't give up, and gave me those puppy eyes that he knows I can't resist... No, I won't fall for that. Not this time.

"Quit bugging me." I said harshly, and he walked away, dejected.

Not long after mom and dad left, my gang showed up at my doorstep.

"Yo Mel, wanna go check out that old mansion up on the hills?" Jake asked.

"You mean the one near the church's burial grounds?"

"Yeah, where else can you find an old, deserted mansion in the area?" chuckled Isaac.

"C'mon, go get changed! There's not much time to spare before my parents get home. I'm not supposed to be out of the house." Kelly chipped in.

"Can't you break some rules without being scared for once, Kel? Wait a sec, I'm just gonna go upstairs for a moment."

"Mom said you can't go anywhere except to bring me trick-or-treating, Melissa," Dylan protested as I was about to go out.

"Oh be quiet. It'll just be a moment," I snorted, and left for the mansion with my friends.

The night sky was collaborating with Halloween, it seems. The moon was shrouded by the dark clouds, only permitting a few rays of light to reach the ground. Other than the candle lights from the jack-o-lanterns decorating the lawns of houses, the streets were otherwise plunged in darkness. It added a sense of eeriness to the atmosphere. Some trick-or-treaters could be seen running down the pedestrian walks with their parents in tow.

After a quiet 10 minutes, we reached the top of the hill where the mansion was situated. Before entering, we huddled together for a short discussion, like we always do in our previous adventures.

"What's up with the adventure this time, Isaac?" I asked, eager to know what he was planning.

"I've heard that anyone that enters this mansion disappears from the face of the Earth," Isaac said.

"You mean they never reappear after going in?" Jake asked, and was replied with a loud "DUH!!" from the three of us. He was always slow in realising things, and often became the butt of our jokes. Not that he minds.

"And we're going to go in?" Kelly asked.

"More or less. Rumour has it that those people who never reappeared went in alone, but we have four people here so I guess we're bound to be safe. Are you guys game?"

"Since we're here, we might as well check it out." I was excited at the prospect of finding the cause of the disappearances. There's no better way to celebrate Halloween without embarrassing yourself, either.

"Let's go in then!"

Being the bravest among the four of us, Isaac pushed the large wooden doors open, which creaked loudly at its hinges. A gust of cold air blowed into our faces, bringing with it the musty smell of the long-abandoned mansion. The reception hall was grandiose, although the furniture were in a dilapidated state. A couple of bats which had made this mansion their nest flew around blindly when we stepped in, and Kelly let out a silent whimper. She never was a brave soul, but often tagged along on our adventures, because we were her only friends in school.

Isaac took a torchlight out from his backpack and flicked the switch. The mansion didn't look the least bit friendlier, as we were greeted by the sight of cobwebs everywhere. I felt uncomfortable, because I hate every form of creepy crawlies!

"C'mon, let's go explore!"

The floorboards creaked as we walked, and our tracks were clearly visible on the floor as it was covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Gosh, how long has this filthy building been unoccupied?"

"A century or two? I don't know."

Indeed, this mansion looked like it hasn't been occupied for a hundred years. The furnishings looked like those back in the Victorian era. The pillars that supported the house were carved from marble, but its handsome gleam was lost in time.

"This house has seen better days." Jake stated the blindingly obvious again.

"Hey Mel, quit tugging at my hair, can you?"

"What? How can I tug your hair when I'm in front of you?" I asked, puzzled.

"If it's not you, then who....?" Kelly stopped short when she realised that all of us were in front of her. We all stopped and looked back, but no one was there except for her.

"Are you sure it's not your imagination? Was it the wind?" Jake asked, his voice evidently trembling.

"Maybe I was. Let's move on." this time, Kelly refused to take any chances. She clung on to my arm as tightly as she could while we continued exploring the seemingly haunted mansion.

"You don't s'pose this place is haunted, do you?" the words escaped my mouth unconsciously.

"Nah, those are just silly rumours. Besides, we haven't seen..."

"Seen what, Isaac?"

"Did you guys just see something move across the windows?"

"N... no... Don't scare us Isaac! It's not funny!" Kelly began to freak out. A loud bang from the window made us all jump.

"I don't like this place. C'mon, let's get out of here," Jake pleaded, and turned around to leave. A floorboard under his feet gave a sickening loud crack due to his weight. Before he knew what was happening, it gave way and he went crashing down to the basement below.

"JAKE!!" Kelly and I shouted at the same time, fearing for the safety of our dear friend.

"Jake, you conscious down there?" Isaac shouted down the hole after the debris cleared.

"Yeah, but I can't move. I think I broke my leg."

"Stay put, we're coming to get you," Isaac reassured him, and he turned to us. "Let's go. Who knows what lurks down there in this creepy place."

We frantically searched for the stairwell to the basement, desperate to get Jake and ourselves out of the mansion as soon as possible. It was more than enough adventure for the time being. We didn't say a thing as we continued the search, but we all knew that we're praying to God to keep us safe.

"Guys! I found the stairs!" I yelled, and Isaac and Kelly came scurrying.

When we reached the bottom of the flight of stairs, we saw the broken floorboards from the level above, and the gaping hole on the basement ceiling. But Jake was nowhere to be found.

"Shit. Where the hell is he?"

"You don't s'pose... that the thing in this mansion that killed the others, whatever it is.... got him... do you?" Kelly asked the question that instantly struck fear in our hearts.

"Let's go to the second floor. C'mon!" Isaac commanded us like a natural-born leader. We sprinted up the stairs immediately.

"Now what?"

"Hmm... If I were the resident monster of the house, where would I most probably be?"

"The master bedroom!"

It was fairly easy to distinguish the master bedroom from the other rooms along the corridor. Its doors were made of finely-lacquered rosewood, the most lavish one compared to the rest. Exotic carvings decorated it, and its handles were made of pure gold.

"Shall we announce our arrival?" Isaac tried to ease the tension with a little joke, but obviously none of us were in the mood to even bother. Kelly and I were just thinking about two things: finding Jake safe and sound, and getting out of here!

As he slowly pushed the doors open, a horrifying sight greeted us. Piles of bones were scattered across the bedroom floor. A hyena-like creature was in the room. It was standing on its hind legs like something from a horror comic, but the thing is, it's real. It was too busy fumbling with something on the bed to notice that the door was open. When we looked closer, we were stunned. It was Jake lying on the bed in a bloody mess, his innards torn out, face missing a chunk of flesh. We could see his cheekbone from the distance. Kelly let out a scream, which unfortunately alerted the creature of our presence. It bared its fangs at us, fat drops of drool mixed with blood and guts dripping down the side of its mouth. The mutated hyena roared so loudly I swear I felt the floor rattle, upset at our untimely intrusion upon his feast.

Although we promised to get Jake, we can't do anything in this situation. There wasn't even the tiniest bit of hope of bringing his body back to the parents. He was gone forever. The three of us couldn't be bothered anymore. As the creature started walking towards the door, we turned around and ran for our lives, our ear-shattering screams threatening to puncture our lungs. We were desperate to get out of the mansion, away from the creature of the night that was chasing us on our heels.

One wrong step. Kelly tripped and fell off the stairs, rendering her unconscious.

"KELLY!" I shouted as I started to run towards her. I already lost Jake. I don't want Kel to get killed as well. Isaac pulled my hand, tightening his grip as I tried to break away from his grasp. Warm tears started flowing as I see the creature lunge down on her and started tearing her limbs apart, devouring its next meal.

"NO!!!" I wailed, as blood was splashed everywhere - the walls, the floor, the railing, us. My stomach churned at the sight. It was sickening to see your best friend get mutilated in front of your eyes.

"C'mon Mel! We can't do anything! Let's get out of here before we become dessert!"

I practically had to be dragged out of the doors of the mansion by Isaac who managed to overpower me, kicking and screaming. I don't want to leave two of my best friends behind. I'd rather be killed along with them. At least I would not feel this guilty.

Once we were far enough from the living hell, we sat at a curb, blood covering our clothes. It would look really realistic if we were in our Halloween costumes, but unfortunately it was not. Some kids that walked past us commented that our "costumes" were awesome, not noticing the horrid look on our faces, ignoring the fact that we were panting hard.

"Look, Melissa. I'm just as devastated as you are, and I feel just as horrible too. But we have to stay alive. We have to tell the authorities and their parents about the mansion and their fate. Besides, I'm sure that they both want us to get the hell out of there, not suffer the same fate. You hear me?" Isaac scolded me when the passer-bys were far enough to hear what we were talking about.

He sounded more mature than I am for once.

I could only manage a weak nod, and fell into his arms as I wept openly. I didn't even feel like talking anymore. The reality hit me hard - I've lost two of the only friends I have, on a crimson Halloween night.