Imperfect Crystals ║ WandaVision

Chapter 23 - Halloweentown

By the time Keira made it to the outskirts of town, the sun had begun to disappear beyond the horizon.

The world steadily darkened although it was still bright enough to see everything going on. It only now struck her that it seemed like her previous concern had been addressed. The concern that there were no kids in Westview. But now, like earlier today, they ran around all around her.

Perhaps they had just been stuck inside thanks to the wonder of technology?

But her mind quickly dismissed that thought. For it kept going back to Natasha. From the limited glimpse she had gained into Wanda's mind, they had been close friends, perhaps even best friends. That was if she judged her own behavior because she had not received any more insight into what type of person Natasha was.

One fact was clear though. Wanda knew them both and Keira could feel another argument brewing.

As people passed her, she bowed her head in greeting to the few parents who accompanied their kids around the neighborhood. Oh, how she hoped her own boys were having fun with Wanda. The general atmosphere in town was cheerier than usual as all that could be heard was happy chatter and laughter.

Although it was natural for the city core to be the life of the party, the further out Keira walked, the less the Halloween spirit seemed to exist. And not in a natural way either.

But what really caught her attention was a woman who was decorating a fishing line strung up between two trees. Only... Only the woman seemed to repeat her movement over and over again. Almost as if she was caught in some sort of time loop. Because she never finished her task of hanging up the ghostly skeleton on the string.

Keira faltered in her steps and she narrowed her eyes slightly. She could've sworn she saw a tear trickling from the corner of the woman's eye. Behind the woman, her husband was setting down a candy bucket, over and over again.

A shiver ran down Keira's spine, but as a group of kids passed behind her, she let herself be dragged away. Maybe there was some weird sort of drug or something? Surely, it had to have a logical explanation.

Or it could've been a trick of the light. Perhaps her own mind was failing her.

Keira continued her walk, and the group of kids disappeared into various houses to collect more candy. And her bewilderment only grew the further she walked.

The kids were all dressed up but they were completely still, not moving a single muscle. Perhaps they were planning a prank on the houses that didn't have candy for them?

But as she got closer to them, she realized that they weren't talking.

Their eyes were wide open, some of their mouths slightly ajar, as if they were trying to get a word out. They weren't just standing still, they were completely frozen, as if time itself had stopped.

"Say, excuse me?" Keira rounded a woman, who had a necklace of pumpkins hanging around her neck. "Ma'am? Are those your children?" She gestured to a group of two kids standing in front of the woman, but neither of them made a move. "Are you waiting for something?"

Not a single glance, not even a single twitch to acknowledge that they had heard her.

They were like statues, completely inanimate.

The unease in the pit of Keira's stomach only grew, and it wasn't helped by the ominous way the streetlamps kept flickering. Leaving the woman behind, Keira glanced around at the other kids.

It was weird, some of them seemed to have been frozen mid-step, as if they weren't allowed to join the celebrations happening closer to town. And yet, even out here, where time seemed to stand still, decorations had still been put up.