Nothing nor All.

Sweat dripped down my face, I'm not sure if it was because of the heat or fear. The dark hall was thick with humidity and my heart was in my throat. Something made a noise behind me and I reached wildly forward searching for Riley. My hand landed on something solid. Something tall. Something that was definitely not Riley. I reeled back, a scream building in my throat, and ran. Scrambling to the left when the hallway split I listened for Riley. A scream sounded ahead of me, sending me sprinting again. My body collided into something hard. A person. Riley. Relief washed over me for a split second before I realised, this wasn't over yet. We grabbed hands, saying nothing, and started running. Just as we passed the kitchen, the back door in view, something slid across my arm. 

"Fuck! Riley, something's got me." I yanked hard but my sleeve was stuck. Riley reached back, maneuvering my sleeve off the cabinet corner.

"Let's go," she hissed. Something moved in the kitchen, just around the corner from us. We froze. As the sound suddenly approached I ran. I don't know what overcame me but I didn't even think of Riley. Until I burst out the back door that is. The autumn sun reflecting off the white house made me squint when I turned back to look. My eyes adjusted to see Riley's burgundy hair as she ran out the door.

"Holy shit Wess." Riley laughed. "I don't know about you but that was the best haunted house I've been to."

"Best I've been to since that one at the farm." I smirked at her. "You know, the one with the clowns."

"Oh yeah, Noggin's farm or whatever." She raised her eyebrows at me. "You were just as scared of those clowns as I was."

"You know, I wish we could work here." I looked at the house and sighed.

"You know, you say you know way too often?" Riley nudged me with her elbow. "I'm only here for the week. There's no way they'd let us just work a few nights."

"You sure about that?" The man's voice made us both jump. He was still in full costume and had a chainsaw slung over his shoulder. "Hi there, I'm Merric. We're always looking for employees around here, even if it's just for a few nights."

"Really?" Riley and I spoke at the same time then grinned at each other.

"Yeah. In fact, I could show you the ropes later tonight and you could get started tomorrow." He leaned the chainsaw against a nearby tree. "Go home for a while and see if you can. Come back at seven if you're still interested."

"Pretty sure we'll see you then." I knew as I said this that we would. Riley and I went back to my car and talked as we drove home. This was an awesome opportunity; we'd been talking about working in a haunted house together for years. Then, of course, my mom lost her job and I had to move halfway across the country. That didn't stop Riley and I from being best friends though. The fact that she took a week off school in our senior year proves that.

Seven o'clock came quick and soon we were on our way back to that house. The driveway seemed long in the dark of a late October evening. The trees gave me an ominous feeling that I shrugged off. Riley was silent most of the drive, taking in the surroundings I guess. But it didn't help with my sudden nerves. My mom gave us a drive and though she said it was because she had to go shopping I knew she just wanted to come along and meet the man we'd be working for. The wind bit my ankles as I stepped out of the car. The shrieks of the still open haunted house echoed in the surrounding woods. Riley smiled at me and we dragged my mom around back. Merric was waiting, he was dressed in a nice enough plaid shirt and jeans but I could tell by my mom's face that she didn't like how he looked. I guess I can understand why. He was easily six foot three and had broad shoulders, his face was dirty from the makeup he still hadn't washed off and he really needed a shave. The greasiness of his little bit too long black hair just added to the effect.

"Mom, I swear he's a lot nicer than he looks," I whispered. "Trust me."

"Ah, you came!" He shouted as soon as he saw us. The merry sound of his voice and slight accent made my mom smile. Jackpot, I thought, smiling.

"Have fun. Text me when to pick you up." My mom put her hand on my shoulder. "No later than eleven thirty, got it?"

"Yes mom, I understand mom." I grinned.

"So you ready to learn the trade secrets?" Merric seemed happy that we were interested in working there. We waved a quick goodbye as my mom got in the car and we walked around the back of the house. "Come, just up these stairs." He led us up a very unstable looking wooden staircase on the side of the house. "We hang out up here, on the third floor. Can't always be scaring." He looked back at us, still smiling.

"Jeez, you should do some repairs on these stairs." Riley pulled her foot up from where it had almost gone through. "Someone's gonna die on them, then this place really will be haunted."

"Normally we use the inside stairs, just by the back door." He pointed down towards the door. "But there's some guests just through there right now." He pointed to his ear. "I could hear it." At the top of the stairs there was a door with the small window smashed. Riley whispered to me that somebody must have punched it, from the way it looked. The door led into a big room that seemed to be almost the entire third floor. The place was a total wreck, part of the roof had collapsed and there was garbage all over. Riley gave me a concerned look.

"Sit, sit." Merric said, motioning towards the dusty sofa. "I'll get us something to munch." As he milled about in the small kitchen area Merric explained the ceiling. It had fallen in a few days before when one of the guys had tried to clear off some trash that teenagers threw up there. The woods around the house were a popular place for parties which meant the house sometimes got mistaken for abandoned, until they saw the signs. The guy broke an arm when he fell in with the roof and they just hadn't gotten around to fixing it. Or clearing up the trash and plaster dust. He came over and gave us each a cupcake as he apologized.

"I'm so sorry I have nowhere else to take you." He sighed. "The guy who owns this place, we call him Boss. He's a real mess right now. Don't know how long it'll take before this gets fixed." Riley inhaled her cupcake and was eyeing mine. I had only taken a bite because the moment it touched my mouth I knew something was off. It's not that the cupcake wasn't good, it tasted great. But the cupcake was most definitely cold and I had just noticed that the fridge he pulled them out of wasn't plugged in.

"What's wrong?" Merric had piercing eyes and I swear I saw a menacing edge. "Why aren't you eating your cupcake?" He leaned forward in the arm chair he was sitting in across from us. "Isn't it good? I made them myself."

"I thought it was delicious." Riley glared at me. "I'm sorry. Wess here can be a little rude sometimes."

"I'm just not hungry." I mumbled, pushing the cupcake away.

"It's fine, at least you tried it." Merric smiled again. "Now trade secret time." He scooted his chair closer. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Uh sure, but why?" Riley asked. "Are you gonna say they're real and you use them or something?"

"Well, sort of." His smile was starting to give me the creeps. "Ghosts exist in a way. The thing they're based off of is most definitely real. A certain kind of creature, which is very much like a ghost but is not a dead human. These ghost-like creatures were never human at all. These beings are called The Nothing. A young Nothing often thinks that they are human and they will continue to think that forever. Unless," His smile grew wider, "unless they're fed a very special kind of plant or anything made from it. Then they begin to exhibit their true traits, after a very painful transformation." Riley looked at me like she was going to be sick. "It should start soon." I looked at the cupcake feeling queasy myself. A quick glance to the door told me I wouldn't make it. Merric would catch me before I even stood up. Riley lurched forward and made a strangled sound.

"Riley!" I grabbed her arm, pushing her back upright. She was foaming at the mouth. "Stop this. Please. What are you doing to her?" I yelled at Merric while still holding Riley. A pain was growing in my stomach and I felt light headed.

"You're a tough kid, Wess." He stood up. "But you can't hold out for ever."