Beware the creature that stalks on All Hallows Eve, when the supernatural roam the Earth and cause mischief among the living. The Halloween Spirit is the worst of them all, giving the humans a good scare to boost their belief in the joyous holiday...
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A smile finds its way to my red lipstick-covered lips as I watch the childish, Halloween King skip merrily in front of me with a half-full sack of candy swinging in his grip. The boy turns his head towards me when he notices I'm lagging behind with a large smile on his face. Since he stopped, I managed to walk up beside him, so he takes the opportunity to link our arms together.
"Come on, Y/N! Hurry! Hurry! Time's a ticking, you know?" To add emphasis to his statement, Jack pulls out his beautiful pocket watch and swings it back and forth like a hypnotist to show it off. Chuckling lightly, I pick up my pace as we walk to the next house only for him to stop abruptly, accidentally tugging me back with him. I bump into the spirit's side, stumbling a bit before finding my footing.
"Why'd you stop?" I ask upon seeing the evil grin on his lips as he stared to the right with glowing, red eyes. Following his gaze, I find that he's looking at a group of boys bullying a bunch of younger kids. The teens look rather familiar, though.
'Oh, jeez, it's Jerrold again. Of course.' I tense up slightly and hide myself partially behind Jack's back. Obviously, he notices my strange behavior and glances down at me with a raised brow, his lips forming a straight line as the look in his eyes became more serious.
"Those losers aren't still bothering you, are they?" He asks, sounding about ready to snap their necks. I shake my head, though I appreciate the concern.
"No, not really, but I've been trying to stay away from them." Humming softly, Jack looks back at the group with a malicious smirk.
"Stay here, then," he suggests before releasing my arm and walking towards them. My eyes widen, but I make no motion to stop him. I know Jack can handle them just fine on his own. The group of boys turn their attention to the newcomer in annoyance.
"Hey, get lost, buddy!" Aaron demands in a stern voice that'd make anyone turn and run, but not Jack. The King's wicked grin only widens to an unnatural width as he steps closer to his victims.
"Did you not learn your lesson the last time?" He asks in a dark voice that sends a chill down their spines.
"Wait..." All the teenagers' eyes grow wide with fear when they recognize the blonde and take a step back. Howard lifts a shaky finger at the boy, seemingly ready to get the hell out of dodge.
"H- Hey, stay back, you freak!" He orders, though, I'm sure he knows he's in deep shit right now. Upon taking another step forward, the group steps back again, and Howard falls backwards after tripping over Whiskers, who had appeared behind his feet. The cat hisses loudly in anger, while the teen attempts to crawl away, his muscles tight with tension. Jack pats the strawberry blonde head of one of the little kids who were being picked on who looked no older than nine, wearing a wizard costume with prescription, black framed glasses that now have a crack in them. I'm guessing one of the teens roughed him up before we got here. The spirit then bends down to pick up the glow-in-the-dark bucket that Howard had dropped when he fell before returning it to the boy. The teens seem to snap out of their daze and surround the red-eyed blonde, while the children scatter to escape the threat.
"Oh, my. It appears I'm surrounded." Jack makes a face that depicts a faux look of distress, his hands held high in mock surrender before he bursts out laughing like a lunatic, putting the palm of his hand against his forehead. "Let's even the numbers, shall we?" Reaching into his sack, Jack grins as he conjured a cobra with his magic before pulling it out from the bag. The boys' faces all filled with fright at the sight of the slithering creature and looked faint when it was dropped onto the ground. Hissing, it chased after Jerrold with it's fangs barred, causing him to run off in a panic. Humming, Jack brings a hand to his chin in thought.
"Nope, that wasn't it." Reaching into the bag again, he takes out a large crow that flaps its wings rapidly, forcing him to release it. The bird caws menacingly as it circles above to pick out its prey before swooping down to peck at Arron's skull. He screams while running wildly to escape the bird, who persists on attacking.
"There, that evened the odds, I'd say." Giving a satisfied grin, Jack snaps his fingers, and suddenly, Whiskers' pupils shrunk to thin slits as his fur stood on-end. The animal looked feral as he turned towards Howard, hissing and clawing. I could only stand by and watch in shock as his clothes were torn up by the large, black cat.
"Not again!" He cries, while Jack removes the final trick from his sack, a big tarantula that crawled around his hand onto his palm before it was tossed onto the last boy, Tylor, who attempted to escape the horror show. The boy lets out a high-pitched squeal when the creature slipped into the back of his shirt, waving his arms around crazily to get it out.
"Hey, where are ya going?! Can't handle a little trick?" The spirit laughs in amusement before waving his hand, making all the animals and injuries sustained by them disappear in white smoke. I had to rub my eyes to make sure I was seeing things correctly as the four stumbled over their feet to get away. Jack clutched his stomach, he was laughing so hard, while Whiskers rubbed against the boy's legs affectionately, as if to praise him for a job well done. I shake my head as I approach him.
"Well, that was violent," I claim only to receive an uncaring shrug.
"Who cares? Wasn't real anyway, just some spooky illusions I've cooked up to give 'em a good scare. Clearly, I didn't do enough last time to teach them a lesson. I even made a fake Whiskers!" Smiling brightly, he picks up the heavyset cat and nestles his face in the black fur. Regardless, I can't help but feel a little bad for those guys even though they kind of deserved it. Jack went a bit overboard this time.
"I just think you did a little too good a job at scaring them. I think they might be scarred for life now," I mention while looking in the direction the boys ran until an arm was slung over my shoulders. Turning my head slightly, I'm met with Jack's bright, ruby eyes. They're so pretty, like precious jewels that glow in the moonlight. He must've let go of Whiskers, for the cat currently sits at my feet, licking his fur to clean it.
"Hey, I don't like bullies. Someone had to get it through their skull not to mess with people." His fist knocks lightly on the side of his head for emphasis before he continued in a more lighthearted tone. "Besides, no one messes with anyone's candy on my watch!" I smile slightly, making his grow bigger as he pokes the left corner of my mouth to force my smile to widen.
"Ah! See, there it is! There's that pretty smile." He pats my back, while I can't help but roll my eyes at his comment. "Now, lighten up! It's the best night of the year! Don't waste it moping." Pulling out his pocket watch, Jack checks the time. "Time to get a move on. Onwards!" He shouts while pointing in the direction of the next house. We walk towards it at a quick pace, while I ask him a question.
"Hey, Jack?"
"Yes, my Queen?" He sends me a warm smile that makes my heart flutter, and the nickname certainly didn't help any.
"After a few more houses, we should go to my place and watch horror movies. I'm not locked out this time, and no one will be home to bother us." Jack stops abruptly to spin towards me and firmly grasp my shoulders within his hands. My body stiffens under his dead-serious stare, which honestly, scared me a bit.
"Y/N, did I ever tell you that I love you?" I blink rapidly a few times, trying to comprehend what I've just been told.
'W... What? Did he just... Did he seriously just say...' My cheeks heat up like an oven set on high.
"W- Wha...?" The next thing I know, the spirit starts shaking me like a rattle while smiling so big, I swear the corners of his mouth would rip.
"I freaking love horror movies!" He exclaims.
'Oh, that's what he meant.' I laugh it off, the heat in my cheeks dying down when I realize he wasn't confessing, like I though he was. He's just super enthusiastic. I should've guessed. I grab the boy's hand and drag him over to the next door for trick-or-treating.
"Let's hurry, then, so there'll be plenty of time."
