Kisses From Death | Book 1

HALLOWEEN'21

A FROWN FOUND its way onto Death's expression as he observed the surprisingly silent lounge. His eyes drifted over to the calendar that was poised above the fireplace, confirming the date today.

It was Halloween, October 31st. He hadn't remembered it wrongly.

However, the funny thing was that the entire castle was awfully quiet. Things had never been that way before, not on this hallowed night, at least. Halloween always had the entire castle alive and bustling. The souls loved the holiday season, and so did Death's brothers. It was a day for them to celebrate, more so than any other holiday out of all three hundred and sixty-five days of the year.

It was their night.

And yet, for some unfathomable reason, Death found himself very much alone in a very empty castle, not a single soul around, much less any decorations to hint at the day.

"What is going on?" he mumbled to himself under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

Even when he had gone to the world of the living to spend time with little Addison, the others had never skimped on the festivities. What made this year so different?

Shrugging, he decided that he had already wasted too much time lingering around in the castle, looking for people that obviously didn't want to be found. Hence, Death grabbed the cloak that he had previously strewn over the couch, placing it on before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

He arrived near Addison's house in Riverside Creek just as the sun went down. Slowly, the houses along the street lit up one by one, each family ready to show off their decorations and begin the fun. Children began to flock the streets, all of them dressed in costumes— some brilliantly made while others cheaply put together. However, no matter what they wore, the smiles on their faces were undeniable.

The living loved this dreadful day as much as the dead, and that was always something that put a smile onto Death's face.

The horseman began to walk down the street, not bothering to conceal himself this time. After all, everyone was dressed up. He wouldn't even stand out in the least bit, and he was sure that everyone would just assume he was out to do some trick-or-treating of his own. However, just as a precautionary measure, he still toned down his age, appearing as an eight-year-old.

Death knew this place by heart. He had visited so often that each and every building here had already long imprinted into his memory. He remembered every house, every park, and even every street lamp that lit the roads. And when he finally stood in front of the driveway that led to Addison's home, Death smiled.

It had been a while since he had last seen the girl, and truly, he missed her sunshine personality and broad smile.

However, right as he was about to walk to the door and knock, something chilled Death's blood. He stood rooted to the ground, his eyes wide and jaw agape. Immediately, a rush of fury blazed through his blood as he furrowed his eyebrows and raced forward. He didn't even bother to conceal his identity, soaring ahead in a cloud of green smoke as if no one could see him.

There was an ominous cloud that hung over the Pilediah family home, and — ironically enough — it reeked of death and doom. It was the same sensation that would fill him whenever he was near someone who was about to pass on, or had already passed.