Chapter 65: Haunted House Blues
Time flew to the next evening, and Halloween fever had completely taken over the neighborhood.
In the living room, the three little ones—Emma, Esther, and Lily—were dressed and ready to roll.
They weren't wearing their "professional attire" today, but had switched to outfits more appropriate for trick-or-treating.
Emma was a pale zombie bride, Esther rocked a classic jack-o'-lantern monster costume, and Lily wore a little red hooded cape as "Little Red Riding Hood."
"Mom, Dad, we're heading out!" the three called in perfect unison, then walked out together, disappearing into the night.
Watching them leave, Edward had a sinking feeling this Halloween wouldn't be peaceful.
Those three little psychos, desperate to prove themselves—God only knew what kind of chaos they'd cause.
"Mom, Dad, I'm heading out too." Edward stood and grabbed his jacket.
"Have fun, sweetie. Be safe," Mrs. Connor called after him.
Edward left and headed to the corner near Carrie's place as planned.
From a distance, he spotted a figure waiting.
Carrie wore an elegant black witch's robe with a pointed hat and carried an old-fashioned wand.
Her pale skin seemed to glow under the streetlights, and with her costume, she looked like something straight out of a medieval storybook.
"Hey, Edward!" Carrie saw him and waved happily.
"You look amazing," Edward said as he walked up, genuinely impressed.
As they chatted, a sexy, alluring figure appeared silently beside them like a cat.
"What's so funny?"
Jennifer's voice carried a lazy purr.
Tonight she wore a tight red bodysuit with small demon wings on her back, sparkly devil horns on her head, and carried a toy trident.
She was basically cosplaying her actual succubus nature as a Halloween costume.
"Where are Frank and Nettie?" Edward asked.
"They ditched us for some rom-com at the movies," Jennifer shrugged, then naturally looped her arm through Edward's, whispering in his ear. "Master, do you like this look on me?"
Feeling the deliberate pressure against his arm, Edward kept his expression neutral. "It's alright."
Just then, a timid voice came from nearby.
"Um... Edward..."
They turned to see Maria standing awkwardly under a streetlight.
She was dressed as a classic ghost—white sheet with eyeholes cut out, looking both adorable and pathetic.
"Can I... can I come with you guys?" she asked softly, clearly afraid of rejection.
"Of course! Come on over, Maria!" Edward immediately smiled and waved her over.
Maria visibly relaxed, jogging over to join the group.
And so their crew was complete: a guy in a leather jacket, a witch, a she-devil, and a ghost.
"So where to?" Carrie asked.
Jennifer pointed down the street to a Gothic building in the distance with eerie lighting. "How about there? I heard it's a new haunted house attraction this year—supposedly the scariest place in town."
Edward looked where she pointed. The haunted house did look like some kind of predator lurking in the darkness.
"Sure, let's check it out." Edward's mouth curved into a smile. "I'm curious to see just how 'scary' the 'scariest' place actually is."
The Gothic building loomed like a beast waiting in the dark, radiating manufactured dread.
As they approached, the deliberately creepy atmosphere thickened.
Fog from dry ice machines rolled out from the entrance, crawling along the ground.
Sickly green light spilled from the windows, casting warped shadows across the walls.
At the entrance stood a ticket seller in a ratty clown costume with garish makeup who flashed them a stiff, unsettling grin.
"Welcome to 'House of Ultimate Terror!' Party of four? We've got a couples' package—guaranteed to bring you closer together through shared screaming." The clown's voice came out raspy, like he was gargling gravel.
Jennifer pulled out several bills and slapped them on the counter, her arm still locked with Edward's, and raised an eyebrow at the clown. "Do we look like we need help 'getting closer'?"
The clown's smile faltered, then he took the money and handed over four tickets.
Inside, the haunted house was even darker, the air thick with the smell of damp mildew mixed with cheap fog machine fluid.
Horror movie posters and props hung on the walls, and occasionally staff in monster costumes would jump out from corners with dramatic shrieks, trying to scare visitors.
Unfortunately for them, Edward's group was a tough crowd.
Edward himself was completely unfazed—he'd seen actual monsters.
Jennifer, being a succubus, had supernatural perception. She'd sense the actors' positions before they even jumped out and would flash them a charming smile that usually scared them instead.
Carrie was a bit nervous, but standing next to Edward made her feel completely safe.
The only one genuinely scared was Maria. She clutched her sheet tightly, practically shrinking into a ball, staying as close to the group as possible.
After walking through a corridor decorated with fake cobwebs and plastic skeletons, they reached a fork.
The left passage was pitch black with the sound of dragging chains and mechanical groaning echoing from within.
The right passage was lit with strobing colors, with a massive funhouse mirror at the entrance—clearly leading to a mirror maze.
"Okay, we're splitting up," Jennifer suddenly announced, releasing Edward's arm and turning to the others. "It's more fun that way, right? We'll meet at the exit and see which team makes it through first."
She walked over to Maria and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, the sudden contact making Maria freeze up. "Little ghost, you're coming with me. Sound good?"
"I... I..." Maria stammered.
"Great, it's settled." Jennifer didn't give her a chance to refuse, then winked at Edward and Carrie. "You two take the left path. Have fun."
Before either could protest, Jennifer was already steering the shell-shocked Maria toward the mirror maze.
Edward and Carrie stood alone at the fork.
"Well," Edward said, looking at the ominous dark corridor ahead. "Guess we're going this way."
Carrie nodded, swallowing nervously, then smiled. "At least I've got the best protection. What's the worst that could happen?"
Famous last words, Edward thought with amusement as they headed into the darkness.
The corridor immediately swallowed them in shadow, broken only by flickering emergency lights that created more shadows than illumination.
Somewhere ahead, chains rattled.
Carrie moved closer to Edward.
"You know," she whispered, "for a fake haunted house, this is actually pretty well done."
"Yeah," Edward agreed, though his enhanced senses were picking up something... odd.
The fear in the air felt too thick, too real.
Like something was feeding on it.
Huh, he thought. Maybe this place actually IS haunted.
Now that would be interesting.