All Hallows Eve.

 

Decorated in Halloweens best and scariest looking decorations and costumes, no-one could say the civilians of Santa Barbara shunned Halloween but embraced it. For every year each building: private, corporate and public were bedecked in some of the greatest and most realistic decorations of bats and skulls, through webs and skeletal trees to pumpkins and gravestones, pretty much everything and anything went. That sentence stretched to costumes as well. Men, women and children were dressed up to the nines as pretty much anything from witches and wizards through heroes and villains to popular cartoon characters. Many appropriately themed parties and games for all ages started early on all hallows eve as well as trick or treating.

It seemed too many residents on this particular night that there was twice as many ‘teeters than normal for this part of the city, and the tricks were twice as decisive, clever and crude. Several adults and children had already been taken to the nearest hospital with strange and unusual injuries. It was later in the evening when the younger children of Santa Barbara were being taken in and put to bed it was noted that unknown children and teenagers were wondering around amongst the teenagers and occasional child still wondering out there. A strange wind picked up as one grandfather stood at the door to his home, his son in law beside him a sad yet knowing look on his face.

“They’re here” He said mournfully as down the street three people appeared out of the gathering mist.

They were not the tallest of people if one cared to look at them, but they were definitely not children. Each of these three strange beings looked to be at least 16 or there a-bouts. The eldest was definitely a girl teetering on the edge of womanhood; the other two were more men than boys but something around them spoke volumes of a child or children planning naughty things. Their names were Inky, Blinky and Nodd. Inky was the tallest of the three of them and the elder boy, his hair was a vivid red and his eyes were a coal black. His clothes were that of a biker boy with jeans white shirt and a black biker jacket, He wore a mask like that of a devil and seamed at a glance to be a second skin. Blinky was the girl and boy did she know it. She was the oldest and smallest too she did not like it at all. With pale skin, raven black hair and small black eyes, Blinky knew her own skin and was dressed to pull. Her clothes were that of a sexy witch with a tall pointy hat and the mask she wore was similar to Jarret the Plague Doctors mask as it had a long beak on it. Nodd was the youngest he was just taller Blinky. His hair was blonde and shortly cropped; Nodd was podgy around his stomach. His black and white stripped clothing didn’t help with calming people’s fears and neither did the blank mask he wore. Certain people could see them and others couldn’t. The people who could would either flee in terror or flock to them in joy.

The pranks around the city increased in frequency and violence from the moment the three pranksters appeared, windows were broken, houses egged and damaged, cars stolen and crashed and several decorations were completely demolished. Many of the teenagers and children who weren’t troublemakers or brave enough to be out disappeared back to their homes and their families. The brave few who remained tried their hardest to finish their trick or treating. One such child was a determined little girl named Dot. Dressed as a witch dots hat was pinned to a mass of dark and curly flyaway hair and clear sky-blue eyes stood out over the obvious fake nose. Dot knocked on the door of the house she’d approached and waited until it opened.

“Trick or Treat” Dot said with a smile as she held out her candy bag to the tired looking bald man who had opened the door. He sighed and grabbed the box of candy off the shelf by the door and almost shoved it into her.

“Here” he yawned as Dot helped herself “Happy Halloween kid”

The box suddenly clunked to the floor and candy scattered in all directions as the man paled quickly dot looked up at him and noticed his strange expression, she turned and there across the road running around and causing trouble was Inky, Blinky and Nodd. A scream rose in Dots throat and died almost as quickly as the bald man slammed the door shut and she began running from them. Inky saw her and pointed her out to his friends; all three gave chase cackling with joy morphing every few feet. Dot rounded the corner and was stopped by Blinky.

“Who do we have here” She purred in a spine tingling voice as Inky and Nodd pressed in from behind

“A recruit to our cause?” Nodd asked looking and sounding like an excited collie puppy.

“a young and new recruit” Inky said a strange look in his eyes as Blinky drew herself up to her full height “Best change her now Blinky, and quick about it”  Blinky raised her hand as it began to glow.

“Wait” a voice commanded as it rang across the street from where they stood

A young woman stood on the other side of the road with long silvery hair she was wearing a white shirt, corset armour, Jean-like trousers boots and an expensive looking cloak all in black

“Pranksters Inky, Blinky and Nodd” she said sounding like a warm summer’s day and a snow day all in one go “Leave the poor child alone it is not her time”

The three pranksters immediately drew away from Dot giggling manically as Dot flew to the young woman who knelt down to calm her.

“We’ll go then mistress” Inky said

“And find another” Nodd continued

“One whose time is now and ours for the taking” Blinky finished as the three of them turned on their heels and vanished into thin air.

“They will never learn” The woman said “Come let us get you home”

“Who were they?” Dot asked softly as she unconsciously led the woman to the street she lived on

“Inky Blinky and Nodd are the most infamous trick or treat pranksters this side of the river”

“What’s your name?” Dot asked “And why isn’t it my time?”

“My name is Beth” Beth replied with a smile and she knelt down to Dots level “and you are still a child, though your guts to come out on all hallows eve alone past seven is commendable, It’ll attract those of a severe prankster nature, I suggest you wait a few years before you try this again”.

Something in dots head clicked into place. Two years ago her cousin Jack went mad and had disappeared after he’d began raving about seeing a woman named Beth on Halloween and three pranksters named Inky, Blinky and Nodd. He was found two weeks later in a ditch in the woods he’d died by hyperthermia. Aunt Alice was never the same.

“I’m going to die aren’t in?” Dot asked sounding like she had accepted it

“I’m afraid so” Beth confirmed “but not for a few years yet” Dot nodded in relief “Best you go home I bet your mother is making cookies”

Dot grinned at the thought and gave Beth a hug, she then ran to her house keeping an eye out for traffic and other people.

“Why did you send us away?” Blinky asked appearing from behind and upturned ghost decoration munching on a candy apple as Inky and Nodd appeared eating candy they’d most likely stolen. “She’s down to be one of us”

“I told you it is not her time” Beth said sounding like winter again “Not for three years at least Blinky”

“But why can’t I change her now?” Blinky wined sounding like a small child

“Dot is jacks cousin, and he went mad remember” Beth hissed anger simmering at the back of her eyes, Blinky shrank back slightly “get back to what you do best child”

She snarled as the three pranksters fled again. The simmering ager behind beths eyes flooded her entire body as she turned on her heal and morphed to another suburban street where several student houses were situated the evening breeze caught on her cloak making it ripple impressively as she pulled the hood up over her head concealing her face. Only her simmering green eyes could be seen in the hood’s shadow.  Club music echoed around the street Beth was walked along gave the houses a strange sense of living.

Students of the city’s university were walking in and out of one particular house where the club music was coming from. Beth stopped on the corner directly opposite to the house within the shadows of the house behind her completely disguising her from drunk students almost passing out on the cup and paper strewn lawn. She was there for one particular student who was destined to die tonight alongside a prisoner at St Jedidiah’s and a patient at St Guys. There was supposed to be another at St Junos cathedral her heart skipped at the thought of St Juno’s for two completely different reasons and it was still painful -in part- at this point.

She’d been seven years older than dot when it happened on that strange all hallows eve thirty years ago. There had been city wide riots happening in response to religious and political reforms affecting the whole country. Beth had been orphaned three months prior in another city-wide riot, having no-where else to go Beth headed to St Juno’s and to her friend Lazarus who was a monk there. Unfortunately as she reached the steps of the magnificent marble cathedral a riot happening in the nearby streets broke out into the square in a crazy mash of monks and city folk. Lazarus had tripped and broke his wrist nearby to where Beth had taken refuge behind one of the pillars. Beth ran to help him as a man with a gun shot at Lazarus missing him entirely and hit Beth in the stomach and shoulder. The pain in her shoulder and stomach echoed a moment then disappeared as the student she was waiting for drunkenly walked outside of the house a can of bear in his hand. Three friends followed the boy out of the crowded house. Beth smiled the boy wouldn’t be completely alone.

The boy pranced around in the street dancing somewhat to the music; His friends were trying to get him to go home. As his friends began to walk off Beth noticed the change in his aura and she almost ran forward. She placed a hand on his shoulder and bicep as his body slid to the floor, his friends flocking to his side calling for help and beginning CPR. Beth stood to one side her hands still the boys arm and shoulder.

“That was it?”  the boy asked clear headed and slightly cold “I felt my heart going, then that weird body slide thing, then nothing”

Beth smiled sadly and said nothing as they watched the scene a little longer before taking the boy to Jarred the plague doctor.

AS she turned on her heal in jarred office she appeared within the walls of the cities infamous Prison. Walking along the corridors using shadows to pass guards and prisoners whose turn to pass on it was not. Beth saw the clouds outside form into darker and more aggressive shape it will rain tonight as she felt the pain in her stomach and shoulder again. Beth squashed down the memory and slid through the bars of the cell she knew held the man who killed her.

“I knew it was you who would come” the greyed man on the bed said sadly staring into space “even in death you will not let me rest”

Beth sat down opposite him suppressing her hatred

“I’ll show no ill will” Beth said eyes flashing slightly “I’m merely doing my job”

“You were merely a child” he croaked focusing on her with a dull look in her eyes “And you’ve aged years”

“Death let me live a while” Beth admitted “In exchange for collecting the dead”

“It didn’t hurt you know” he croaked again looking almost jovial “I began to choke and poof I was back on the bed”

“I can imagine” Beth said looking up at the old man hanging from the rafters. “Best get you to jarred”

Beth forcibly pushed the old man into jarred office and had him possessed before morphing to St Guys to collect an old man battling a deadly and rehabilitating despise whose time was up. The moment she goes there. The old man looked up from his bed and grinned; he sat up and simply got to his feet shedding his body like a snake. Looking like a young man again he turned to his old body hooked up to machines which were whirring and making a racket attracting attention from nurses and doctors on call who tried desperately to revive him. Beth and the gentleman left and were once again at jarred door.

Ten minutes later Beth walked slowly along the walkway of the faithful towards St Juno’s cathedral. The sounds of that fateful day wringing in her ears as ghosts darted across her eyes. The pain echoed as she felt someone catch her as Lazarus’ terrified face came into view above her.

“Bethlyne” he gasped as he held her, the man who caught her tried to stop the bleeding. The riot around them slowly stopping when people realised a young girl had been shot.

“Come on bethlyne hold on please Meline” he sobbed as she grew colder

“It’s so cold” Beth said as the world grew hazy her eyes drifting towards a strange looking man behind the group of people. Beth closed her eyes her skin tingling as she remembered the freeing fealing.

“Bethlyne” Beth looked towards the voice, an old man stood before her…..the old man who had taken her to Jarred

“Morgrim” She replied slightly warbled “How are you?”

“I am the same since the first day we met though I could ask the same about you?” he asked purring slightly an epitomite of a herald even after the thirty years she’d known him and the sixteen hundred years he’d walked the earth.

“But Lazarus….” Beth began as she let out a sob

“It is his time child”

“Let him hear one more mass” Beth cried tears now falling down her cheeks “Let him wake up one more time, let him see the sun”

Morgrim had seen the love between the monk and Bethlyne and knew when Bethlyne would have reached eighteen the monk….Lazarus would have left the clergy and married the girl he loved.

An untimely death had torn them apart and now time was giving them the love back.

“Oh child” Morgrim said softly raising a hand and wiping away her tears “I’ll let him have one more mass….but you must collect him afterwards”

Morgrim saw the relief flood across her face and her body language relaxes though the tears kept running. Morgrim caught her as her legs gave way and let her sit down on the stairs where she died.

“Thank you morgrim” She murmured gratefully

“I’ll let you collect him at the right time” Morgrim informed her as he got to his feat “If you do not I’ll collect hum myself”

Bethlyne heard the sky thunder dramatically as Morgrim disappeared back into the shadows. Beth raised her head to the sky and let herself be cleansed by the rain.