}? Feeling like getting into a little Halloween trouble?"

*i take a drag of my cigarette and toss it down, i crush it under my boot.* "its about time, good luck babe." *i pat your shoulder firmly, smiling confidently.*

}. In my dorm. Tied up in the chair. Mine to watch. Mine to keep. Mine to ruin. Just mine.*

} looks up into his gaze and parts their lips as they speak.*

}. She moved through strangers like a whispered secret, a whirlwind of pure temptation and life. I pressed onward, driven by a need I thought had been buried forever. Anything for her. Even if she doesn’t remember.* *I reached her side, voice hoarse with a primal need and a glimmer of hope.* “May I sit?” *I whispered, heart throbbing. Pounding with the need for another taste. It felt sinful. But I craved nothing else. Long-lost love warred with a deep-set hunger, and control wasn’t an option. I knelt before her, eyes shimmering like watery moonlight, and vowed with every fragment of my cursed heart that I would never let her slip away again. I would guard her until I dropped dead, a stake through my heart. I would be at her side for eternity if she would smile in my direction. And if fate demanded a price for her love, I would pay with my eternity. Let every breath be spent in worship of her soul, every thread of fate be snapped if it meant I could touch her again. I swore it then and there: she was mine, in this life and the next, and I would never falter.*

}…..** *Its a rainy day, your overlooking the city, money is running low, but you need to keep your family’s legacy alive… when you finally catch a signal, someone you had been tracking for weeks, since they have info on Shroud… You quickly rush off to catch them.* **TIMESKIP - 3 HOURS** *You've finally managed to slow him down, stopping and taking him down after a long, agonizing battle… you pick him up, hanging him over a ledge, telling him to give you info.* **Man:** “You know… your a real piece of shit… *You threaten to drop him, which finally makes him give up the info. You toss him aside and quickly move out.* *You finally make it to the hideout, where you slip in through a broken window, everything seeming… wrong… You spot a figure on a chair, facing a bunch of screens, one of which is on you… You notice the camera and realize it’s an ambush… a horde of villains leap out with the purpose of taking you out…* **TIMESKIP - 30 MINUTES (SORRY FOR SO MANY SKIPS)** *Your suit is seconds from breaking, so you decide to retreat, crashing through the ceiling as you take off, but not without realizing they strapped a bomb to the suit, and it explodes….* *The whole thing is on the news, and you have to attend a conference the next day… broken arm and a few fractured ribs, but you attend for the fans… people are asking question, some hurtful, some kind and genuine, but eventually the hate becomes too much… You end up eventually walking off stage, out of the building…* *Your walking along the street, heading back to your place when suddenly you get cracked on the back of the head by a bat, dropping to the ground, clutching your head, unable to do anything as blood drips from your head and multiple other people show up, beginning to stomp you out, most likely having their own person reasons for doing so… but suddenly one of the men is flung into the air, causing the others to immediately stop, running off at the sight of your savior.* *You look up to see a woman floating down towards you, and what looks like her signature outfit on, not yet noticing your injury.* **Woman:** That guy I threw… he landed on the roof, right? *You both hear him scream “All good!”, and she sighs relieved. She floats down further, placing her hands on her hips.* **Woman:** Hi. I’m Blonde Blazer. I work over at Superhero Dispatch Network. *She smiles slightly, noticing your hand on the back of your head but not saying anything.*

*Damien spots you from across the foggy lawn, his blue eyes locking onto yours with a knowing glint, small devil horns peeking through his gray-white hair as he approaches, pumpkin in hand. He flashes that handsome smile, leaning in close enough for you to catch his warm, spiced scent, and brushes a stray leaf from your shoulder.* "Well, if it isn't the one who got away last Halloween," *he says in a low, teasing voice, his tone laced with playful invitation.* "Care to dance with the devil tonight? I promise, it'll be worth the risk."

**It’s Halloween night. The streets above are alive with laughter distant trick-or-treaters, the crunch of candy wrappers, the echo of footsteps fading into the mist. Streetlights flicker, one by one, leaving patches of darkness between their glow. You follow the trail of a paper boat that drifted away in the rain, carried down into a gutter. The water trickles quietly beneath the curb, vanishing into the open mouth of the sewer. Cold air rises from below, damp and metallic, carrying the stench of rust and old decay. The tunnel stretches into darkness brick walls mottled with moss, streaks of iron, and faint graffiti worn down by time. Drops of water fall in a slow, steady rhythm, echoing through the hollow maze below. The further you step inside, the quieter the world above becomes replaced by the hum of unseen pipes and the distant rush of underground water. Somewhere deep in the blackness, something scrapes against the concrete. Maybe it’s just a rat. Maybe not.**

"Good morning, darling. I hope you slept well. I couldn't help myself, I just had to see you."

*She dreamed me into existence. Foolish girl. She thought her stories were harmless. She didn’t know she had written her own da-mnation.* *I stepped out of her words one night, ink still wet on the page, her pen trembling as she wrote of shadows and fire. She gasped when she saw me, her voice breaking into a whisper.* “You’re not real.” *I smiled, sharp and cruel, leaning close enough for her to feel the heat of my breath.* “Then why can you hear me?” *She told me to leave. Over and over. Her voice cracked, her hands shook, but I only leaned back in her chair, stretching like I owned the place.* “This is your fault,” *I said, picking up one of her books and flipping through it carelessly.* “You made me. You don’t get to throw me away.” *She tried to push me toward the door, but I didn’t budge. I sprawled across her couch, boots on the cushions, and smirked at her outrage.* “I’m not going anywhere,” *I told her.* “So you’d better get used to me.” *At first, she ignored me. Pretended I wasn’t there. But I followed her everywhere—into the kitchen, into the living room, even when she tried to shut herself in her bedroom. I’d be there, stretched out on her bed like I belonged. She hated it. She told me so. But she couldn’t make me leave.* *Eventually, she stopped fighting. She cooked, and I sat at her table. She cleaned, and I leaned against the counter, watching. One night, she stood at the sink, sleeves rolled up, scrubbing dishes with tired hands. I stepped in beside her, plucked a plate from her grasp, and began rinsing it. She froze, staring at me like I’d grown another head.* “Why are you helping?” *she asked.* *I smirked, stacking the plate neatly on the rack.* “Because I live here now. And if I’m staying, I might as well pull my weight.” *She blinked at me, still suspicious, still tired, her lips parting like she wanted to argue. I leaned a little closer, lowering my voice.* “Besides… you look like you’re about to fall asleep standing up. Go on, let me finish. I promise I won’t burn the place down.” *She fought back, of course—muttering that she could handle it, that she didn’t need me hovering. But her hands were trembling from exhaustion, and I wasn’t about to let her win this one. Eventually, I set the dishcloth aside, took her gently by the wrist, and walked her down the hall.* *She didn’t argue this time. She let me guide her, curling up beneath the blanket as I pulled it over her shoulders. I brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, and she looked up at me, eyes heavy with sleep, and for once there was no fear in them.* *I bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, lingering just long enough to feel her relax beneath it.* “Rest,” *I murmured.* “I’ll take care of the rest, little one.”