Hunter: Trick or Treat? 

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please note: This is intended as just a bit of fun and may or may not have anything to do with Part 3. I haven’t actually decided yet lol

Happy Halloween where ever and how ever you celebrate (or not) this day!! xx

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As a Hunter, I’ve battled vampires, zombies, ancient Warlocks and ego tripping werewolves, but none of that helped me now. Stuck in a mexican standoff, I knew better than to show weakness and fear.

Narrowing my eyes, I rested my weight on one foot and sized up my opponent. Paytah, Alpha to a pack of an original race of werewolf, had once told me that I was small and fierce. No, I am just, well, me. The monster in front of me is small and fierce.

“I. Want. More!” It growled at me, mimicking my change in posture until the feet stomping started.

“No and whatever this is, isn’t going to work on me.” I snapped back, despite a few older ladies looking in my direction with frowns on their faces. Forgetting the thing in front of me, I watched them instead and they quickly kept walking.

Yeah, move along.

“I’m going to tell-” It started to yell.

“Yeah? You do that. I’m so scared!”

Pale, baby soft skin started to turn to pink, before turning into a dark shade of red. It’s next words were more venomous than anything I could ever manage. “You should be!”

“Problem ladies?” Logan, ever the charmer appeared at my side.

“I’m not just a lady, I’m a Princess!” The barely four foot body of attitude retorted. True to word, her costume of pink frills and sequins did give the impression of what every seven year old wished to be.

Shame she didn’t act like it.

“I sincerely apologise Princess Carly. I am just a wolf who doesn’t know better.” Logan bowed, yes, he actually bowed at the monster.

Despite that, I still got a kick out of the Tracker dressing up as a wolf - tail and all. I didn’t hide my laugh well enough and he glared at me before going back to diffusing the situation I was stuck in.

Princess Carly curtsied, clearly forgiving his faux pas and carried on her tantrum. “I don’t want to go yet. I want more!”

I’d give her more of something in a minute.

“Maybe Red Riding Hood over here can let you go to one more house, but then we have to go before, well,” he looked around nervously and then whispered to her. “Before the monsters come out.”

She didn’t believe him, or if she did, she wasn’t worried.

Looking around, the suburban street was packed with groups similar to ours. Older teens and parents chaperoned children dressed as anything and everything from house to house in search of more candy - trick or treating on Halloween. The sun was starting to set and already the switch from kids and toddlers to the pre-teen upwards was becoming obvious.

Somehow Logan and I, as well as Penny, Chris and my brother Jordan got put to work with a bunch of under ten’s who were all part of the next generation Hunters, Trackers and Slayers. A smaller Academy, similar to the one I went to has set itself up outside of New York and were starting to test out taking in students younger than the typical thirteen year olds. So far, I wasn't a fan.

On my former headmistresses recommendation, my parents had come over to help with staffing until it became more functional and a trip to visit them and check it out, ended up with us playing babysitter and taking the newest bunch of students on a field trip to a nearby town to knock on doors and ask for candy.

I’ve kind of saved the world, twice, and this is what my life has come to.

“Look, Princess, one house and we’re done, even if I have to carry you back onto that stupid bus!” I threaten since Logan’s barter system doesn’t seem to be working.

“You’re mean!”

“So are you!”

“Arguing with a six year old? Really Hunter, I expected more from you.” A voice purred from behind. The musky odour of a cat shifter followed and turning, I rolled my eyes as Leo stepped out from behind a tree.

Seeing the bearded bartender, also panther shifter, but really unidentified god like power force, in a crisp and expensive looking tuxedo was actually a surprise. Not just for me considering Princess Annoyingpants shut her mouth.

“Nice costume. Going for asshole chic tonight?”

“You said a swear!” The Princess gasped, clearly offended.

Logan groaned.

“Cute.” The now shifter looked between Logan and I, smirking.

“Her idea.” Logan muttered, yet I didn’t miss the way he moved to stand in front of the Princess; her very own wolf knight in shining armour.

“Of course it was.” Leo agreed, turning to look at the little girl with curly blonde hair, big evil blue eyes and an ever bigger pink dress. “They’re right. All sorts come out at night.”

I shivered at his tone, and suddenly my nemesis didn’t seem so bad.

For a kid.

With an attitude problem bigger than mine.

“One more house, okay Carly?” I ask her softly, my fight leaving me as like Logan, I felt the need to protect her from the big, bad cat. There was no hiding my surprise as her hand reached out to mine, her own fight gone as fear took over from the tantrum she had been in for the last fifteen minutes.

“Yes Elise.” She answered, suddenly glued to my side.

We warned her monsters come out when it’s dark and she just met her first one. Way to throw the kid in the deep end.

After going to one more house as we negotiated, our group of five children finally ended up at the bus parked a block over. Meeting up with their friends, excited chatter fueled by the sugar they’d already started consuming had the noise almost unbearable.

“I just love kids!” Penny swooned over a little pirate and a dinosaur as they passed.

“You’re not normal.” I decided.

“Me? You’re one to talk.” She weakly argued, adjusting the crown on Princess Carlys head as she waved goodbye to me and followed her friends in.

“You didn’t have that one in your group.” Carly had the courage to poke her tongue out at me and I returned it.

“I bet you were just like that at her age.” Logan adds.

“Worse.” Jordan agrees, with Chris nodding beside him.

“I hate you all.” I mumble, leaving them to finish up while I went over to Leo who was patiently waiting on the other side of the street. “So, Trick or Treat?”

“Treat.” He answered amused, and pulled out an envelope. I had been joking. “Thought I’d invite you to a little, party, some friends of mine are having in town.”

“Who are your friends and why would I be stupid enough to go?”

“Relax, it’s Halloween. Nothing ever happens on Halloween, you know everyone is too tired from last night! You might want to change your attire if you decide to come along. Your brother will have something suitable.” And then he disappeared.

“What was that about?” Logan asked cautiously, looking at the invite in my hand that was nothing more than white card with an address embossed in the center.

“Wanna go to a party?” I hand it over as Jordan and Chris join us.

Looking at the bus, Penny is waving out of her window with a bunch of kids doing the same thing. We all smile and wave back, playing along until the bus turns the corner.

“Party?” Chris asks, snatching the card from Logan.

“Honestly, I think it’s a trap, it can't be anything good.” I answer the zombie doctor.

“Sounds like something you’d be into?” The clown also known as Jordan laughed. “Besides, you know it’s like the one night even the bad things take a break and he’s a good guy hey?”

I wanted to tell them the truth about, Leo, but couldn’t. He wasn’t what they thought and despite the fact he’d saved my life, and Logans - I couldn't actually trust him. I knew he hid too much to be that stupid.

“We can scout it out, and if it feels like a bad idea, we leave.” I decide.

The zombie smiles and so does the clown, though I kind of wish he hadn’t cause clowns are creepy enough. Looking at Logan, he seems to be thinking the same as me as he isn't looking thrilled to be going.

“Well, where little red goes, so does the big bad wolf.” He pulls me over against him, and kisses my forehead. “Did I tell you how good that cape looks on you?”

“No, but-”

“I can hear you two. No. None of that!” Jordan snaps, pulling us apart as we go to get Dads car he actually loaned to us tonight.

I blow Logan a kiss instead and Jordan points his finger at me like an angry parent. “Not funny!”

He only gets one finger salute in response.

                                                       -x-x-x-x-x-x-

The second we got to Jordan’s apartment, I was now positive it was going to be a bad idea to go. Waiting for the guys, were three suit bags and what was inside, looked similar to Leos’. Just when I thought I was going to be under dressed, Chris pointed out the black box on dining table. Lifting the lid, I was first greeted with a satin covered mask, the kind you wear to a masquerade and pulling back the paper, a dress in the same red satin waited for me.

“So, we going?” Chris asked, pulling a black mask out of the breast pocket of the jacket. “Fancy!”

“I vote, yes.” Jordan declares, and the pair of them high five.

“Bunny?” Turning to Logan, I nod. If we didn't, I had a feeling we would end up there anyway by other forces. 

We all get dressed and it’s nearly nine by the time we arrive. People dressed much more elegantly than us line up outside the nightclub entrance. The dress code seems wrong for the location, yet no one seems bothered. None of us can sense anything that gives away this party is a cover for something else and as we go to join the line, the bouncer grabs my arm.

“Miss Bunting. You’re on the VIP list.” He tells me and instantly lets go as the three stooges come up behind me.

“How do you know who I am?”

He holds up his clipboard and sure enough, my drivers licence picture stares back at me with a + 3 beside it. The red rope is undone, and we’re able to go down the black carpeted stairs. Everything is dimly lit, the only light coming from a thin strip of something that is glowing against the step. The walls are black too, and it’s like we’re walking into nothingness.

If we didn’t have better eyesight than normal humans, we wouldn’t have been able to see the man by the door and like the rest of the passage, he was completely in black, with his face covered by a balaclava. He pushed open the door, and I can imagine that impressing the people who couldn’t see him.

A few steps in, I work out what is going on.

It’s like a haunted house and as we walk along the dark passage, fake plastic skeletons pop out at us, and people we can’t see reach out to grab an arm or to pull hair. A curtain of fake cobweb comes next and from up ahead a shrill scream of delight and surprise only confirms this.

Another doorway and a fake zombie jumps out to guide us to another door. This time we know it’s not for show, and the four of us go tense as we sense a vampire. The space is filled with music too, well, a tune of some kind as the heartbeat sound is played so loudly it almost changes the natural rhythm of your own.

He hisses and carries on in front of us, and I only roll my eyes. The feeling of his presence is probably what made the other woman scream. Civilians could have seen anything if he was influencing them as they passed.

“Nice try.” I tell him as we pass.

“Hunter.” He greets coldly; almost offended we weren’t scared.

Finally we make it into the club and sure enough, the masquerade theme was well received by people who had planned to come along. The DJ had a decent sized crowd in front of her already, and again the base of the tune seemed to vibrate through your whole being.

“Check this place out!” Jordan looked around like a kid going to Disneyland, but he had a point.

Lush.

It was the only word I could think to use to describe it. Everything looked expensive, from the dark draping around the walls, the chandelier taking the place of a disco ball above the dancers and the sleep modern bar that stocked nothing you’d find in your everyday liquor store or pub. Emerald and gold lounges made up private seating area’s, a curtained off upstairs level was opposite us and there was more bling on the guests than what a Tiffany’s store could hold. Something didn’t feel right though. Maybe it was the masks covering every ones faces, but it made them all appear the same, despite the variety of colours and styles.

A faceless crowd.

“You okay?” Logan snaked his arm around my waist, a daring move considering my brother was right beside him.

“Think any of this is a little, strange?”

“There are shifters here. A few werewolves and I think all of the staff are vampires.” He tells me. I already knew that, but unlike the other two we were with, it told me he was paying attention.

“Drink?” Chris asked.

Logan nodded and the other two headed towards one of the bars, while we found a spare table to stand at. No one looked at us, though one lady did bump into me as she passed. Her laugh was like a hyena’s and she’d clearly been drinking, a lot, already. The more I watched them, the more something felt wrong. Their movements were stiff, almost robotic.

Jordan soon found a woman in a blue to talk to, while Chris occupied her friend. When they moved into the crowded dance floor, Logan offered his hand I stayed close to him. Could this all be innocent?

Leo had plenty of chances to take us out. He could kill us and we’d never even know until we found ourselves in the room of light. To stage something now, seemed a little redundant to me. So as the tune slowed down, I pushed the paranoia out of my mind and focused on dancing with my boyfriend, because I could.

“May I?” Leo interrupted as a new song started.

Logan hesitated, but obliged and I found myself dancing with the devil himself. Literally.

“Nice mask. Is this your true form?” I ask, glancing at Logan to see him moving towards the bar.

“I can assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about.” The demon smiled, revealing perfectly human teeth. Thanks to the waxy red skin covering his face, normal teeth seemed out of place. With his black lips closed, the two little stubs of horns on his forehead distracted me for a moment.

“Let me guess, it’s not the size of your horns that matters?”

“How did you know it was me?” He was nearly as offended as vampire. “And no, not my true form.”

I actually didn’t know.

He didn’t sound like Leo. He definitely looked nothing like him either. He was shorter, just, slimmer, more like Darius had been.

“Please, it’s obvious.” I lie.

“Liar.” I shrug and in a rather bold move, he pushes me out so I have no choice other than to spin around and be pulled back against him. “The girl can dance as beautifully as she fights.”

“That’s a compliment right?”

He laughs, and the horns disappear as the covering on his skin shrinks to reveal a stranger's face with a red mask. “Yes Hunter. So what do you think of all this? I throw a good party don't I?”

“Yes, the entrance was interesting enough." I hesitate for a second. "Plan on I dunno, killing me after this or something?”

“You should think before you speak.” His tone grows cold.

“I was. I don’t trust you so want to know what I need to prepare for.”

“Fine. I was going to let you enjoy yourself first, but since you asked so nicely, I have a test for you.” His grip tightens, holding me rather uncomfortably.

I don’t bother telling him he’s way too close to me right now. Mostly because I just started feeling normal again and I don’t want him to crush my healed ribs.

“Oh goody!” I mumble. “What kind of test?”

“Friends of mine are in town. Wanted a show and I know just how to give them one.”

My stomach dropped. “Let me guess, I’m the show?”

“Nothing too hard. You’ll do fine.” He promised.

“I’m in a dress?”

“And you look lovely.”

He let me go and I pushed up my mask to look around at the crowd. “They aren’t civilians are they?”

“Mannequins!” He clicked his fingers and everyone froze, except for Jordan who fell over his new friend as the movement abruptly stopped. “Happy Halloween Hunter.”

The four of us regrouped and with the music off, everything was still. The people turned to plastic, stuck in place and by the door we had come in from, the vampire wait staff locked it. Well, that's always a good sign.

“Let me guess, it was really a Trick not a Treat?” Logan looked around, clearly unimpressed by the statues around us. At least they weren't clowns.

“Yup.” I sighed.

The curtain blocking the upstairs pulled back and Leo sat on a throne of gold, already enjoying himself.

“Hunters. Tracker. Thank you coming!” He called out. From the darkness behind him, things were moving and the magic coming from above was nearly enough to knock me over. So much for nothing ever happening on Halloween.

“Well it’s not like I had anything else to do!” I answer him.

Someone in the dark laughed.

“Your friends have to sit this one out Hunter.”

“What are-” I stopped as the three of them were now beside him in a cage. Despite how they banged on the glass keeping them in, I couldn’t hear them. “Hurt them, I will destroy each and every one of you!”

“Big words for a, girl.” Someone leered, and I felt my heart stop as the Lord Alpha stepped into view.

“Starting with you. Again.” I promised.

He threw his head back, his laughing howl making me shiver. Straight from my nightmares the people behind Leo let themselves be seen. The Warlocks, Selene and my favorite; Dracula.

“Give them a show Hunter. If you fail, they die.” Leo pointed at the guys in their box.

The ground began to tremble and above the chandelier looked as if it was about to fall. Knocking over the mannequins as I ran towards the bar, something resembling Alfie only covered in fur burst from the ground.

He was serious.

He wanted me to fight, and in a dress.

Getting to the bar, I hoped his change to Leo hadn’t got rid of Darius completely and pulling up my dress, I jumped over the ledge. As soon as I saw the scissors, I made quick work of the length of the gown and with it shorter, I could move better. Kicking off the heels helped too and going into the staff room, it was empty except for a old wooden desk and a cupboard built into the far wall.

It opened easily enough, and I smiled seeing the assortment of swords and weaponry. Now we were getting some places. Darius had a cupboard just like this in his staff room. I found it, by accident, when Leo was ‘new’ there.

Now I think he had just planned for this all along.

Going back out into the club, the furry snake spotted me instantly and I waved it over. It didn’t disappoint, charging at me I climbed up onto the bar and decided to give this a go. I put the sword in the sheath I had strapped to my back and got the rope I'd also found in the cupboard ready, praying this worked. As it lunged to grab me, I jumped out the way, rolled and instead, jumped at it’s head.Its face was twice the size of my body, but slipping the rope over the top of it’s jaw, luck must be on my side as none of its teeth cut it.

By the time it realised what I was doing, I was holding onto to the base of it’s neck with my knees and wrestled with it’s head as it tried to fling me off.

“Come on, I don’t want to hurt you!” I yelled at it, trying to guide it like an overgrown horse as Leo’s bar was being completely destroyed in the process.

As soon as I found myself with some kind of control of it, I went straight to the second level, and had the demon fling me up. As I readied myself to land, I pulled out the sword and sliced the blade through Selene’s neck.

One down.

Leo  ran over to the ledge where the demon he'd raised was still on the prowl, while the Lord Alpha and Dracula circled me.

“There are two of us Hunter. Only one of you.” Dracula didn’t looked worried, showing off his fangs.

“I know, I'm sorry. It doesn’t really seem fair does it?” I readied the sword, already tainted with wolf blood.

They both laugh, and it’s the freak werewolf that attacks first. I cut his arm, but it’s not enough to deter him and instantly Dracula is there trying to pin me down.

“You fought better last time!” He goes to bite and I bring up my fist to smash into his nose.

“Oh so this is for real then?” I scramble up and go to ram the blade into his abdomen only he moved too fast.

“You are a fool to think you will win this. With your blood, we will have our return.” Dracula growled.

“Been there, stopped that.”

The more I taunted him, the angrier he got and I felt it. His hits were harder than I remember, and the fact there were two of them wasn’t fair. When I lost the sword for the third time, I wasn’t sure if I could get it back.

I’d forgotten about Leo, the snake thing and the guys. I hurt everywhere, more than I had in a few months and if my ribs were broken again, at least Alfie could help me heal now; if I survived.

“Tired Hunter?” The vampire snarled.

“Enough playing brother!"

The wolf like man jumped at me and I managed to roll out of the way and kick Dracula in the knee. Vamp or not, he stumbled and I grabbed the sword as jaws fasted on my ankle. Before the pressure could increase, my free foot went in his eye and turning as best I could, I aimed the blade for anywhere on him.

Unlike last time, I didn’t need a pretty sword and the hit was deadly.

“No!” Dracula roared and gaining courage from my victory, I waited for him. “Die!”

He moved faster than I could keep up, his hands like claws that sliced the expensive fabric of the dress, skin and anything he managed to get close to. The cherry on the cake was having him throw me off the balcony and crashing through the forest of mannequins, I was more determined than ever about working out how to kill Leo.

Dracula jumped down with a grace I lacked, and landing with precision he was soon hovering over me - his fangs glistening with saliva. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”

“I thought the Van Helsings would like to keep it in the family, but I’m willing to change that now.” I spat at him, trying to breathe through the pain my landing had left me in.

“Brave words.” He snarled.

I grabbed the nearest bit of broken plastic - an arm, and held it up in front of me as he jumped forward and with a bit of force from my end, it slid in between his ribcage. He gasped; blood quickly taking its chance to escape his body as it covered the tube. Groaning, Dracula tried to pull it out, but it clearly hurt and slowed him down. I didn't waste my time, and getting up, tried to ran as fast as I could back to the store room since my sword was up on the next level and I wasnt going to get up there now. 

I don’t know what happened to the furry snake, and I didn’t care, but Dracula was behind me as I made it to the cupboard. Luckily, I got there first. He was slower now, the dagger I had grabbed found skin more than once and cutting his cheek sent him into a frenzy.

I was in control now, he knew it and he was getting desperate so when the stake went into his chest, my smile was the last thing he saw before turning to dust. I fell backwards, gasping for air. I would have stayed there too if not for Leo appearing, clapping as he approached. “I guess you passed then?”

“Are you going to kill me now?” I choked out.

“No Hunter. How do you feel?”

He helped me up.

“Like I want to kill you.”

“No side effects from, before?” He looked me over, and poked one of the cuts on my thigh before I could stop him. The blood on his finger was licked off and now I felt like I was going to be sick as well as faint.

“Elise!” Jordan screamed from outside the room.

“Why? How? Them!” I got out, nearly hyperventilating as I tried to get in enough air to keep my lungs happy.

“That was all a Trick. You getting to kill them, again, was the Treat.” He bowed, looking pleased with himself. “Till next time Hunter.”

He disappeared as the guys came in and I collapsed just in time for Logan to catch me.

“You got some mad skills Ellie.” Chris offered as Jordan helped Logan carry me out to the bar.

Everything had changed.

The interior was gone so it was nothing more than a broken down warehouse and after a few minutes, the three of them helped me upstairs and into the cool morning air. The street was empty and the first sign of dawn made the sky navy and blue with promise that the night was over.

“I hate Halloween.” I mumbled into Logan’s chest as Chris ran down the street to get the car.

“I kind of like it. Candy, all those kids and the killing and-”

“Shut up.” I groaned and he only laughed.

“You did look pretty though.” His eyes looked at the sad remains of the gown. “Shame about the dress.”

“You don’t think I always look pretty?” I argued, not being serious.

“I didn’t say that.” He defended.

“Oh shut up with the couple stuff!” Jordan opened the door and the pair of them loaded me into the backseat and Logan climbed in behind me before Jordan could try and stop him.

“So, what are we going to do next year? Everything will seem lame after this.” Chris joked as he started to drive us back to Jordan's.

“Next year, you three fight and I’ll play damsel. Ever going to do anything to save yourselves or am I always going to have to do it?” I wonder.

They laugh, awkwardly, and as they all start to argue about times where they have done just that, I lean against Logan and tune out, staring at the city as it wakes up to another day.

Stupid demons.

Stupid tests.

Stupid Halloween.

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