To nobody's surprise, we didn't get first place. When the three Larsen brothers entered the stage in their steampunk costumes, the audience went into such an uproar that their screaming managed to drown out the electric guitars. Matty, however, was not amused and proceeded to yell right in my ear about how unfair this was; how supposedly they weren't Halloween costumes and the brothers always wore those to clubs. But honestly, I couldn't care less. I couldn't even begin to imagine the process of creating those cylinders with spinning gears! Not to mention the leather jackets with metal parts and all sorts of lights; each one was a work of art. Plus, they were worn on a naked muscular body! And each and every body moved to the rhythm perfectly! You don't just forget about the prize, you want to be the prize!

After Matty realised I wasn't listening, he left to talk with the organisers and I didn't complain. At least I've had my share of dancing and screaming today. It was so nice to feel like a part of society again; just forgetting about my problems and jumping around like an idiot for one night. I do, however, have to give some credit to the cocktails that people snuck through in coke bottles. The school committee should've supposedly checked for that kind of thing, but they ended up being the first ones to get plastered. In the end, everyone was happy.

Shortly after, Matty returned and reassured me that I had nothing to be upset about anymore and he had everything sorted out. The stage was set for yet another competition, this time 'The most terrifying couple', which we ended up winning. I suspect that Matty annoyed the organisers so much that they had no choice but to quickly think of a way to get Matty off their backs. Victory for the sake of victory, how typical of men.

When we climbed down from the stage, Matty grabbed me by the hand and dragged me to a nearby room, promising that "This ain't over yet!"

He came back quite quickly, eminently marching in front of a tall blonde girl with a pixie cut who was carrying a mountain of multicoloured boxes and bags. As she stepped into the room, she began to desperately look around for a place to dump everything.

"Our prizes," Matty began. "I just had to figure out why some nerds were getting everything when others got nothing. Here; I picked these just for you!" He handed me a giant pumpkin-ball on a stick and turned to the girl, who I assumed was the poor administrator.

"Put all of that in a bag," He diligently told her. "We'll get them later, I just want to take Inga for a walk."

"Oh! Inga, it's you!" The girl exclaimed. "I didn't even recognise you with that hairstyle! Is that a wig?"

"No," I smiled while desperately trying to remember how we know each other and what her name was. "I straightened my hair out for the party... you know, to fit my costume better."

"It really suits you." Replied the still unknown administrator girl. "Well, I'll leave you two to it. The bag will be here when you return. Have a pleasant walk!" She winked and hurried out of the room.

When I turned around, Matty was already handing me a coat and a scarf.

"A walk? Why?" I whined while slowly getting dressed. "What's up with you and your spontaneous surprises today?"

"We need to talk and this place isn't the most private. Plus it's stuffy as hell!" Matty complained. "Which idiot thought it was a good idea to throw a party at a wharf, where there's absolutely no ventilation?"

"And last year you complained about them organising it at school, remember? You kept going on about how it was 'too formal', 'extremely boring' and so on."

"Of course I remember. And don't tell me I was wrong. Anyway, you ready?"

"Ready. Are you going in your costume?"

"Yeah, it's warm enough. Although... alright, now we can go."

I broke out in laughter. Matty put on a red hat with a pom-pom, which made his painted face even funnier.

"So, you havin' fun?" Asked Matty as we stepped onto a path leading away from the wharf, which was illuminated by garlands and paper lanterns.

"Sure am!" I replied. "Thank you, mister red hat skeleton!"

"It's nice to be a skeleton, you don't have any ears to freeze off." He stated. "You know, you look quite lovely even with that face paint! And that girl was right, black hair really suits you. From now on you have to always colour it like that, deal?"

"Gothic romance?" I smirked, gazing up at the night sky. The Halloween moon glowed through the eerie web of black branches that swayed menacingly in the wind. My candy ball, which I named 'Pumpkaboo', glowed a different colour depending on which light we passed. The further we went, the closer the bushes and trees grew, until the path became so narrow that I had to step exactly where Matty had in order to not trip on anything.

"Guide us, Pumpkaboo, I believe in you!" I chanted and immediately tripped, managing to grab onto Matty's back at the last moment. For a moment I thought I saw a white humanoid figure duck behind a tree a few steps away from us.

"Careful," Matty said. "We're out in the wild, there are no paved paths here."

I continued to stare into the darkness but quickly gave up and chased after Matty. To explain my awkwardness, I told Matty what I saw and all I got in response was a shrug.

"Probably some idiots from the party trying to scare each other... and people like you."

"Maybe, maybe not..." I pondered. "In any case, we should stay on guard. They say all sorts of psychos come out during Halloween."

"And they're right. Why else do you think I would be bringing you to a dark and deserted place?"

"You better quit it before I cut you with a machete or a chainsaw!" I swung 'Pumpkaboo' at Matty's back. He turned around and made a face at me.

"Don't fool around, babey!" He rasped. "A maniac can sense another maniac from afar! A maniac won't hurt another maniac!"

Even though there was nothing funny about what he said, I went into such hysterical laughter that I began feeling dizzy and had to lean against a tree until it passed. Matty patiently waited with a smudged black smile across his face. This made me go for another round until my stomach hurt too much to continue.

"I love watching you laugh." He started once I regained enough energy to move on. "You're finally back to normal; you've been way too spacey lately. Just a shell of the old you."

"What do you mean, a shell?" I sulked.

"It was like your head was somewhere else entirely. Everyone noticed, not just me."

"Strange, never knew my persona was popular enough for 'everyone' to be discussing it."

"Well, they are. You just refuse to notice that. If you didn't, then by now... oh, we have arrived. Great place, don't you think?"

The path ended abruptly at a small creek, splashing small waves onto the rocks. A few roots extended out of the water, resembling eldritch monstrosities peacefully sleeping under the starry night. To my right, the forested cape flowed into a lake, and a narrow moonlit path ran parallel to lit.

"It's beautiful!" I excitedly agreed and ran down to the shore.

"We can start a fire if you're cold." Suggested Matty.

"No need." I replied, continuing to enjoy the scenery. I wanted to be here alone and in complete silence but Matty is not the type of person to stay quiet for long.

"What if there's a zombie apocalypse happening now?" He declared, crossing his arms and looking at the lake the same way a commander looks at a battlefield. "Imagine if the entire world is being destroyed while we're just standing here."

"I honestly can't. I know you well enough to know that you would be raiding supermarkets at the first sign of an apocalypse. Or securing a warehouse and starting to trade."

"Well, someone has to survive! And feed you!" Matty gave me a protective hug and I had to hit him with the candy ball again.

"Wasn't there something important you had to tell me?"

"Ah, yes... it's very important." Matty hesitated for a minute before continuing. "You see... uhh... do you want to be my girlfriend? Well, officially, so to say?"

"Huh?" Was the only thing I could say.

Suddenly, the tree behind Matty split in two. A pale figure silently dashed by a boulder and disappeared into the foliage. I squinted to get a better look but Mattys face appeared out of nowhere, appearing really close... way too close; I quickly realised he was in the middle of kissing me. Greedy, sloppy, hasty kisses, ew-w-w...

"What are you doing!" I shoved Matty as hard as I could and took a few steps back. I held the pumpkin-ball in front of me like a shield and it proved to be quite effective when Matty went in for another attempt.

"Matty, stop!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Did the moon affect your brain? Can't you see I'm not Wanda?"

"Wanda? What does she have to do with anything?" He continued to advance. "There's nothing between us anymore, and hasn't been for a long time! I like you, Inga!"

"But... but you're my friend!"

"I'm only your friend when I'm sober... or you are. Have you really not noticed by now how I don't need anyone else in my life but you?" Matty's voice cracked and I immediately understood that this wasn't some sort of elaborate joke like I hoped.

"Matty!" I yelled. "Calm down! Stop! Stop, I tell you!"

"And you just look at me like I'm a waste of space!"

"You're not a waste, you're my best friend! We're always together, why do you need to change anything?" I shouted, frantically trying to find a way to get out of this strange and uncomfortable situation, but Matty just smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"A friend is even worse than a waste of space." He sighed. "That's why I'm always nearby, why I'm always trying to find excuses to be with you! But you... tell me, would you invite your friend to go to the Halloween party with you? Would you?"

"I wasn't even planning on..."

"But you definitely would've invited your favourite Johan! There you have it, that's the difference between us. You would chase him anywhere, even to your doom. Am I wrong?"

A wave crashed against my legs, soaking my shoes in freezing water, but I still took another step back, away from Matty. His words immediately sobered me up, not to mention flew back like a boomerang and shattered the illusion of normalcy that I maintained the entire evening. Meanwhile, Matty kept on talking with sadness and frustration in his voice.

"I would've done anything for you, so why do you chase after that string bean with an eternally gloomy expression? Why can't you just say the truth; 'leave me alone, Matias, I don't need you.', huh? Because that's the truth, you don't need me!"

At that moment he appeared quite sinister: a chubby guy in a striped suit and skeleton face paint smudged around the eyes. His frantic arm gestures made me walk further and further into the water and I knew I had to do something once it reached past my ankles. 'Should I tell him the truth? Why not?' I thought.

"Leave me alone, Matty." I said harshly. "I don't need you. Are we done now?"

Matty's jaw hung open in silence and ye looked at me like he couldn't believe what he just heard.

The sound of snapping twigs made us both jump. It kept growing closer as if a bear was slowly approaching us through the wall of vegetation, which wasn't far from the truth. But instead of a bear, a joyous goblin fell out of the bushes; big, spiny, hairy. In his hands was a small pumpkin basket.

"Till death do you part." He drunkenly wished, stretching out his basket. "Trick or treat! Your life or your candy?"

"Fuck off with your candy" Matty barked with such intensity that the goblin stumbled back into the bushes and ran away, mumbling in surprise.

I dreamily shuffled my feet on the spot, praying for this night to be over already.

"Well," Matty finally broke the silence, staring into the distance. "I got it. I'll go home, then. You need a ride home?"

"No." I immediately replied. Just imagining the tortuous silence in the car made me shudder. "I'm alright."

"Are you sure? I brought you here, it would be rude to drive away by myself."

"A hundred percent sure. There are a lot of people at this party who live near me, I'll ask them."

"You do you." Matty finally turned around and headed back to the wharf.

Relieved, I stepped out of the water and made sure he didn't have a sudden change of heart. But Matty kept on walking, the white stripes of his costume almost glowing in the moonlight, diving his silhouette into tiny stickmen. As soon as the turns the corner, I will no longer have a friend. Is this really how it ends?

I think people refer to this as 'tragicomedy'. I am the main comedian with a painted face, overly-ripped dress and the grinning pumpkin in my grasp.

A sudden gust of wind tore the candy ball out of my hands and carried it towards the lake like a black ghost, eventually dissolving into the darkness. 'La comedia e finita.' I remembered the demon's words.

I walked back onto the overgrown path, my drenched shoes sloshing with every step. 'I really hope I don't get sick from this trip.' I thought to myself. 'I need to change quickly. And drink some hot chocolate. Some aspirin wouldn't hurt either. Wait, why am I making this more difficult than it should be?'

Crashing down onto a nearby fallen tree, I tore my socks off and started to wring out my moccasins while muttering profanities under my breath.

Suddenly, I heard a loud crunch, causing me to freeze in place.

Another crunch, this time closer. Another lively goblin out for a walk?

"Hey!" I shouted into the darkness. "Come out, I can hear you!"

There was no answer. A few moments of silence passed before I heard the distinct sound of footsteps right by me. I sprinted to the nearest light source, which was a lantern swaying in the wind and barely giving off enough light for me to see that someone was slowly approaching me. I was completely terrified and decided to abandon my pride and run to the wharf. By chance, there wasn't a single wandering couple or trick-or-treater around and the distant lights weren't getting any closer. I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare! 'Maybe there isn't anyone chasing after me?' I thought, feeling my chest tighten. 'Maybe...'

Something heavy hit my head and legs, causing me to tumble forward. I desperately tried to grab onto branches and garlands but the assailant continued to push me down and even began to choke me. 'Maniac!' I screamed inside my head. 'Matty! It's a maniac! A goblin!' But as I looked at the arm that had me in a chokehold, it turned out to be much more terrifying! The tiny lights were almost completely visible through the nearly transparent flesh that looked more like raw egg whites. I could see the bones, blood vessels and some sort of skin-like tatters hanging in clumps from the monstrous appendage. I tried my best to free myself but that only resulted in the chokehold tightening even further. A female voice suddenly pierced my ear with intense pain.

"Do not struggle, dear. Tell me, where is Elm? I can feel him inside of you, I know he is near! I will not hesitate to snap your neck if you refuse, I have nothing to lose!"