"Wake up" Violet said as she shook Tate's arm. She was already dressed and out of bed.

"Why?" He moaned sleepily, his hair messy and his eyes still shut tightly. Tate didn't usually sleep but when he did, it was like he went into hibernation. His adorable sleepiness made it almost impossible to want to wake him up.

"Because Halloween is tomorrow and I want to enjoy my one day of freedom without worrying about what's going to happen the day after" Violet responded like the answer was as obvious as 2+2.

"I don't understand why you're so obsessed with this stuff" He replied, sitting himself up against the backboard of the bed "Taters gonna Tate"

"Seriously?" She tried to hold back a laugh "Taters gonna Tate?"

"Vi, I don't care" He replied, secretly amused by his own pun "They're jealous because I have you and Michael and they have no-one"

"While that's all true, what am I supposed to do?" She asked rhetorically "Sit back with a bag of popcorn while they constantly try to attack us?"

"The more you fear something, the more power it has over you" he stated knowledgeably as he swung his feet round to get out of bed.

"But still, don't you think we should-" She was cut off by Tate pressing his finger against her lips, stopping her from talking.

"No" He whispered "Because if they are everywhere, they'll know we're onto them"

"But-"

"Why are you so scared?" He asked

"Because" She began, shuffling from foot to foot "I haven't seen my mom or Nora in days, who's leading this group could be anyone and what if they try to hurt Michael? He's still alive, he can feel pain"

He sighed, running a few fingers through his mane of messy blond hair.

"This is what we're going to do" He started as the young couple began to forge their plan to stop the chaos they were on the brink of.

-

Days in the crawlspace were achingly long. There were no windows, no light. All Vivien could do was count the minutes crawl by as she stayed flattened against the decaying wall.The area surrounding her was almost engulfed in darkness, so much so she could barely make out her daughter's body a few feet away from her.

This was unlike any pain she had experienced. Time was the worst kind of pain. She couldn't move a muscle while the rest of the house could wonder freely.

She had, until recent events, plans for Halloween. Her and Ben were supposed to be having dinner out at a fancy restaurant. The funniest thing was that she believed that he was honest with her. How could she even believe that he had ever loved her? It was all bullshit.

All she could do was stare at the black shape of the lifeless Violet. The body looked so much prettier than it did before. It was clean and one could almost think she was at peace.

The sad truth was that nobody was at peace.

Everyone in the house had met horrible ends without the promise of Heaven, Hell or anything inbetween. They were simply stuck within the four walls they wanted to escape.

The house had taught Vivien a lot of things but most importantly that happy endings didn't exist and anyone who thought otherwise must have been dropped as a child. There was no such thing as 'eternal bliss' or a 'better place'. It was all a tale made up by someone who didn't want to be fear death anymore.

If she wasn't already dead, she would've killed herself by now because this was the worst kind of torture.

-

"We need to understand the risks we run tomorrow" Violet said as she and Tate sat in a corner of the attic where they couldn't be easily seen or heard "It's not just ourselves we put in danger. We need to make sure Michael is with us at all times and that Constance is also as far away as possible"

"Why?" He questioned

"Because, if they're really out to get you, they'll try to hurt your mom too" She replied "She's sick which makes her an easy target and plus, they know it will destroy you"

"How would they?" He asked, puzzedly. Tate and Constance had only recently repaired their broken relationship but it still wasn't fully repaired. He wouldn't go far enough to say he'd kill or die for his mother just yet.

"You strongly disliked her for most your life" She explained, their knees touching slightly "But it's a well-known fact that every guy loves his mother, regardless of anything they've done, like they're still attached by a mental umbilical cord"

"It's a false one" He mumbled "I'm making an effort with my mom because she's dying and she wanted to make sure her grandson didn't end up in an orphanage from 19th century England"

"But still, they can use her to get to you"

"True"

"The point is they can't be near the house" Violet made clear

"What if they get to her anyway?" Tate asked worriedly

"They probably won't" She reassured, placing her hand on his "But we need to be prepared"

"Then bring on Halloween"