Kenneth's arm draped over Leona's shoulders, keeping her close, as they stepped through the shadowy gate of Bingemans' haunted graveyard. Synthetic fog wove through tombstones and drifted over their feet, and a zombie sprung from the fog and Leona jumped out of Kenneth's arms. He stopped himself from laughing and pulled her closer, rubbing her back to calm her down, his fingers traced the outline of something rough.

"Hey," she pushed his arm aside, "I'm not a cat, I think that's enough petting,"

"Sorry, I just thought I felt something stuck to you," Kenneth's voice was tinged with concern as he looked over Leona, trying to find the mystery item.

Leona shook her head, strands of hair falling into her face. "If you must know, it's a scar." She hesitated, then added in a lower register, "From a surgery months ago, I was kind of attacked at a bar."

"You were attacked? By who?" Kenneth's brows knitted together.

"Honestly I don't know, I never got a look at them," she murmured, her gaze dropping to her feet. "Sometimes, I feel like they weren't even human, like it was some kind of invisible monster."

"Wow, that sounds terrifying," Kenneth pulled her closer, giving her a comforting hug. "Do you ever wish those scars could go away?"

Leona looked up at him and tilted her head, a weird look crossing her face. "Never, these scars are my reminders. I see them and I know I can survive anything."

Kenneth smiled at her, a truly genuine smile. "I really hope you can," he whispered before leaning in to capture her lips once more.

As they finished their kiss, Kenneth looked up to find glowing lavender eyes piercing the fog. He instinctively stiffed ready for a fight but the eyes faded. Then he heard the laughter of a young boy and every hair on his body stood on end. Panic clawed at him; he knew that laugh, it was one he could never forget.

"Leona..." He choked the words out, eyes still locked on the swirling mist.

"What is it?" Leona's expression was painted with worry, "Is everything ok?" she searched his eyes for any sign of how he was feeling.

"Sorry, I—I need the washroom." The lie tumbled out of his mouth, and Kenneth bolted, leaving Leona among the gravestones and ghosts.

---

Meanwhile, Rob, Deb, and Ahmed convened by the park entrance, their breath visible in the chilling October air.

"I lost Zack again," Rob paced, "He said he needed to use the washroom and then he bolted. I hate vessel speed. We're missing something here."

"He has to be in the park somewhere, if we split up we can find him," Ahmed reasoned.

"That doesn't normally end well in horror movies," Rob countered, pausing, "We need to figure out why he is acting so weird."

"The real question is why aren't we acting like they are?" Deb asked out loud, pushing herself from the wall she was leaning on, "I mean you and I, Rob. Why aren't we seeing or hearing things like everyone else?"

"Because you're not supernatural," Ahmed interjected, walking up to the pair. "I mean think about it, what other explanation makes sense here? Why isn't there a death at the park every year,"

They all fell silent as a gust of wind blew between them, carrying with it an old newspaper that clung to Deb's ankle. She peeled it off, curiosity piquing as she scanned the faded print: Woman Murdered in Animal Attack, 1968.

"Where did this come from..." Deb trailed off, as she started to read the article.

"This place is littered with old newspapers, they are just spooky props" Rob speculated, looking out over the park.

"Right," Deb said, looking up from the article. "But this sounds familiar, like I've read it somewhere before."

"You don't think they are using real stories about the deaths that happened here," Rob shuddered at his own thought "That would be sick,"

Ahmed's finger trembled as he pointed to the grainy, black-and-white photograph in the newspaper Deb had unfolded. "That's her," he said, his voice a hushed whisper. "The faceless woman I saw in the maze..."

"So she's a ghost now, then I'm guessing it wasn't an animal attack that killed her," Rob mused aloud, running a hand through his hair.

"That's our theory?" Deb asked, skepticism lacing her words. "That a ghost is killing the supernatural out of revenge for one who killed her in the '60s?"

"I mean does that really sound so strange?" Rob sighed with a shrug. "We fight off demons regularly, a ghost doesn't seem too far off to me,"

Deb went to speak but was cut short by the sound of shattering glass from the nearby restroom. The trio turned toward the sound in unison, Rob barreled toward the bathroom, Deb and Ahmed on his heels.

Kenneth stood in front of the fractured mirror, a jagged shard pointed above his chest as the boy stared back at him through the fractured pieces still on the wall. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to. But I didn't have a choice he made us kill you all," Kenneth tried to explain to the ghost with lavender eyes, Kenneth began to press the shard into his own flesh.

"Kenneth!" Rob shouted, lunging forward and grappling with the shard in Kenneth's grasp. It wasn't much of a struggle as Kenneth's vessel strength easily beat Rob, leaving him sprawled out on the floor.

"Damn it!" Deb shouted as she grabbed Kenneth's arm, hanging from it in an attempt to stop him.

"Guys I don't think he can hear us" Ahmed saw the fog in Kenneth's eyes and knew all too well what it was like to be in a trance.

Rob was back on his feet, he grabbed Kenneth's hand, pulling the shard out of it and cutting himself in the process. A moment later, Kenneth's claws extended, slicing into his own sides.

"Seriously!" Rob yelled, dive-tackling the man, Kenneth fell forward, his claws shattering the sink as he fell.

Icey cold water sprung for the broken sink, dousing Kenneth. The sudden cold shocked his system, his eyes came back into focus. Dazed, he looked around, confusion replacing the fog in his eyes.

"Wh-where is Leona?" he stammered before pushing past them, out into the chill of the night.

"Kenneth wait!" Deb started after him, Ahmed helped Rob back to his feet before they also gave chase.

Kenneth stared straight ahead, ignoring the calls for him to stop. Then he felt someone grab him, he spun around ready for a fight.

"Come on, we just saved your life. The least you could do is answer our questions," Rob urged, waving his injured hand at him. "Care to explain what was going on back there?"

Kenneth looked at the gash in Rob's hand, and then at Deb and Ahmed. "Honestly," His voice was hollow. "I don't even understand it myself. I have no clue how I got there or why." He fixed his eyes on them. "All I want to do is find Leona and get out of here."

"Hey, you're lying, you saw something in that mirror didn't you?" Rob shot back, "Tell us what you saw, we saved your life!"

"And that was stupid of you, don't forget whose side I am on," Kenneth muttered, turning away. The trio fell silent and watched as Kenneth disappeared into the crowd.

Deb's face tightened, as she thought about what just happened. "I'm going to find Zack," she declared, leaving them with the echo of her footsteps.

"Wait, Deb—" But Ahmed's call was ignored as Deb raced deeper into the park.

Rob's attention turned to Ahmed. "We have another problem. If this thing really does go after vessels, Kristian and John are in the park,"

"John?" Ahmed crossed his arms, his lips pressed into a thin line. "What is he doing here? I thought he was studying for a midterm,"

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I may have called him and told him that Kristian was acting weird and he needed to check in on him," Rob winced at his own words realizing what he had accidentally done.

---

Meanwhile, the haunted hospital attraction loomed ominously as Kristian found his way back inside of it. Olivia's voice swirled around him, filling every corner of his mind.

"Kristian, why didn't you save me?" She cried.

"I...I didn't know..." Kristian clapped his hands over his ears, but her accusations were coming from his own thoughts.

"I needed you. Why weren't you there for me?" Olivia's voice sounded like it had been betrayed.

"Olivia, I tried!" Kristian shouted into the darkness, his voice cracking. "You were everything to me!"

"Then why am I dead but you get to live?" the voice hissed, morphing into a choir of condemnation. "Why do you get a life when I don't?"

"NO!" Kristian roared, tears pouring down his face. "I fought Danny! For you!"

Kristian's breaths came in ragged gasps, the absence of sound almost as terrifying as the voices themselves. Then, just as suddenly, they returned "You did it for Ethel not for me,"

"Stop, please," he whispered, sinking to the ground, feeling the weight of her words. "Just stop."

Kristian's knees buckled as he struggled to his feet, the relentless echoes in his head finally offering a reprieve. "You don't deserve to be here," the voice cooed. He stumbled forward, each step pulling him deeper into a trance, as he finally stumbled away from the attraction.

---

"John! Kristian!" Ahmed called out as he navigated the maze of tombstones, his voice lost among the other screams from parkgoers. They were nowhere to be seen, and he felt panic growing inside himself. He turned in circles, scanning the shadows for any sign of their missing friends, but it was like they had vanished from existence.

"We could really use a vision right about now," Rob whispered from over his shoulder as they sped through the park.

"You know it doesn't work like that." Ahmed raised an eyebrow.

"I know... I'm just saying one wouldn't hurt,"

"Shh, listen." Ahmed knelt beside a large drainage grate, his ears tuned to a whisper coming from it. "Someone is down there. She's talking about going to the river, she's going to drown."

"River? there is no... The mini golf course!" Rob muttered, giving Ahmed a hug. "I never doubted you for a second," He grabbed Ahmed's hand and led him toward the closed minigolf course.

---

Meanwhile, at the edge of the fenced-off mini golf course, Kristian's gaze locked onto the stagnant pond, its surface reflecting the moonlight. With robotic movements, he picked up a heavy stone, its weight insignificant to his vessel strength. Tearing a hole through the fence he lowered himself into the water, the heated water kept the fish alive through the winter, and it also ensured he wouldn't be waking up from this nightmare.

"Ahmed! There!" Rob pointed, the torn hole in the fence coming into view. There were still ripples in the water where Kristian had been moments ago. Rob wasted no time getting into the water, finding Kristian with the rock on his chest just below the surface, but he couldn't move the massive stone himself.

"Shock him! We need to shock him awake!" Ahmed's memory flashed back to Kenneth being shocked by the cold water in the bathroom.

"Right, because I carry defibrillators in my back pocket," Rob shot back, clearly frustrated by the dire situation.

"I know this isn't ideal, but there has to be something we can do," Ahmed's brain ticked furiously, trying to piece together a makeshift solution.

"I have an idea," Rob declared, sprinting out of the water with another explanation, leaving Ahmed to keep watch over Kristian's still body.

"Come on, Kristian," Ahmed murmured, his words dissolving into the night. "Just hold on a little longer. Please."

As the seconds stretched into an eternity, Rob returned, panting, with a small silver pen from the gift shop. He swam back over to Kristian, lifting his hand from the water and wrapping it tight around the pen, before pressing his thumb to the clicker. The jolt caused Kirstain to spring up from the water, coughing and confused.

"It's ok, It's me, Rob," Rob gasped as Kristian thrashed around in the water. "I'm just trying to help you,"

"You're going to be ok'" Ahmed called from the water's edge, he motioned for Kristian to swim over to him. "We're going to get you out of here,"

"I just need a minute," Rob huffed lying down on the grass as he pulled himself from the water.

"I don't know if John or Zack have a minute," Ahmed explained, helping him back to his feet, they both guided Kristian back to the park entrance, "Stay here and text us if you see Zack or John," Ahmed instructed as he wrapped a towel from the gift shop around Kristian "Whatever you do, don't go back inside that park until after midnight," Ahmed warned.

"Now that we have this, we should be able to wake up the others," Rob announced holding up the shock pen. "Kristian, did John ever find you in there?" Rob asked.

"John?" Kristian asked, still in a little bit of a fog. "Yeah we got separated, he was heading toward that haunted trailer park thing," Kristian murmured as he tried to piece his fractured memories together.

"So we'll start our hunt there," Ahmed looked over at Rob.

"Lead the way," Rob said, following Ahmed back into the park.

They pushed their way to the front of the line, slipping inside the trailer park. Once inside they searched every inch, ignoring the actors trying to scare them. As they regrouped in the yard they both heard whimpering.

"Do you think..." Rob started.

"There is only one way to find out." Ahmed followed the sound around to the back of the trailer. They both froze in horror at the sight of John wrestling with the cap of a bottle of chemicals, muttering about how nobody wants him.

"That's not true," Rob said, slowly approaching with his arms raised, John stopped to look over at him.

"Of course it is, Gluttony didn't want me, Ethel didn't want me, I am nothing but a burden." John cried.

"Oh stop the pity party, You're one of us John," Rob inched closer, "You're a part of our covenant of weirdos, like me and Ahmed and Deb. We might not be anyone's first choice, but we want you." John froze taking in the words and Rob got close enough to jab the shock pen into his side. The bottle dropped from John's hand.

"Wha—?" John jerked awake, bewildered, shivering from the sudden cold.

"You're good," Rob clapped him on the back, guiding him back to Ahmed. "Let's get you out of here. This place is bad for your health."

As they headed for the entrance, Ahmed spotted Deb near the back of the park, "Look," He pointed, "Let's let her know John and Kristian are safe, we can all look for Zack together," Ahmed reasoned.

"Sounds good to me," Rob guided John toward Deb with them.

Their reunion with Deb was anything but happy though, She was standing frozen just a few meters away from Zack. Exposed wires hung ominously from his hands, his silhouette reflected in the puddle beneath him.

"It's Zack," Deb informed them as they approached, "I've tried talking him out of it but he won't budge."

"I'm no leader." Zack's voice was hollow, hopeless. "You're all better off without me. All I've done is lead people to their deaths."

"You saved Boon, when everyone else had given up on him," Ahmed tried, but Zack remained unmoved.

"He never would have become that familiar if it wasn't for me," Zack murmured, his gaze distant.

"Well, what about me?" Rob strode towards him, tears carving tracks through the dirt on his face. "You saved me remember? When Ryan died, I wanted to die too."

With a resolute step, Rob entered the waterlogged ground beside Zack, his eyes locked onto his friend's. "You were the only one who noticed how I felt, you never left my side. And told myself after that, that I would never leave your side either, so if this is the end, then it is the end for us both."

"Rob..." Zack whispered as a tear escaped his eye, his grip on the exposed wires loosened.

"I love you man," Rob stated firmly, prying the wire from Zack's grasp and casting it aside. But the wind shifted yet again—the wire was caught in the breeze, blowing it closer to the water's edge.

"Look out!" Ahmed lunged forward, throwing himself against both boys, propelling them out of harm's way just as the wire kissed the pool with a deadly spark.

"Oh thank god!" Deb cried out, racing around to the other side to hold her friends.

A chilling presence filled the space around them. The faceless woman materialized her voice a whisper of anguish. "No! No! No! you must suffer," she roared as the wind picked up.

"Your time here is over." Ahmed stood up, his eyes glazed over in a trance, a song slipping from his lips. The woman froze, almost as though she feared the melody. Ahmed's song was carried on the wind, whirling around them until the ground splintered, smoke erupting from it as it seemed to drag the woman down, sealing itself after she vanished below the surface.

"Did you just send a ghost to hell?" Rob asked in disbelief.

"I don't know," Ahmed replied, just as perplexed, looking at his friends' own confused faces.

"You know that reaper theory doesn't seem so crazy anymore," Deb said, Helping Zack back to his feet. "Now, can we get out of here, I've had enough Halloween for a lifetime."

"Agreed," Rob nodded, dusting himself off. "I just want to go home,"

"Sounds good to me," Ahmed added.

And together, they retreated from the haunting grounds of Bingemans, filing into the bus stop to wait for their escape.

The bus screeched to a halt and the group climbed inside. The driver peered over the rim of his glasses at the dishevelled group climbing aboard. "You're lucky, this is the last bus of the night," he grumbled, his eyes flicking back to the road as Kristian, John, Ahmed, Deb, Rob, and Zack shuffled into the dimly lit interior. Kenneth was already on board with Leona, he gave her a peck before approaching them.

"Thanks," Kenneth muttered, avoiding eye contact. "You saved me back there."

"We did?" Zack gave Rob a confused look, and Rob confirmed it with a nod.

"Anyway, I owe you," Kenneth said, dropping his voice so only they could hear. "Ethel's alive, when we got to the bottom of the pit she was gone already. But Duncan died and Amanda wants her head for killing her cousin."

"OK, does she know where Ethel is?" Ahmed asked, trying to think of where Ethel could have been hiding these past few weeks.

"No, but if you want her to live through this, you need to find her before Amanda does" Kenneth finished, looking back to Leona, he left the group to take his seat next to her.

"Great news about Ethel being alive but how do we keep her that way?" Rob wondered, running a hand through his hair.

Deb bit her lip. "We have to stop Amanda," she admitted.

The bus rumbled away, leaving the Halloween Haunt behind them, as they tried to think of ways they could take on the Supreme without getting killed.

---

Meanwhile, at Grand River Hospital, Jessica's footsteps echoed down the palliative care unit. She paused at the last door, took a deep breath, and pushed it open. Pablo, once imposing, now sat shrunken in his wheelchair, looking pale and sickly. His hands trembled as he faced her, his once piercing gaze dulled but not defeated.

"I knew you would find me eventually," Pablo offered a weak smile.

"I always knew where you were," Jessica said coldly, taking a seat in the empty chair by the door. "You remember Bingeman's, the ghost that targets supernatural beings?"

"Ah, yes, planning on taking me for a little trip are you?" Pablo rasped, looking up at her. "Seems unusually cruel for you."

"The ghost is gone," Jessica leaned in, watching his expression carefully. "I need to know what could possibly—"

"Something powerful," Pablo interrupted, his smile deepening into a knowing grin. "So this is how Gluttony came back, clever indeed. You should be careful if it is what I think it is, it is very old and very powerful."

"I take it you aren't going to share your theory with me," Jessica's brow furrowed as she processed his cryptic words.

"Not today," Pablo said, "But come back tomorrow and try again,"