A few segments from Souls of Anatemia book 9: Trick or Treat

Wisht looked back at them. “I still think it’s a load of rubbish, I know you all seem to like it, but it’s just a stupid festival.”
“Oh lighten up you misery,” said Orsha. “It’s just a bit of fun.”

He shook his head at her. “You said this was supposed to be scary and showing people and children that there are pretty horrible things in the world, but this is pointless tat and is about as scary as a bucket of cheese,” he looked forward again and saw a zombie clown inches from his face which yelled at him.

He screamed and cowered at the horrific visage as the man raised his mask laughed and said. “Got you there mate! Come to Count Volan’s costume emporium, best costumes in town,” he gestured at Wisht. “As you can see, third shop before the marker traders. Have a happy Hallows Eve!” He mooched off towards a group of girls looking at a costume draped over a mannequin in a window nearby.

“Arsehole!” Wisht snarled angrily. “He scared the shit out of me!”
“I do feel that was rather the point,” said Krispin as nearby they heard three girls scream followed by giggling.

Barraton smirked. “What was it he said Sargain? Scary as?”

“A bucket of cheese,” Sargain supplied.

“Hmm,” Kaylia began putting a finger on her chin thoughtfully. “Which if we go by how Wisht reacted to that man in the clown suit, he must have a phobia of.”

“Why does fermenting dairy have such a hold on you?” Krispin asked…almost innocently. “Is it the smell that scares you?”

“You would have all jumped,” Wisht said turning to face them all. “Some creepy fucking dude in an undead clown costume is in your face then you’d be fucking scared too!,” he turned around and screamed at the demon standing right behind him, who also took his mask off…as Wisht’s house burst into laughter behind him.

“Oh-hoho!” The man in demon suit chortled. “A fine reaction sir. If you’re looking for costumes then look no further than Eddams Crypt. On the balcony above on the side of the mountain.”

“We will thank you,” said Elena.

“Have a happy spoooOOoooOOOooky Hallows Eeeeeve!” he said and then bustled off.

Tia laid a hand on a trembling Wisht, possibly from being startled, or anger…or probably both. “It’s ok,” she said holding back the grin. “I’ll protect you from the scary monsters.”

He snarled. “Just leave it,” he said firmly.

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“How is that even a costume?” Said Kaylia angrily. “That’s insulting.”

The offending article was entitled. “Sexy Elven Ranger,” and consisted of elf ears, a short short skirt, brown felt boot covers and a skimpy crop top, it was barely a real costume, cheaply made and thought out.

“So putting the word sexy in front of it makes it a costume?” Elena said. “If any woman actually wears something like that claiming it is a Halloween costume then quite frankly I’m quitting my gender.”

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They moved deeper into the shop, the tall shop was made so narrow by the stuffed racks of costumes that Barraton would have to turn sideways. The only light was from dangling chandeliers from which small candles gave an eerie flickering light. The racks were in two corridors side by side down the length of the shop, there were displays on the walls above the clothes, such as hanging bare tree branches and fake torso’s of skeletons attached to the wall. In-between the racks were various small dioramas of scary random scary things like a zombie doll or a miniature graveyard, Elena peered down at one as they went past it seeing a small dolls house with the front open, inside was what looked like the ghost of a small girl, as big as a doll but looking like a real child of about six or seven years old playing with toys. Elena stared at the child who looked up at Elena startling her, the child then waved, smiling. Elena gave a weirded out look, waved back, then glanced at Ren. “Do you see her?” She said gesturing at the girl who was now playing with dolls in the dolls house...

Ren had been looking at costumes behind Elena said. “No,” then looked at the girl, staring for a second. “Woah…she’s creepy.”

“Ren there’s no special effects here,” Elena sounded creeped out, lowering her voice to a hiss. “She might actually be there!”

They stared for a second before Ren nudged Elena on. “Somehow a ghost child haunting a dolls house is creepier than the ghosts we’ve actually come across.”
Elena nodded sagely “This shop is both awesome, and fucking creepy, I’m starting to think there’s something otherworldly about this place.”

“I’m starting to think that to,” he agreed eyeing up a stuffed crocodile waiting for it to snap at him, the atmosphere felt like that way now.
 

The playing movie thing being cast on the mountainside by the mages dissipated to the sounds of people going. “Awww,” in an unhappy way, but there came the image of a skeleton in a top hat waistcoat and long coat on the mountainside, he looked like the image of the undead Master of Entertainment.

“Ladies and gentleman, ghouls and ghosts, and everyone out here tonight!” The figure said jovially and loudly, his voice echoing across the field “Are we having a good time tonight?”

There was a loud chorus of “Yeah” from most of the crowd.

“That was pathetic” he said and leant forwards as if leaning towards the crowd “I saaaaid…Are you having a good time?!!?!” he shouted.

“YEEEAH!!” The crowd roared back at him.

“That’s better!” He said, theatrically adjusted his bow tie. “Tonight we, the dead and ghoulie, come out to play, and we, don’t play nice… Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

“Are you ready!!?”

“Yes!!” The crowd shouted.

“ARE, YOU…READY?!!?”
“YEESSSS!!” The crowd bellowed.

“Ready for what?” Elena asked the others around her.

The entertainer leant back and yelled. “THEN…FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!” From the screen came a series of phantoms, all transparent, all images streaking down onto the crowd. They started to panic but the entertainer shouted. “SHOOT THEM DOWN, HIT THEM DOWN!!”

Elena panicked but saw someone shoot a small fireball at a ghost and saw it explode in a small shower of fireworks, then a girl nearby punched a ghost and it too became fireworks. “Oh it’s ok,” she said. “It’s a game.”
“Oh,” Kaylia said seeing what Elena meant and seeing a ghost image thing shooting along nearby got her staff out and whacked it like a baseball, the ghost vanished in a similar mini firework. “Wooo!” She shouted. “I got one!”

Malgwyn joined in with his rapier. “Aha! Another one bites the dust!”
Elena shot a spell that destroyed a ghost and then tried to cackle. “The witch always wins,” she said.

“That cackle was fantastic,” said Tia shooting a spell at ghost. “But Fairies rule, I can fly.”

Elena held up her broom. “So can I,” she said and then used it to hit a ghost. “Plus I can also whack things with it!”
“Lol!”

“Mind out!” Orsha said coming past and taking aim to throw a toy spider at a ghost which exploded in fireworks. “Spider shot!” She said to the others.

“You killed a ghost with a spider?” Tia asked.

“Yes!”
“See!” Elena said pointing. “I told you spiders were dangerous!”
Everywhere people were hitting the fake ghosts as their images flew from the screen as part of the entertainment. The field became engulfed in mini fireworks and ghosts zipping about until the last few rushed upwards and exploded together into a series of fantastically impressive orange, purple and yellow fireworks. Tia put her hands to her mouth in excitement as the fight came to a close with this explosive display of Halloween colours, cheering and applause.

The Entertainer returned to the screen. “Aaaaaahhh! Curses! You have defeated the dead and will survive another Hallows Eve…but remember” he waggled a finger at the crowd…there’s always next year…” he gave a deep theatrical laugh and finished with. “Haappy Halloows Eeeve!!” He faded from the screen, to be replaced a moment later by the scenes of undead, witches and demons as the band struck up once more.

Kaylia was looking around, why she was in a graveyard was entirely beyond her, where the graveyard was was also beyond her. She was in the very centre of a graveyard in wherever this was, clearly disused, being overgrown, there were buildings nearby but they looked derelict and deserted. She turned her head at the sound of scrabbling, trying to work out where it was coming from, and whether she should be concerned or not. Suddenly a hand burst forth from the ground beside a headstone making her jump, she saw a zombie tearing itself free from the earth and then starting towards her. Kaylia went for her bow but it wasn’t there. “Shit! I’m still in my Necromaner costume!” She said, the zombie was nearly on her, she tried to flip back as she always did to get away from people and give her more time but all she did was try to flip back and instead fling herself theatrically to the floor, looking like an idiot. She sat up. “The fuck?” She asked the world in general as the zombie came to look at her, she panicked slightly, she had no way of killing the zombie, no bow, and she didn’t seem able to remember her skills. She stared wide-eyed at the zombie as it stopped and looked at her expectantly. She blinked, it wasn’t attacking her, if anything it seemed to be waiting for her, she tried to work out what she could use against the zombie, Bolt of Decay didn’t seem appropriate, or Turn Undead, it was undead, call of the Banshee probably wasn’t going to do anything…then she stopped, what were these spells? Spells, how did she know what these spells were? How could she even cast spells?!…She looked at the zombie, it still wasn’t attacking, or doing anything, she needed to test something, she waved, the zombie waved back, she was thoughtful. “Jump up and down,” she said, the zombie jumped up and down twice. “Turn around,” the zombie turned around. “Oh great” she said flapping her arms in shock and frustration. “I’m a necromancer, I've become my costume!”

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