After much preparation, Mary Elise couldn't be prouder of the work her students had done.
It amazed the young teacher how well the teens had worked together. Everyone involved had added a little something to make the project truely memorable. Nat and Rei had provided spooky yet kid friendly ideas for the younger children. Spark had gotten creative in providing snacks, the fairy turned human findings he had an affinity for baking and cooking. Mary Elise impressed as by the Halloween themed cookies and cupcakes. Miles and Connor had also done a fantastic job in constructing the haunted house, the teacher impressed by their carpentry skills. Even Miranda and Amara had added a bit of flare, preparing several scares for the older kids.
While Mary Elise was concerned about what a nightmare demon would use to scare children, she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Gazing at the structure before her she smiled.
The haunted house had always been one of her favorite things when she was in school. A self admitted Halloween geek, she fondly recalled working on the fund raiser and attending it when she was a child. The haunted house itself was fairly straightforward. For the younger children, a more kid friendly event with high schoolers dressed in costume surrounded by spooky yet tame decorations passed out candy. This was more festive in nature, resembling the Trunk or Treat events that other elementary schools had. The haunted house though was a completely different animal.
Setup for middle schoolers and older children, the high schoolers would definitely put a little more effort into the event. Mary Elise recalled how it was seen as a badge of honor for Wests students to scare the seventh and eighth graders that attended. For West it was seen as a light ribbing of the future underclassmen, a way to unofficially welcome them to high school. Mary Elise tried to hide a smirk as she recalled more than one cocky seventh or eighth grader leaving the event white as a sheet. The scares harmless but it definitely boosted school spirit.
As she now stood by the entrance, she gazed up at Sebastián. "You ready to do a walk through?"
Sebastián fidgeted, he was never a fan of haunted houses but was willing to go along with it for Mary's sake. "I guess," he shrugged, Mary Elise chuckling as she took his hand. "None of the actors are present," she grinned. "Its just the decorations right now. Stop being such a scaredy cat." Sebastián frowned, grumbling as the pair now made their way inside.
As the couple now moved through the narrow halls of the haunted house, Mary Elise smiled. The students had done well, from the creepy lighting, to fog machines, to scary decorations, it set a fun yet foreboding atmosphere. Wheeling herself through the twists and turns, Mary Elise's smile only broadened as Sebastián gripped her hand just a bit tighter.
"You need to relax," she laughed. "I mean seriously, you've fought vampires and other crazy things. Is a little haunted house really freaking you out that much?"
"Not my fault this thing made me pass out when I was in eighth grade," he grumbled. "I mean seriously, do you have any idea the kind emotional scars you leave on someone at that age. And then the teachers didn't even punish the people who did it." Mary Elise stifled a laugh, patting her fiance hand affectionately.
Turning a corner, Mary Elise now pushed herself forward away from Sebastián. She didn't want to make him anymore nervous and wished to get a scope of what was to come if only to warn him. Entering an empty room in the structure, she paused finding it quite odd in comparison to the other rooms.
"Sebastián? Sebastián. Are you seeing this?"
No answer came, Mary Elise confused at the lack of response. Turning her head, she could see she was alone. She hasnt pulled that far ahead, what was taking him so long? The minutes now seemed to stretch, Mary Elise becoming both annoyed and concerned by his absence.
"He can not hear you?"
Mary Elise's blood ran cold, her eyes growing wide in terror as she slowly turned her head. That voice, she recognized it, but that was impossible. Footsteps now seemed to echo, the young teacher watching as a silver haired man now turned the corner. "It can't be," she whispered. "You died! I saw it!"
Casseus grinned, the silver haired wizard grinning maliciously as he slowly approached. "Did you truely think you children could stop me," he leered. "Look closer girl."
Mary Elise now looked to the floor, shrieking in fright at the bodies that lay strewn before her. Sebastián, Naomi, and Karen gazed up at her with dead eyes, their bodies twisted on death. Nearby she could see Mia and Zack, the children lying face down in a pool of blood, Rexie and Ayamis crumbled bodies nearby. Finally she noticed the head of Akira, the kitsunes eyes lifeless as he stared at her.
"I've come to finish what I started," Casseus grinned. Mary Elise shook herself from her stupor, her face contorting in rage as she now raised her hand to attack. Casseus simply began to chuckle, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Your powers have no effect on me girl," he laughed. Mary Elsie was horrified, her magic had left her, she was defenseless against the man who had crippled her. As she tried to speak, she winced in pain, grasping at the wound Casseus had left.
The fear was overwhelming at this point, she was bleeding from a wound that had healed years prior. Touching it as if to prove it couldn't be true, she was horrified to feel the wetness of her own blood and even more horrified as her hand fell limp to her side.
Try as she might, Mary Elise couldn't move her arms. Casseus had finished what he started, turning her into a quadriplegic. The wizard slowly approaching with an inhuman smile on his face. "Its okay to scream now. No one will hear." A shriek of terror now echoed through the haunted house as Casseus now lept at her.
*********************
"Ms. McKinnon! Ms. McKinnon! Wake up!"
Nat now tried shaking their teacher out of her stupor. The teens had be milling about when Sebastián had emerged from the haunted house with Mary Elise seizing. Quickly her students now came to her aid, shocked as she convulsed in her wheelchair. "How did this happen?"
"I don't know," Sebastián said quickly. "All I know is I saw her turn a corner and the next moment I found her seizing."
The teens now tried to comfort their teacher, concerned at the sallow color of her face. She looked lifeless, like a freshly dead corpse, her breathing ragged as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. It was Spark now that slowly moved from their teacher, her eyes burning with rage as she glared at Amara. "You did this didn't you!"
"What no," Amara exclaimed. Spark scoffed, angrily stomping towards the Mara as she jammed a finger into her chest. "Bullshit," she yelled. "Look at her! Something is draining her life-force! This reeks of mara, and you're the only mara I know!"
"Amara hasn't done anything," Miranda exclaimed, stepping in front of Amara as she now returned Sparks venomous gaze. "I've been with her the whole time and we setup all the scares. She didn't do anything that would cause this!"
As Spark was about to answer, Connor grabbed her shoulder. "Spark I don't think it was her." At this the fairy seemed to relax, casting Amara a vengeful look before turning back to Mary Elise.
"Something is definitely draining her life force," Connor whispered. "And it looks similar to what a mara would do but, just more extreme."
"Hold up," Miles said. "Are you saying there's another nightmare demon."
"Afraid so," Connor stated. "And unlike Amara this one will kill when it eats."
"So what do we do," Rei asked.
Nat now stepped forward, a stern look on her face as she gazed at the haunted house they had worked on so hard. "Whatever it is it's in there," she said. "We can't let it hurt Ms. McKinnon. We're going to have to go in....and finish it off."
The teens now went quiet, all eyes focused on the entrance of the haunted house. To save their teacher, they would have to stop an actual demon.