This chapter is an entry for the 'Stranded on the Other Side' Challenge by Fantasy (Halloween Vault Prompt #22)

Word count: 750

As the invisible force thrusts me pass the door, silence greets me. Everything is glum and foggy, as any unraveled chasms are.

When I dared myself to leave on Halloween night—when all otherworldly portals are revealed . . . I expected an entrance to a fairytale realm, the one with either sugar fairies, glowing butterflies, or well-dressed princesses . . .

But not this.

Spiraling and unsolid staircases extend beneath my feet. Their semi-transparent form quivering like water and its colors mixed, like marble.

Everything is surrounded by mourning clouds, like those, usually accompanying the arrival of ravens back in my homeland. How devastating.

The Halloween Law said, "Don't leave your residence on Halloween night unless you're seeking trouble,"

A rush of air jerks me with a start. The door's gloomy glows have slipped through my fingers, disappearing.

Exactly what I dreaded. It's dawn on Earth, the portals' closing time.

Panicked and frantic, I wobble, almost falling aside. Ignoring the gloomy sight is hard. There aren't any banisters either!

"Lewis?" A voice calls out for my name. It's as thin as a morning fog . . . as solemn and emotionless as . . .

"Dad?" Eagerness pools in my heart and my feet resume with an increased and balanced pace.

No one had known where, nor in what state dad was in. We had searched by unfolding all layers existing in my homeland. And here he is, accidentally stranded in another realm!

Eventually, my legs get sore and frozen after minutes of running downward.

At the end are curls of smoke. A perfectly circle opening is visible from above, invoking my nausea.

Is this a trap? The dad I know won't lure me to this eerie site . . .

Something snakes around my ankle, and a scream rises in my throat.

Soon, I lost balance. Seconds later, both my frostbitten hands are gripping on the edge of the slippery staircases, clinging for life. I pressed my teeth to my lips to prevent myself from crying.

To my horror, a set of legs also dangle from my opposite. Slender and clawed. The arms join next, digging their claws underneath the unscarred stairs' surface. And soon, the feet's claws replace their position, leaving the figure dangling upside-down with outstretched hands.

Dad's still in the same state. Square face, brown sideburns, angry eyes . . . except for the scales on his temples. And the claws protruding from his fingers.

"I'm still your dad, even if I've undergone these . . . transformations." He says softly.

The sound of snipping steel interrupts our hushed moment. It advances alarmingly close to our earshot.

"The Scorpion Slave." Dad mouths in dread, and he yanks me off the edge, throws me to his back, securing me there.

"Where are we?" I asked, shaking with fear. "Why are you like this? Why did you disappear? Why . . . "

The tears well in my eyes, from the relief that I found him alive, also from shock to witness his drastic change.

"We're in the Wrath Realm." His voice turns to those belonging to sad people. "Last Halloween night, I was about to . . . murder someone in wrath."

My heart skips a beat, speechless.

"An invisible force dragged me here. The moment I stepped in, I underwent these ugly transformations. I became a slave for the Scorpion Slave, the master of this realm and the first of the harmful individuals." He pauses. "Everyone who lives here is banned to return. We're unstable, murderous, dangerous . . . "

"But not you. Not me either. And if you're murderous, you would've killed me!"

"I wouldn't, because you're my daughter." His back rises up and down rapidly. "I still can control my murderous behavior if it's you."

There's nothing I can do besides hugging his neck, bury my face there, and cry my heart out. My silent sobs breaking through the quietness.

"Since it's still dawn in Earth . . . you can't return yet. And Scorpion Slave only leaves the portal unguarded on Halloween . . . "

I need to return to my remaining family. But I also need to spend more time with dad. I've missed him so much.

"I'll get you back tomorrow. I'll sneak you out. I have a group of friends here. Extraordinarily temperamental lads." He returns to the old, confident form I used to know.

A part of me wishes I can take him with me, defying all the laws of how these wrathful beings can't return to society.

"Please stay alive, dad. For I hope each Halloween, our family reunites here. Please promise me."

His neck slightly twitches before sleep claims me.