A cacophony of festive music, laughter, and thrilled screams from the rides mingled in the air. The sun had finally set, but the carnival glowed with bright hues of orange and indigo. Children darted by, clad in their little cloaks, clutching different prizes they had won at the game booths.

"I bet I can win you that." Castor pointed to a striped white and orange canopy ahead lined with plushies, including a smiling potted plant one. He had already pulled out his pocketbook and handed the carnie a few coins, who in return gave him five darts.

Lucien had hated Poisonous Darts ever since he was a kid because he could never win anything. Castor and Charlotte would always beat him, but after he'd sulk for long enough, they'd play to win him the prizes he wanted.

It was weird to be there without her. Lucien hadn't fully processed losing his sister to a demon yet, and it only made their old memories much more painful to think about. They'd never go back to those days. Charlotte would never actually be herself ever again.

The pumpkin-shaped dart board spun at the snap of the carnie's fingers. Lucien huddled underneath the tent beside Castor as the six black dart frogs eyed him with each movement. When he tossed the first dart, a frog shot its long tongue out and wrapped it around the dart.

In a much swifter motion, Castor placed his extra darts on the table and used both hands to throw a dart. One was caught while the other landed right in the center of the pumpkin. It always fascinated Lucien how he'd purposefully lose some of the darts when playing, just to gauge the frogs' reactions. Once he'd gotten the bullseye, Castor was able to land another along with two hits to the carved mouth.

"Pick any prize on the wall behind me." The carnie gestured behind him, and of course, Castor picked out the plushie plant for him.

"Thanks." Lucien grinned, stuffing the plant plushie inside his robe's enchanted inner pocket to keep from losing it. As they turned away from the booth, he leaned over and kissed Castor on the cheek. "So, I was thinking about going on that haunted train ride next. Remember how it was Charlotte's favorite?"

"I do." Castor nodded. "She used to try to scare the carnie folks dressed up like creepy goblins and monsters. Made a grown man with a fake bloody butcher knife flee with her pumpkin monster. I still don't know how she gave it such sharp, real teeth and eyebrows."

"Philip the Pumpkin. Creepy little bastard used to eat all our candy." Lucien laughed at the thought of the tiny pumpkin monster she'd weaved from her magic. It was unfortunate that their mother had found it hidden in her room and exploded it to nothing but pumpkin guts. "Charlotte should be here with us. It just feels so wrong that she's not."

"Yeah, I know." Castor took his hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

They passed by the library, where they had turned it into a haunted tour for the kids. A line had formed outside the steps, with folks of all ages waiting their turn. Many other shops and local eateries had done something similar with their own establishments. Mrs. Vale had set up a face painting section within her own shop for the kids, and they waved at her through the display glass as she painted a rainbow unicorn on a little girl's face.

"Castor! Lucien!" Up ahead, Seraphina and Silas called out their names, gesturing for them at the flower shop. Seraphina had swapped her baker's apron out for a festive dress checkered with pumpkins and black cats.

"Congrats on winning the bake-off earlier today." Seraphina adjusted her cat-eared headband. "You and your dad's entry was amazing. The look on my father's face was priceless when he realized he chose you as the winners."

"Thanks." Castor awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm glad so many people liked what we baked, even though they were less enthused to learn we had made it."

"Don't let them get you down. People around here can be idiots." Silas sighed as Seraphina fiddled with his top hat, playfully swatting her hand away. "It's fine, I swear."

"No, it's crooked, and your tie's loose." Seraphina moved to fix that as well, and Lucien couldn't help but grin at their matching outfits. "I know most people don't bother with this tradition anymore, but dressing up was always a favorite of mine as a little girl."

Charlotte's had been too. Lucien remembered how the two of them would create matching outfits to wear, and sometimes Mrs. Vale sewed the ideas they'd bring to her. That tradition hadn't been one Lucien kept up with, as dressing up to be paraded around lost its charm when their folks made them do it so much for appearance-sake. And Castor had just always hated dressing up.

"That's why I let you dress me up," Silas said. "But can I please ditch the hat? It's so irritating and makes my ears itch."

"The hat is what completes the outfit!" Seraphina did a merry little tug on it, much to poor Silas's dismay. "If it's really that bad, I don't mind if you remove it. I'm sorry I didn't have time to get it custom-made with the suit. I really thought I could make it myself."

"You made this yourself?" Silas asked, strumming his fingers lightly along the hem of the hat. "Honestly, I think you adjusted it just perfectly now. It doesn't itch or feel uncomfortable at all." Those words had Seraphina glowing with glee, but when she turned her back on him, Silas eased the hat up to rub his poor ears.

"Did your mom set up something in her shop this year too?" Lucien asked, peering through the display glass. Mrs. Rosewood looked up from the table she sat inside, surrounded by parents and their kids with their pumpkins, giving him a smile and a little wave. He returned the gesture.

"Lots of pumpkin-themed games and pumpkin carving in the back," Silas replied. "We came over to help Mom out, but now that it's getting late, we're gonna grab a bite to eat. Most parents will be getting their kids home soon anyway, so it'll just be the adults and older teens out in the morning."

A blood-curdling scream sliced through the air, and goosebumps raised on Lucien's arms as he turned back toward the source. Kids were probably messing around. The Supernatural Council had taken extra precautions with their wards this year and had officers posted all over town. Yet that sense of dread never left as memories of Charlotte's petrified scream echoed in his head, almost as if it were happening all over again.

"What the hell was that?" Seraphina asked, her voice cracking with unease.

The flower shop door burst open so suddenly, Lucien staggered back into Castor's arms with a gasp. Mrs. Rosewood glanced down the sidewalk, then stepped aside. "You all should get in here. Come on. I'm going to lock us in and close the blinds."

Lucien didn't need to be told twice, and the four of them piled inside to help her lock up, then close down the blinds. The two families in the back with their pumpkins watched them wearily, whispering amongst each other. Lucien wanted to believe some teenagers were messing around, but maybe something else had happened. Nausea wormed its way up into his throat, and he desperately tried to think of anything but that horrific night to keep from spewing his guts out.

Nothing like that was happening again. Nobody else would die. Lucien paced around Mrs. Rosewood's potted plants, inhaling sharp, raspy breaths to keep from hyperventilating because it was hard not to think of Rishon merrily marching through town going on a death curse spree.

"I don't want to panic anyone here tonight, but until we've heard from someone on the council, we're going to stay locked up in here, okay?" Mrs. Rosewood clasped her shaky hands together, and Lucien appreciated her trying to stay calm about the situation.

They hadn't heard any more screams yet, so that was a good sign, right?

"Come on now. Do you really think this is necessary? You're scaring the kids." Mr. Thornwood rose from his table, gesturing for his wife and two little boys to do the same. "You know darn well that was just some teens messing around like they do every year. If something was going on, we'd know about it." His wife nodded in agreement, but the kids clung closely to her side with uneasy looks toward the door.

"I would rather be called paranoid and keep you all safe here until someone lets us know something. I'll fetch my crystal ball to see if they've sent out any sort of announcement yet. You all just stay here and make yourselves comfortable, okay? I've got snacks and drinks if it does come down to us staying a bit longer here in the shop."

Mr. Thornwood's irritated features softened when he noticed his kids anxiously hiding behind their mom. Lucien couldn't blame them either. Not after everything that had happened within the past month. When the family returned to their table, Mrs. Rosewood tried her best to mask her worries with a forced smile as she hurried to fetch her crystal ball.

Castor gently rested an arm around his shoulder, steering them away from the other families and further into the plants. "I don't like this. Not even a message from the council?" His hand tightened against him. "I'm not sure if you can sense it, but Mrs. Rosewood used a sound-proof charm on her wards here. We can't hear anything going on outside."

Lucien frowned. "Really? Why would she do that?"

"To keep people from panicking." Castor kept his voice low, casting a glance behind him. "It's not easy to pick up on, but I suspect Sera also knows by the way she keeps trying to peek out the window." He gestured to her as she kept dragging Silas to each dark-tinted window. "Black-out spell. If I had to guess, the locks are also enchanted to not open to anyone but her."

"Why's she so adamant about keeping us here?" Lucien asked.

"I think she's trying to protect us from whatever's outside." Castor leaned against one of the windows away from everyone, channeling tendrils of shimmery flames against it. "Give me your hand," he hissed, and Lucien reluctantly touched the window glass, feeling something scrape against it on the other side.. "I've got a pretty good idea of what's out there. Don't you?"

"Oh, Gods." Lucien inhaled a sharp breath before yanking his hand away from the glass. "Rotters."

Color drained from Lucien's face as an earth-shattering gust of energy surged through the air, shattering the glass window panes in front of the shop with a deafening crash. Shards of glass rained down around them as they ducked down. Castor drew his wand on instinct to draw a shield around them and wrapped his free arm around Lucien after making sure he wasn't cut by the glass.

The protective soundproof charms cast by Mrs. Rosewood unraveled, unleashing a cacophony of terrified screams that filled Lucien's ears and drowned out all rational thought. A ravenous horde of the undead staggered into the shop, their hollow eyes glowing with a sinister hunger as they dragged their tattered limbs across the floor.