Avery plopped down on the couch and picked through the bowl of candy corn, ignoring the laughter drifting in from the street. Every Halloween, she partook in her own tradition of dressing her dog in a costume matching hers but this year was different. Her beloved Sparky was gone. The tradition was over.

                           That is, until she'd heard scratching at the door around midnight. Avery opened it to the one thing she thought she'd never see again. Soaking wet and yipping, was her furry pal. Tears burned through Avery's eyes as she stepped back and let him in.

                             Avery's brother, James, came out from the guest room, peering curiously down the hall.

                             "Avery, I heard the door open. You okay?" He called, walking to the living room.

                             "James, look!" She called, waving him over. He came to stand beside her and looked at the dog, who was licking rain water from his pelt.

                              "Sparky," He said, kneeling down and petting Sparky's head. "Hey, little guy, you broke Avery's heart for awhile there. You know that?" He added with a grin.

                             That night Avery settled into bed, her scruffy companion beside her and her broken heart mended. Or so she thought.

                            3AM approached and Avery awoke to howling. She reached out beside her to an empty bed, and sat upright. She stepped onto the floor and ran out to the living room.

                           "Sparky? James?" She asked, tiptoeing in the dark. She made eye contact with two glowing red beads and before she could react, something had her foot. Avery felt searing pain rip through her leg as she was dragged across the floor, her fingernails desperately scratching the linoleum.

                         James came running down the hall and fumbled with the light switch, turning it on.

                         "Avery!" He shouted, running towards the commotion. His first instinct was to grab her hand and try to pull her out of Sparky's grip. When the dog refused to relent, James dove in for Sparky, holding him down and yanking a table lamp off the stand.

                        He struck Sparky over the head, rendering him unconscious, and then walked over to Avery, who held her bleeding leg.

                        "Why would Sparky do that?" She asked softly. James looked over at the dog and licked his dry lips.

                       "That's not Sparky. That's not even a dog anymore." In the silence, James spoke again.

                       "I think I know what I have to do." Avery nodded and he crossed over to Sparky, wrapping his fingers around its neck. Avery winced as what she thought was Sparky began to whimper for help. Then all became quiet.

                      "So what happened to Sparky?" She asked, tears in her eyes.

                      "He's gone. He's at peace. That was just something evil using his dead body." James explained, looking down in disgust at the corpse. He walked over to his sister and held her close as she cried on his shoulder.