It was a dark evening. My friends and I had prepared for this night for the past few weeks. We never missed it and every year, it felt a little scarier.

We were now seventeen and although a lot of our classmates did not dress up, we showed up to school with matching Halloween costumes.

We were five. The idea of our costumes came out of nowhere during one of our many hangouts. Hailey, the brunette with glasses, was the one who came up with it.

"Why don't we dress up as Scooby-Doo? We're three boys and two girls. That would work so well!" she had explained.

Everyone quickly understood the assignment. Hailey would be Velma and her boyfriend Gregory would be Shaggy. Safia, the pretty redhead, would dress up as Daphne while her boyfriend Kevin, who looked like a real-life Barbie Ken, would be Fred.

I was the fifth friend. The odd one out, the single friend who third wheeled, or perhaps fifth wheeled, during double dates. I would take their couple photos and help buy gifts for Valentine's day.

I never minded it though and my friends always made me feel very included. They even set me up on multiple dates but it made me feel uncomfortable. Needless to say who I would dress up as.

"Steve, do you mind being Scooby-Doo?" Hailey asked.

"No, of course not. He is the coolest!" I smiled.

"Then it's settled! Let's get costumes ready!" Gregory clapped.

~

That was a month ago. It was now the night we had been waiting for. We were in Kevin's home and were finalizing our makeup. We always went all out. My grandmother loved sewing and our five costumes became a yearly tradition for her to make. Kevin's sisters were university students studying special effects. They both loved testing their new products on us, so it was a win-win situation.

"Are you ready?" Safia smirked.

"YES!" we yelled.

~

"We should go to the abandoned house," I suggested. "It's the only time we could go there without anybody recognizing us."

"You're right but what if someone does recognize us?" Safia asked.

"Stop thinking about the consequences, Saf! I voted for," Hailey smiled.

"I agree, we should go," Gregory nodded.

We all turned to Kevin who remained silent. He was a troublemaker so he obviously wanted to go but his girlfriend stared at him with a piercing look on her face. He shrugged and shook his head.

"Saf, even if I vote no, it would be three against one," he explained.

"Fine," she frowned. "But if anything happens, it's on you."

As we hurried to the haunted house, my body began to fill with excitement. As a child, I dreamed of stepping into that house and exploring its many rooms and corridors. Even from outside, the house gave people chills with its old wooden exterior that was falling apart.

The windows were gone and the door was usually half-open, hitting against the frame when the wind blew too hard. Many teenagers made-up rumors to scare younger children but one of them remained famous.

It was told that three witches lived there and only got out on Halloween night. My friends and I always wondered what it would feel like to actually enter that house but our parents forbade us to even get close to it.

We were now old enough to make our own decisions and go trick or treating by ourselves. It was our sole chance to make that dream a reality. We had elaborated a plan. Safia would stay with Kevin and explore the first floor, Gregory would take a look at the basement, Hailey would observe the second floor and I was supposed to be in the attic.

Honestly, I had chosen the scariest place out of the house. The witches were rumored to stay in the attic but after all, it was just a rumor. Besides, I suggested the idea to go to that house so it was only fair that I would get to meet them.

I could not help but feel my heart pound faster as we carefully walked to the door. None of us said a word but I could feel my friends' gaze on my back as I realized that I stood in front. Without knocking, I pushed the front door open.

A loud piercing noise followed and the darkness within the house only added to the unpleasant atmosphere. I remembered the flashlights that I brought and handed them to my friends. Without a word, I hand signaled everyone 'good luck' before slowly walking up the stairs.

I began to think over my decision. What if there were witches in this house? What would I do? I could not possibly tell them that I had entered their house without permission. Nonsense! That house was abandoned and it was the perfect adrenaline for us to end this Halloween night.

I heard steps following me and quickly turned around before meeting eyes with Hailey. Right, she had to take the stairs to get to the second floor. For an instant, I saw a glimpse of fear within her eyes but she quickly masked it with an awkward smile.

I turned back around and was now on the second floor. I heard Hailey heading for one of the rooms, the light fading out as she stepped further away from where I was. I now faced a narrow staircase that led to a purple door.

The steps were crooked and there was a massive hole in the middle. The banister had fallen down and some old-looking paintings hung on the wall. As I observed them, I realized that according to where I stood, the people's faces changed. At first, they seemed normal but then their eyes were white, their faces covered in blood and spiderwebs surrounded them.

It reminded me of those notebooks my parents would get me, however, with the setting, those images did not amuse me. Especially because unlike the shattered stairs and the ancient paper wall, the frames looked recent, almost new.

I finally decided to head up and when my hand reached the door handle, I heard some noise from behind it. I tried to peak through the small hole under it but it was dark. I shrugged before opening it.

To my surprise, there was nothing. Besides countless spiderwebs and dozens of stacked boxes, there was absolutely nothing worth my attention. Suddenly the round window flew open, allowing freezing air to rush in.

I hurried to close it and when I was about to head out, the door swung closed. I heard a piercing laugh echo behind my back and as I slowly turned around, three women stood in front of me. I immediately understood who they were.

"Are you -" I started.

"What you call the witches?" one of them interrupted me.

"Um yes?"

"I guess so, darling," another smiled.

Their piercing blue eyes were the sole physical trait they shared. The first one was small and round and had long blonde hair. The second was quite tall and slim with curly, auburn hair whereas the third one was also short but petite and had red hair.

They all wore long dresses, each with different colors: black, purple, and orange. Their shoes had a pointed end and I noticed their hands were covered with rings. Their angelic faces were soon replaced by a devilish smile that began to form, sending shivers down my spine.

"I'm s-sorry, my f-friends, and I di-didn't know," I stuttered.

"Oh don't worry, dear," the redhead sheepishly smiled. "We know you're sorry and you should be."

"I should go," I said, walking backward.

"Already? The party only started though," the blonde pouted.

"I'm sorry," I repeated before heading out.

I sprinted down the stairs, hearing the frightening laughs of the three women erupt in the attic. I had to inform the others, we had to get out. As I frantically opened the doors on the second floor, I found Hailey.

"Hailey!" I called out.

She turned around with a bored look on her face. When her eyes met mine, I could tell she understood as I grabbed her by the arm and headed down the stairs. I rapidly explained the situation and we headed to find Safia and Kevin.

"Safia! Kevin!" we called.

No answer. Hailey and I looked at each other but silently split and each entered a different room. The house was dead silent, the sound of children trick or treating outside of the house was too far in the distance to be heard.

"Are you looking for someone?" a voice called.

I turned around but nobody was there. I headed back into the corridor but it was empty. A snicker erupted, making my heart beat faster. I entered another room but it was also empty.

"Hailey?" I asked.

No response. Where had she gone and where were Safia and Kevin?

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

Author's Note:

Part 1 of this short story! What are your thoughts?

I used to watch Scooby-Doo all the time when I was younger and I figured it'd be fun to incorporate it in one of the stories. I've got to admit that Scooby-Doo is my favorite character, which one is yours?

What do you think of the five friends?

What about the witches?

What do you think happened to the friends? Did they just vanish? Is it a prank?