XANDER

I stand on the porch and stare into the bizarre otherworld around. Fake crime scenes, gravestones litter the usually neat and tidy neighbourhood, and hordes of kids traipse along the street. Younger ones, with parents, stuff their faces with sweets between houses as their parents approach the doors with them. Older kids force their parents to walk behind at a respectable and less embarrassing distance.

Two boys on bikes wearing masks and with black capes flowing behind them ride back and forth across the road, weaving between groups and laughing as they narrowly miss people. A father breaks away from the happy scene and shouts at the boys. They ride away, to the end of the close, calling taunts to the man.

Looks like it's not all fun and games.

I've never watched the Halloween spectacle before, always too busy working. The night brings challenges for the Four every year as opportunistic demons mingle amongst the human world. The human superstition about the dead rising and the veil between this world and the next thinning, doesn't wash with me. These demons already exist. I'm aware of the Pagan roots, but we've no interest in their religion. They have their rituals and beliefs as do all the others.

Powerful witches live amongst us, but we've never had to deal with them or their secretive existence. I can't remember the last time I encountered a witch. Besides, if we struck an alliance with them, Portia would lose her shit. The fae and witches detest each other thanks to their history from centuries ago. The fae blame witches for ruining their old realm beyond the portals. They accuse witches of stealing secret fae magic, and the witches blame the fae for siphoning their power from captured witches. I'm clueless to the difference, but at least none of that's on my radar.

The fae decimated the witch population; the remaining witches destroyed the fae world. All crossed over, and most witches here are powerless beyond simple spells. Some remain trapped on the other side of the portals.

Or that's what I heard. As long as the witches stay there, I don't give a crap. And I'm not fraternising with witches and causing more problems with our shaky fae alliance.

My head fucking spins at the amount we have to deal with sometimes.

A mother and two young kids, ghouls in white sheets, walk along Portia's path towards us.

“Trick or treat!” Their voices chime as they hold out plastic bat shaped bags.

“Not me,” I reply and point at the door. “I don't have anything for you.”

The woman stares at my grumpiness. Hell, I don't care. Making a loud tutting sound, she reaches out to ring the doorbell. As the door opens, there is a creaking designed to sound like a haunted house. The kids shriek in delight.

I cannot deal with this ridiculous shit.

I step into the shadows and cross my arms. We told Elyssia's vampire friends to leave, and I volunteered to stand outside to ensure they do. I didn't need asking twice to escape the hell inside that house.

Somebody inside the house hands out treats. The kids examine their treasure in their buckets as they stumble away, while their mother thanks whoever answered the door. One almost trips over his own feet, and she steadies him. In response, he holds out a lollipop for her to unwrap.

I shake my head.

Trick or treating? More like legalised mugging.

A familiar voice echoes in the house, close to the door. “Goodbye, Pony Boys! Enjoy your party!”

I close my eyes and take a calming breath at Elyssia's voice. I know when demons attacked her, she suffered, and I'm aware I shouldn't underestimate Elyssia's power, but hell, she pisses me off.

Elyssia steps through the door and startles as she catches sight of me in the shadows.

“Oh!” The panic crossing her face drops, but not before she reveals how much of her behaviour is bravado. “Why are you lurking there, Xander?”

“I'm on lookout,” I reply. “Where are you going?”

“But Serge is on the door.”

I saw the bodyguards hanging in the background inside the house. Or as in the background as guys that size get. “He's not able to cope with danger as well as I am,” I reply. “As you know. Where are you going?”

“To a decent party,” replies Kane. “Don't worry; I'll look after Elyssia.”

Elyssia makes a pfft sound. “I can look after myself.”

“Really?” I ask.

“Yes.” Ah, a haughty stare her mother would be proud of.

“Wait there,” I reply. “I'm getting Joss to accompany you.”

“Seriously?” Elyssia complains.

“Yes, seriously. Wait there.” I turn on my heel and walk inside.

When I return with Joss, the porch is fae and vampire free.

The bloody...

“For fuck's sake!” I run along the pathway towards the road, and almost bump into kids in bright costumes when I reach the pavement.

I scan the street in either direction, scouring faces as I look for the stupid teen and her friends.

Nothing.

I shove my mask onto my head for a clearer look and step into the road.

“Xander, Portia didn't ask us to watch Elyssia,” says Joss as he reaches my side. “Don't stress.”

“Oh yeah?” I rip the annoying mask from my head. “If she discovers Elyssia left and something happens to her, we're in the shit.”

“We're not her chaperones. Go back and tell the bodyguard on the door. He can deal with this. We were specifically told to watch Kailey.”

As if to rub salt into the wounds, a red car crawls past with music thumping through the open windows. Elyssia leans from the window, waving her plastic glass.

“Bye, Xan!”

As she sits back, the car speeds away. For a moment Joss and I stand in silence before I throw the mask on the floor. “I'll tell the others we will follow them. Start your car.”

Elyssia's going to be bloody sorry when I catch her.

* * *

“Stop.”

Joss swerves the car slightly at my loud exclamation. “What? Stop where?”

I look over my shoulder. Few cars travel along the poorly lit road, and in the dark October evening, it's difficult to see anything unless Joss's headlights shine in the area. Ten minutes out of town, and we had to admit defeat. Elyssia's friend must've driven at high speed because there was no sign of the car by the time we followed her.

“Turn around. I saw something.”

Joss hits the brakes, and I jerk forward. “Elyssia?” he asks and pulls a U-turn to manoeuvre the car to the opposite side of the road.

“No. See that tree? Pull over there.” I point at a large oak tree to our right, a few hundred metres ahead. As Joss drives closer, the headlights illuminate something on the ground.

I climb out and confirm what I thought.

Two bikes have been thrown beside the tree, wheels on top of each other.

Joss's boots crunch across fallen leaves. “What's wrong?”

“Remember we passed kids on bikes when we drove out of town? I saw some kids earlier, annoying the trick or treaters before they rode off. I swear they're the same kids we passed riding ahead when we started looking for Elyssia.”

“And you think these bikes are theirs? They could be anyone's, Xander.”

I bend down as I catch sight of other items. “There's a mask here.” I poke around further. “Bag filled with sweets.”

I hold both items up and examine the green Frankenstein mask. I’m sure one of the group members riding around outside Portia's house wore a mask. And they definitely headed in this direction after causing mayhem in the street. I'm not keen on interfering in human affairs unless I'm sure supernatural forces are at work; if I'm not convinced there are but see anything suspicious, I tip off the police. But this is Halloween and demons take advantage of the holiday to mingle, especially ones whose appearance means they can't usually walk unnoticed into the human world.

Why would the boys stop here? I shove my hands into my trouser pockets and listen for voices, but all I hear is the distant sound of an owl. There's no sight or sign of anybody nearby.

Joss walks around the tree the crouches down. “They spilled some. Look.” He holds up a handful of chocolate bars and wrapped sweets.

“I don’t know much about kids, but I’m sure they wouldn’t throw away their Halloween stash,” I reply. “Is there anything else you can see?”

“No.”

“Okay. I need to see if the kids are nearby.”

“Xander, I think you’re overreacting.”

“Halloween?” I growl. “Remember a couple of years ago when a rogue vamp took two teenage girls?”

We've faced situations where kids found themselves in trouble with demons on Halloween night in the past. Every kid I've seen tonight has focused on gathering as much sugary crap as they could, not wandering the countryside.

Apart from the boys on bikes.

“Maybe it's more dumb kids who want to spook themselves by visiting places rumoured as haunted,” Joss suggests.

“Rumours about haunted places aren't always stories,” I retort. “They're rooted in truth.”

“I thought we were looking for Elyssia.”

Elyssia. That girl has the potential to cause drama everywhere she goes and every time we see her. Although keeping her safe wasn't on our duty list tonight, if anything happens to her Portia will point the finger squarely at us. The problem here is Elyssia's technically an adult in fae and human terms. Yes, Elyssia needs protecting, but more from her own stupidity than other enemies. Will the vamps hurt her? Unlikely, they're probably flattered or amused that she wants to spend time with them. Still, I'm concerned about where she's gone.

In the time it took for me to inform Heath and Ewan where we were going, and left in Joss's car, the car she rode in had disappeared from view. We passed a few cars on the main road as we sped through the next village towards the town, but none were hers. That's when I saw the cycling kids again.

I persuaded Joss to turn back; finding Elyssia when she didn't want to be located would be difficult. I need to trust the girl can look after herself and accept I'm not her guardian. Portia has other bodyguards and security measure tonight, and one said he'd follow.

“Let's take a quick look down here.” I point into the shadows.

We follow the dark and uneven lane that runs from the main road. After a few hundred metres, we reach a large metal gate in front of the ploughed fields stretching into the darkness.

I tap my lips and look over the low wood and wire fence, and across the field. Harvest season is over and the field is filled with the stubble left behind. This means nowhere to hide, but under a sky where the clouds cover the moon, it's impossible to see far.

“They must've gone into the fields,” I say. “Can you see anything?”

Joss climbs onto the fence and looks in the distance. “A house. It's dark though, and I can't tell whether the place is derelict or used.”

“Of course,” I mutter. “Can you see anyone in the field?”

He cranes his neck. “I think I can see figures. Maybe kids, but there’s a taller person with them and a dog. I can’t tell if it’s a man or woman.”

My suspicion grows into certainty. “Don’t you think that’s odd? Why would they leave their bikes and all their gear?”

“Yeah, maybe we should check this out.”

“Shit!” I drag my phone out and glance at the screen. “I'll call Ewan and tell him to leave Heath and Vee behind to watch Kailey. He can come here and help out; we're only five minutes out of town.”

Following the call, I rub both palms across my hair and stare into the inky blackness. Where's the moonlight when I need it? We stand in silence as we wait, and my anxiety grows. What if we wait and are too late?