The Consume Contest

Confused gasps and murmurs erupted from the crowd as they all backed away. I froze in place, gawking at the body that… wasn’t bleeding? Wait, the blade didn’t hit? Or could it be…?

“Did you… take his soul?” I muttered.

The lady smirked and pointed her scythe at me. “Why so shocked? You saw right through me, didn’t you? Hey, are you human?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why did you do that? Why did you kill him?”

She tilted her head. “Isn’t it obvious? The contest is in full swing. This is all part of the event!”

“I don’t remember killing each other being mentioned at all!”

“Oh, please. You should’ve seen this coming, Blanche. This party is for the dead!”

I sputtered around, questions swimming through my mind. “H-How did you know my name? What do you mean ‘for the dead?’” I stared at the other terrified guests. “You’re all actually spirits?”

“What?! N-No? I’m not!” said a girl wearing a pirate costume. “I’m just a high schooler!”

I looked around, observing the other kids shaken up and terribly confused. It didn’t seem like she was lying.

“...I think I get it now,” I mumbled, eyeing the reaper. “The ‘costume’ contest was just a ruse—you folks lured the living to mingle with the dead. Is that what this is?”

“Finally figured it out now, did you?” She spread her arms wide and grinned excitedly. “Welcome to our ‘Consume’ Contest! The rule is simple… whoever eats the most human souls wins tonight’s game!”

“W-Wait, wh-what do you mean?” another girl squeaked, staring at the limp boy. “Th-This is still roleplay, right? You all can’t actually be serious, right? Ghosts can’t be real…!”

The grim reaper snickered and licked her lips. “Oh, you’re right, sweetie. Ghosts aren’t real… except for tonight. Haha, did you forget? The border between life and death is the thinnest on Halloween.” She sauntered toward the guests, twirling her scythes. “And tonight is the only night we get to have fun in the living world!”

The girl bumped her back against the wall. “Eek, c-cut it out! This isn’t funny anymore!”

The reaper simply laughed, raised her scythe, and swung at her neck, claiming her next victim. The girl rolled her eyes to the back of her head and collapsed to her knees before falling to her sides, completely limp.

Realization spread through the rest of the guests as they screamed and rushed to the door. I stumbled out of the way, bumping against a table and knocking over a lamp. I shot a glance at it, and out of pure instinct, I snatched it and threw it at the reaper, who easily batted it away with her scythe.

Damn, I should’ve known that wouldn’t work that easily.

“H-Hey, can’t we talk this out?” I asked, raising my hands. I spared a glimpse at the other partygoers still wrestling with the doorknob. It must’ve been locked up while that reaper was snagging her victims. Speaking of her…

“Hah! And what do you plan to talk about?” she sneered. “Bargains? Spooky stories?”

“Uh…” Damn it, why are they taking so long to open a door?! I need to buy more time! Come on… Think of something! Quick! “I-I know someone who has a better soul than me! You reapers like your souls pure, right? I know just the person! Just let me go!”

She blinked a few times, registering my words before breaking into another fit of laughter. “Oh, Blanche, is that your way of stalling time? That’s cute.”

“Ugh, you still haven’t told me how you know my name…”

“Hm? I’m a grim reaper. I can ‘read’ your soul. It holds your name, your emotions, your thoughts,” she stretched her grin, “and your past.”

I squinted. “Then can you guess what I’m thinking?”

“Oh, definitely. You’re coming up with a hundred ways of killing me.”

“What? No, I’m not.”

Before I could debunk her properly, a loud slam interrupted our conversation. We glanced at the other guests still aggressively kicking the door.

“Hey, keep it down over there, will you?” the reaper called out. “Also, don’t even bother trying to escape. I’ve imbued that door with some of my powers. You humans can’t open no matter how—”

On perfect cue, the door burst, and a brown claw shot through the hole, grabbing the nearest victim and yanking them right through the door.