At the Final Hour

I blinked at the scarecrow, confused. “You’re saying that fog can kill us?” I asked.

“Hehe, us spirits had to arrive here somehow, yeah? Since we’re already dead, we can simply leave the party through that fog whenever we feel like it. But if you’re still human though, heheheh…” Crowley snickered and didn’t elaborate further. Not like he needed to.

No wonder I’d never heard about this outside of Halloween—people would die trying to escape during these parties… Wait, then why didn’t I hear anything about people going missing on Halloween? Also, what would happen to those who survived it? The possessed would forget it all, but what about the rest of us?

“By the way, Crowley, can I ask you something?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

I nervously swallowed. “Does that fog… also erase people’s existence?”

The scarecrow briefly stared at me, and god only knew what expression he was making underneath that sack. He did, however, gradually curve his twisted smile and snickered.

“My, you’re quite a thinker, ain’t ya?” he sneered. “That’s right. That fog can wipe the living from existence—and that’s why no one hears about our parties. You were wonderin’ about that, ain’t ya?”

I shot a distraught glare and stepped back. “Then what about people who did survive? Are we all going to die either way?!”

Crowley threw his head back and barked out a wicked laughter, shaking his head. “Oh, I wish! Survivors are rewarded with the blessings of ignorance—that is, you’ll walk away forgetting everything happening tonight, like piss-drunk lads rolling out of a bar!”

I squinted at the scarecrow in suspicion.

“Heheh, what? Don’t believe me?”

I shrugged and continued my walk. “If I’ll forget it all, then there’s no point whether or not I’ll believe you.”

“Oh, fair point. Then what’s your next move?”

“Well,” I glanced at the window, “if the fog’s that dangerous, then we won’t go… there…”

I slowly widened my eyes as realization crawled up my spine.

If I was Maria and Ray, I’d try to go outside and wait for each other.

Why didn’t I realize this sooner? Why didn’t I think of that right at the start?!

I cursed under my breath and said, “Never mind, we’re going outside.”

“Oh? Ya sure?” asked Crowley. “It might get a little dangerous, heheh.”

“I still have you, right?”

“Heheh, that doesn’t guarantee you’re perfectly safe, y’know.” The scarecrow waved his thin branches, worn from previous spirit encounters we had been through. “I can only do so much.”

“I just need to survive no longer than an hour, right? I’ll just be extra careful.” Especially when there’s now an abundance of spirits going after the remaining survivors… “Anyway, let’s move.”

“Hehe, after you, partner.”

***

When Crowley confirmed that there weren’t any spirits lurking outside, I carefully opened the door to the front yard, its hinges eerily creaking the more I pushed on it. The more I opened it, the more frigid winds brushed past me to the point I started shivering like crazy.

“God, was it always this cold outside?” I asked, puffs of mist escaping my mouth.

Crowley laughed. “Better watch your step, Blanche. You’re treading on the border between life and death now.”

I swallowed and surveyed the far distance where the fog swallowed the view outside the gates. I pointed at it and said, “I just don’t have to get past that, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay, then… time to investigate.”

I knew it was pretty unlikely that landmines could be hidden among the grass, but I snuck around and stared at the ground acting like there actually were deadly traps. I swear to god, I still didn’t get over that stupid zombie animatronic—

The bushes beside me rustled.

Before I could react, a hand emerged and snatched my elbow, yanking me right into the bush.