(A; N : Just for today we're having a timeskip to oct 31 in this fic next chapter will be back to august .)
( Also I may have screwed the story up abit cuz I used Ai to fix the grammar but instead it ended up changing some parts which i had not intended I tried to salvage it but man I don't think it's as scary as my own handwritten one but I guess this should suffice tell me y'all thoughts )
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### Halloween: Shadows Around the Campfire
The lounge was a quiet bubble of warmth—Leon and Raven seated comfortably, sharing pizza and half-watching the endless scroll of the big screen. Sudden chimes from the AI made Leon glance up. The AI's voice echoed, "Lounge doors opening. Robin, Kid-Flash, Aqualad, Conner, and M'gann approaching."
The doors slid open, a rush of autumn air trailing behind the arriving crew. M'gann floated in, her usual sparkle in her eyes. "Hey, guys! Whatcha doing?" she asked, landing beside Leon and Raven with an easy grace.
Leon, eyes glinting with mischief, responded, "It's Halloween. We're on villain-watch—waiting for some freak to try the ultimate trick-or-treat. But honestly? It's practically a holiday for most bad guys. They tend to lie low."
"Aw, that's no fun!" Kid-Flash (Wally) pouted. "No evil pumpkins or candy-crazed clowns?"
"Not unless you count the pizza," Raven replied, deadpan.
Leon grinned. "So how about a change of pace? Let's camp out instead—up on the mountain. Roasting marshmallows. Telling horror stories. Grown-up Halloween style."
Aqualad nodded, thoughtful. "I am intrigued. It is a tradition among surface dwellers, yes?"
"Absolutely!" M'gann chimed in, eager. "Can we do s'mores? And ghost stories? Ooh, scary music!"
Robin arched an eyebrow. "Camping? Okay. As long as Wally remembers to bring extra snacks." The group's laughter rang out, dissolving the last of the day's tension.
Raven half-shrugged, warming her hands. "Just make sure your stories don't put me to sleep."
Leon snorted. "With this crowd? Not a chance."
***
That evening, the team hiked their way up toward a secluded spot atop the mountain, just out of reach of Mount Justice but close enough in case duty called. Flickering lanterns circled the fire site. The wind sharpened and, as dusk fell, the group huddled in for warmth.
Smoke and laughter drifted skyward. M'gann summoned up a playlist of eerie music, and Conner grilled burgers on a makeshift grate while Aqualad expertly whittled sticks for marshmallows.
Robin leaned forward as the hour drew late. "So, Leon, who's up first on the horror story circuit?"
Wally jumped up, "Oh! Me! I know a killer one…" The group groaned playfully.
Raven intoned, "May the spirits have mercy on us."
Wally launched into his tale: "Picture this—the Endless Tunnel outside Central City. They say if you run through it at midnight—"
Robin immediately interrupted, "So, is this one of those stories where the Flash gets lost in a tunnel? Because I'm not buying it."
Wally huffed, "Give me a break! Just listen. But for real, people say you can feel something running with you, whispering your name, chilling your bones. If you ever stop, you see all the faces of those that never got out. Kinda beats being chased by a cold villain, right?"
Conner, unimpressed, roasted another marshmallow. "Honestly, Wally, you're scarier when you're Hungry the fridge never survives your onslaught."
Aqualad added, "I think your imagination is haunted by tardiness."
Wally frowned. "Tough crowd. Bet Robin's got some Gotham legend?"
Robin smirked, "Only if you're ready to check all the doors at night."
He leaned into the firelight. "There was a kid in Gotham, went out every Halloween for candy. One year, he skips a house after a masked trickster knocks. Next day, the kid's got a carved smile—forever, People say every year a child comes to their doors knocking thrice never more. If you skip his call better recall cause the legend is fraught of scars forevermore, the ones that answer must leave a treat or else your end will be bittersweet. Now, every year, if you hear three knocks, you'd better answer. Otherwise, The child will answer for what you skipped only to see your face on the next newspaper slip."
The group shivered, a hush following his words.
Raven finally spoke, her voice like a shadow, "Child's play, Robin. In Azarath, legend says, on the Solstice, spirits walk the land, searching for broken souls. If they find you, your voice becomes their own—and you spend eternity whispering secrets into the wind." She paused, eyes glinting. "Want to hear what they whisper?"
M'gann wrapped her arms around herself. "Well, now I'm officially creeped out."
Leon smiled, slow and ominous. "You haven't heard anything yet."
Raven challenged, "Let's see what you've got, Leon."
He stared into the flickering flames, the shadows cast by the fire seeming to fold around him.
"Here's a true story—and it happened not so far from here."
He drew in a long breath and began, his voice tinged with icy gravity.
"There's an old school, abandoned for years. The story goes that on one stormy night, a diligent student—let's call her Keira—was the last to leave, waiting for her exam results, crushed under the weight of expectations. When she saw she'd failed, the hope drained out of her—a hollow shell left in the dark."
M'gann interjected, hugging her knees, "That's so sad… she just wanted to do her best."
Leon made eye contact with each listener, drawing them in as the temperature around the fire seemed to drop.
"She stayed at her desk, not realizing hours had slipped away. In the classroom, shadows crept across the walls, whispering her name. Finally, at midnight, she jolted awake—alone, her phone dead. The only light was a weak spark from the flickering corridor lamp outside her classroom."
He inclined his head, letting the suspense hang. "She packed her bag, the silence nearly deafening, and shuffled into the hallway. The locker doors rattled, as if moved by hands she couldn't see. The further she walked, the darker it got—until the light at the end began to flicker violently."
Robin grinned nervously. "Gotham's got nothing on this place."
"Every step echoed, bouncing down halls lined with empty trophies and faded portraits. Keira pressed on, shoes squeaking on stained linoleum. She tried each exit—locked. Only the restroom light remained."
He dropped his voice, every word a dagger. "She went in, breathing ragged in the sharp fluorescence. As she splashed cold water on her face, what felt like a gaze chilled her spine—right behind her. She spun… nothing. But when she looked in the mirror, her own reflection seemed not to move when she did. Its eyes gaped wider and wider, until it looked like a dream. She blinked and it was gone—only her pale, exhausted face stared back."
Leon continued, "Keira, shivering, tiptoed out the door. The corridor had darkened, Lights flickered but sound of none until, it came creeping low, ragged murmurs moans of some, she stared into the dark realising whence it came but fear of the unknown made her wince in pain. Her breath caught her voice choked, she hurried back into the restroom, and this time, She breathed breaths of rags leaning against the wall, her only solace the cold hard wood door."
Wally joked—timidly, "Kind of reminds me of every time I use the base restroom after midnight."
Ignoring him, Leon pressed on grimly. "She washed her hands again, but the reflection began to swirl—her face twisted into something gaunt, her lips blue, cheeks sunken deep. Then, the lights flickered, and through the mirror's glass she watched her face lifeless almost dead outright for her next scene was too much a fright. "
Robin's voice choked out, "What kind of fright?"
Leon smiled, teeth gleaming in the firelight. "A pool of ink-black beneath one of the stalls. She stared, paralyzed, at the stall door. It creaked open fear or fervour she didn't know... Not until she saw the foot below. As she moved to the door her gaze hitched through the mirror, Pale legs breathed through the opening down. Nerves of blue painted its ankles, and the only thing that sounded was Keiras own rattles. "
Wally stammered, "Nope, nope, I'd be gone—faster than you can blink!"
Robin muttered, "That's way too vivid, my guy..."
Leon's voice dropped to a whisper. "Keira summoned her courage and peeked. The stall was empty, yet that black pools disappearance wasn't sleek, She saw it's patches fade.
Her head grew heavy with dread as she left to try the exit one more time. She braced the fright, moving towards what may have had been her light. Closing her eyes she walked through the dark into what may have been an endless start, After time abound she opened her eyes she laid her feet as a sunken ship for she caught herself at the very door, She ran to and from at the very more."
He let the silence linger, the group collectively holding breaths.
The flickering fluorescent light buzzed above, casting tall shadows along the pale tiled floor. She froze, chest heaving, every breath catching in her throat. Silence pressed in, thick and stifling—a silence so deep it made her own heartbeat sound deafening.
The stall door creaked open, splaying a wedge of darkness across the linoleum. Nothing emerged. No movement. She swallowed hard, feet rooted to the ground, and forced herself forward—one shaky step at a time. Each footfall seemed to echo, bouncing off the empty walls.
"Hello?" Her voice sounded small, barely more than a whisper. "Is anyone there?" Only the hollow acoustics of the restroom replied.
Her trembling hand pushed the half-open stall door aside. Empty. No feet beneath the divider. No shifting shadows within. She exhaled a shaky sigh, relief briefly warming her soul—until her eyes flicked upwards, following the cold edge of the stall.
A gaunt face loomed above the partition, staring down with a wide, unnatural smile. Black pits were her eyes and her head tilted, her skin stretched taut over sharp cheekbones, lips smeared pale blue.
She hovered there, perfectly still, her smile frozen and inhuman.
Kiera stifled a gasp, her body chilled and unmoving. Unbroken their gazes until the lights snapped shut. A stifled scream heard from the school at night, But nobody was there onsite.
When the sun shone on the day the next morning, the school was in uproar over her mourning for over the halls on the floor a bloody smear was caught once more. The girls body was lay hanging next to her a sentence was left standing , on the wall in that very dark corner at night were the words sprawled in crimsonlight :
Were you scared?....
*********
He paused, then began chuckling—soft, wrong somehow. The fire twisted and warped the shadows behind him as everyone stared, stunned.
Kid-Flash tried to joke, "That's just... Uh, I'm fine. Totally fine. But Robin's probably—hey, Robin?"
Robin didn't respond. All at once, the whole group seemed to have vanished. It was only Wally—and Leon.
A cold voice, raspy and metallic, echoed: "Well? Were you scared?"
As Wally turned, sweat prickling his brow, Leon's posture had changed. Skin waxy, mouth stretched into that unearthly smile, veins blue and pulsing on his face, eyes glassy and void. Saliva dripped from his lips, black as pitch. His neck swiveled with an impossible crack, eyes fixed on Wally.
"Were you...?"
Wally backed away, voice failing as he screamed, running without looking back.
The fire hissed and dwindled, the creature at the flames now gazed outward—before his neck cracked and his head turned, the face which should never have been shone, lit through the moonlight with eerie chill. His head backwards from his body, his eyes unnerving crackled dim.
Staring deep into the souls who read, he muttered a sentence we will all dread .
"Were you…?"
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