Halloween 2016 I.F. – Day 1

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The wind blew a chill down the neck of Septimus’s thin jacket and he shuddered, pulling the collar higher. The scent of the air was rich with the smell of fallen leaves from the forest surrounding the hill. Not for the first time, he cast a glance back at his car in the long dirt driveway, thinking wistfully about getting back in and driving back to civilization.

He would have, if it had been anyone but Sweet who had invited him here. “It’s just a house my parents own,” he’d said, draping an arm around Septimus, his black eyes reflecting the lights from the Starbucks and seeming to glitter, “but it’s a weird old place, nice and creepy. It’ll be a great way to spend Halloween.”

Septimus’s preference for creepy on Halloween tended to fall more into watching bad movies and less into putting himself in any unnerving situation. Being fairly slim and only of average strength and skills, thinking about ways he might have to save his life—and protect the equally slim but much shorter Damien Sweet while he was at it—wasn’t a fun task, even in jest.

Still, he had to admit that the idea of a night alone with Sweet was pretty appealing, and there was a bit of a thrill in being creeped out. Besides, they might have only been dating for three months now, but Sweet seemed to be able to talk him into anything.

But even though he’d arrived right on time—6 pm, so at sunset—Sweet’s car still wasn’t in the driveway. Septimus shifted from foot to foot on the front porch, then checked his phone. He’d charged it before they came, and it was still at 100%.

There was a text from Sweet that hadn’t been there before: Got here early so I headed inside. 😉 Front door’s unlocked, come in whenever you’re here. 

He must have parked around back. Septimus sighed, relieved.

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[Instructions | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 |  Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Conclusion | Author’s Notes]