[_____V_____]

It is the night of Halloween. All of HDC is busy celebrating and trick-r-treating with their families at a favorite HDC member's house-party. Kids run around everywhere, with some of them bursting firecrackers and others happily munching on candy, chatting excitedly between them.

Zero looks outside the window and sighs once. He looks back into the room, where the party is in full swing, and walks over to the shelf on the corner, on top of which a big diamond-studded crown rests. He looks forlornly at it for a second.

"Don't forget that I have one of those at my home too, old buddy," a voice booms from behind him, over the loud blaring of the music system.

Scouse Mac walks over with a smile. "You miss it, eh?"

"Sometimes," Zero replies. "I really wanted to be in it the second time and defend this," he points at the crown. "Guess I'll never get the chance now..."

His voice trails off. A huge, booming voice fills the entire room for a few seconds.

"GIMME THAT BEER!"

Both turn around sharply towards the hall. Newb grabs the 6-pack out of Elvis Christ's hands and snatches it away. "Git some more for yoself, boy!" he laughs at Elvis, who frowns back.

"He never changed, did he?" Doc Faustus murmurs.

"Everything in the world can change, except Newb and his love for beer, and...," Rayne turns and looks at the couch.

An old, scowling gentleman with long silver hair sits on it with a big grumpy expression on his face.

"Neverending, indeed," Dude Guadalupe replies back with a slight shake of his head.

"My my...you are looking lovely tonight," Urgeok beams with a slightly mischevious smile at Hammerfan and winks, across the room.

Hammerfan blushes slightly. "Psh...you are making a middle-aged lady blush!"

"Remember you still owe me that wet T-shirt picture," Urgeok says with a raised voice.

Hammerfan gives a start, startled for an instant. She looks around and glares at Urgeok, who smiles and shakes his head. "Don't worry. With this sort of din they can't hear anything I say."

"So what's all this talk about wet T-shirts?" Chronogrl raises a quizzical eyebrow towards Hammerfan as she walks over.

Outside the house, a firecracker goes off with a loud boom.

"Hell yeah! That's more like it!" Dante's Inferno punches the air.

"Pffft! Dante, mine was much louder, admit it," Ferretchucker teases.

"Sooner or later I m gonna beat that. You just wait and see," Dante says determinedly.

Just then, a boy comes fast at them on his bmx. He jumps off at the last second and doubles over, severely short of breath and panting breathlessly.

"Dude, you look like you just saw a ghost," Ferret says to the newcomer. "What gives?"

"I don't... k-k-know... wha-t-tt I sa-w-ww...," Massacre Man says in-between long breaths. "But-tt... it sure wasn-tt prett-y... MOVE!" he yells and shoves Dante aside.

"Heyyyy what the fu-?" Dante screams as he is thrown to one side.

"Sorry. I need to talk to uncle Urgeok this instant!" Massacre Man replies and runs through the door.

Dante shakes his head and looks at Ferret, who stares back at him.

Massacre Man walks into the room which is filled with loud music blaring out from the speakers of the music system, and suddenly stops. His jaw drops and his eyes stop blinking.

The room is empty!

"DON'T LE-TTTT THEMMMMMM TAKEEEEEEE MEEEEEEEEEEE...!" a voice yells from the corner and Massacre dashes towards it, just in time to see Ferox13 disappear into a big circle of thick, black, wispy smoke. The Coke can which he is holding falls on the floor with a clatter.

Massacre rubs his eyes in disbelief at what he just saw. He turns around to make a run upstairs when a loud scream from outside almost freezes his blood. He jumps towards the door and runs outside. Ferret stands pointing towards the trees, shaking in sheer fright. Massacre follows his gaze, and sees Dante disappear into a thick cloud of smoke.

Suddenly, all is silent. Ferret slowly turns towards Massacre, who looks back with fear and puzzlement.

A small whiff of cold air engulfs both of them at almost the same instant. A look of sudden terror runs through both of their eyes and they start screaming as they disappear into the black cloud of smoke.





It begins NOW!