Flash Rogue Fest

And with a devious, ear-splitting grin the Trickster hits 'Post now', releasing his scathing, mocking post about the Weather Wizard to his many, many loyal followers. They'll eat it up on this platform, because really, who calls themselves 'Weather Wizard' and not use magic? Axel snickers at the first note that rolls in, giving their witty comment a like.

He pops a piece of candy corn in his mouth, one of the cool ones shaped like jack-o-lanterns that come out around fall. The teen shakes the bag, noticing it empty. Then Axel shrugs and tosses it into the pile of empty bags beside his bed.

Halloween is his favorite time of year. The scares, candy, horror movies, costumes, the tricks— Everything about the season of witches, skeletons, and ghosts is right up his alley. Back when he was a kid (not that he isn't one now, but when he was, like, five or whatever!) he'd indulged on the family computer, definitely sticking his nose into things and on sites he probably really shouldn't have. He'd read the horror stories and Creepypastas, shared the "If you don't email this in 15 minutes a girl with no eyes will get you"s, and even spread some malware while he was at it!

(Just don't take him to a haunted house. Axel won't ever admit it, but he can't do things like that...)

Part of Axel almost wishes he didn't snatch up the Trickster mantle in lieu of all things spooky. Ooo... He coulda been known as Haunt or Hellion or something else scary and badass... Axel sighs. Alas! The possibilities were endless, but he thinks he chose pretty well snagging someone else's gig.

Like a real trickster. With a surge of pride, he glances over at the rubber chicken haphazardly on his dresser.

"Axel! Come 'ere!" Mick's booming voice calls up from downstairs, probably from the kitchen where he'd been getting stuff ready for caramel apples. Mark and Roscoe had protested— Health nuts, Axel rolls his eyes— but Len overrode their dissent. Alongside literally everyone else, because who doesn't like caramel apples?!

"Yes, Mom!" Axel sing-songs back, putting on his best whiney voice and straining his ears to hear Mick say an expletive. He doesn't hear anything else, but smirks nonetheless, leaping up from his bed and bounding out his door.

... And arrives downstairs to no one.

Immediately, he gets a weird feeling in his gut: that distinct, skin-crawling feeling of something being Very Wrong. He all but screeches to a halt.

Axel hangs half-on, half-off the steps, both hands gripping the banister. His eyes travel the room, noting the empty seats in front of the TV, the silence from the kitchen. Knowing better, the teen even carefully scrutinizes the mirrors, checking the reflections for any hidden figures. Nothing.

"Uhh, Mick?" He calls out, and his words practically echo back at him, only accompanied by the soft hum of the fridge and ticking of the clock. Everything looks normal, and Axel even spots twin beers on the coffee table he could snag, but something's... up. Or maybe down. Sideways.

It's weirdly quiet... too quiet. Axel's eyes narrow. There's always noise in the Den, no matter what. Especially tonight... it'd been a near full Rogues reunion...

Axel, even in his Killer Klowns pajama bottoms and plain white T, is loaded to the brim with all types of tricks up his sleeve. His thin fingers brush an explosive yo-yo in his pocket, his lanky form slinking against the wall. His eyes dart from wall to wall, heart thrumming in his chest.

"Mark? Evan? Len?" He calls the names of his compatriots, keeping to the edge of the living room for a better vantage point. Axel's eyes roam the whole space, baffled to see a game of cards seemingly abandoned at the kitchen table, a steaming pot of caramel on the stove. He inches to the front door, further confused by the sight of everyone's shoes still on the welcome mat.

"Mick? Digger? Roscoe? Lisa?" He yells back towards the kitchen, standing in the foyer. Nothing. Just the soft noises of an empty home and the house settling in soft groans. Weird Feeling is starting to turn into something a bit more panicky, his stomach tightens in a way he doesn't like— But he's not scared! Axel isn't some baby.

Shit. Axel hasn't been in the game for long, but he can recognize a set-up a mile away. Something's gone really really wrong, and he has nothing to work with. He wracks his brain, trying to come up with reasonable explanations as to where literally everyone went, but coming up empty.

Maybe they all went outside? No, the front door's loud and he would have heard it open. Back door is busted, can't open, no one uses it.

Basement? The Den doesn't have one.

... Upstairs? He was just there.

Axel is about to yell out more names when something utterly bizarre happens: Everything goes dead silent. Like unnaturally so. Sound tends to travel in this house, and Axel's breath catches in his throat at how effectively it suddenly vanishes. No more clock. No creaks. Hell, even no fridge noises. Nothing.

This is weird, Axel thinks to himself, suddenly feeling he shouldn't talk, This is really weird.

Okay, don't freak out, yo.

Axel lets out a shaky sigh, perturbed when he can't hear the air whistle past his lips. In fact, he can't feel... his chest move? His head snaps down, eyes wild, and he watches his chest rise and fall and rise again— Clearly, he's breathing. But he can't tell? The blonde releases his bottom lip from his teeth, realizing with a harsh jolt he hadn't noticed he'd even started doing that. It's like he's numb all over, except where his stomach feels like it's eating itself.

Not in a "I'm hungry, please feed me" type of way, but in more of a it feels like a black hole has opened up in his gut and is pulling everything in. Axel grips his yo-yo tighter, wringing its string around his fingers, partly to see if he still could, partly to see if he could feel it. There's no new sensation (shocker) and Axel can only grip his stomach, mutely groaning.

His core is killing him, like when he worked out with Roscoe that one time. Huge mistake, before he died that dude put him through the

Before he died. Before I died.

Like a spell broken, the sick feeling in his gut fades away. When he closes his eyes, he opens them to see the shitpost on Mark he's about to publish, the cursor over the 'Post now' button. Axel's lips quiver, his jaw clenches, then a grin blooms across his face. What type of dude calls himself Weather Wizard and doesn't even know a basic card trick?

His fingers twitch, and he pockets the yo-yo his fist is clenched around. Then he hits post. The blonde leans back against his pillows, his bed soft beneath him. He watches as the first note on his post rolls in, sniggering at the comment and throwing it a like.

Hopefully Mick will be done with the caramel soon, Axel thinks as he eats the last candy corn jack-o-lantern.

He read the same sentence repeatedly until the words blurred together, and slowly his eyes fluttered shut.  Suddenly they were wide open again, but it was dark and he could see very little of the room around him…though he heard faint scratching sounds nearby, which were becoming louder.

“Who…who’s there?” he stammered, sitting up quickly in his chair.

The scratching grew even louder.  It was coming closer.

Albert desperately groped around for the Stone, which rarely left his side even when he wanted it to, but couldn’t find it anywhere.

“I…I’ve got the Philosopher’s Stone!  Stay back if you value your life!” he fibbed, his voice rising in fear.

The scratching continued to grow louder, and this time there was a low chuckle in the dark.

“We both know that’s a falsehood, dear brother.  I am the Stone, and you’re completely unarmed.”

“Why won’t you stay away, Alvin?” Albert wailed, exhausted by the never-ending cycle which continued between them.  “I banished you forever, I know I did.”

The voice was now very close, and Albert swore he could feel hot breath on his neck.

“It’s Halloween, brother, and the veil between worlds is so thin tonight.  I thought you were an alchemist, adept in the esoteric sciences and their mysteries.”

Albert closed his eyes and breathed deeply, willing himself to remain calm.  “You aren’t real, you truly aren’t real.”

“Does that fiction make you feel more at ease, Albert?  Does it absolve you of the dark experiments you undertook in a search for immortality?”

“I just wanted to help people!” Albert shouted, lashing out with an open hand in the hope of catching something unaware.  He struck only empty air.

“All you did was anchor me to you, and ensure I can return whenever I wish,” the voice told him silkily, slowly circling around his chair.  Did he see a pair of reptilian eyes in the dark?

“No…” Albert said softly, hitting the arms of his chair with his clenched fists.  It’d do him no good to cry, but he’d shed tears over his dark twin’s regular reappearance before.

However, a thought suddenly struck him: Alvin had said he was here because it was Halloween, and he’d also said he could return whenever he wanted.  Which was true?

If Alvin’s tie to him wasn’t very strong, perhaps he could be sent away again, at least temporarily.

Albert’s ancient Greek was rustier than it should have been, but he’d spent many hours studying old treatises on exorcising evil spirits because of the ongoing problems with his twin.  “Ἐκβάλλω σε,” he said loudly in Greek.  I expel you.  His words were halting at first, but he began to gain confidence as he remembered his research. “Οὐκέτι εἶ.”  You are no more.

The disembodied voice cried out like a wounded animal, a shriek which grew shriller as it keened.

“You cannot!  I’m your brother!” Alvin howled, and suddenly there was a welcome silence accompanied by the stench of something burning.

Albert opened his eyes and could now see his surroundings; he was back in his typically disorganized library, and nothing looked notably out of place.  Had he simply dreamed about this encounter?

He heard the gentle tinkle of Rita’s voice talking and laughing with the children at the door and got up to clear his head.  A group of children having fun would be an excellent palate cleanser after the terrifying dream he’d just had, so he got up with a smile and went over to see the cheery kids.