Insomniac

Wayne Manor was unusually quiet for once.

Which, in Batfamily terms, meant only moderate chaos.

The massive TV in the living room flickered with the bluish glow of an old horror marathon, The Thing still going, a plate of popcorn casualties scattered on the floor. Damian was sharpening one of his smaller swords. Cass sat upside down on the couch, her legs hanging over the back as she texted Steph. Dick was arguing with Tim about whether the monster in The Thing technically counted as 'undead' and Duke, poor Duke had drawn the short straw of answering the ringing phone.

Not the house’s private security line.

Not the Batline.

The actual 'landline' Alfred usually used.

Duke sighed, stood, and picked it up. "Hello?"

At first, all he heard was breathing. Slow, uneven.

Then a raspy voice spoke, low and amused finally said.

"What’s your favorite scary movie?"

There was a beat of silence.

Duke frowned. "…Okay, weird question, but..."

The voice cut him off, lilting and sinister.

"You know, I've always wanted to play a game with someone in that big old house of yours. So many rooms. So many hiding spots. Do you ever wonder what might be waiting behind the nex-"

Duke froze as his gaze flicked down to the phone’s display.

Incoming call: INTERNAL LINE.

He blinked.

Then turned, deadpan, to the rest of the room.

"Uh… guys?" he said slowly. "I think we're doing a 'Scream'."

There was a pause.

The voice on the phone stuttered.

"I'm sorry, you're… you're what?"

"You know, Scream, Ghostface, phone calls, creepy voice, knives? We’re doing one of those, right?"

Tim was already pulling out his tablet while Dick paused the movie. "Wait, seriously? The call's coming from 'inside' the manor?"

"Yeah," Duke confirmed. "Guy says he’s gonn-"

"I 'didn't' even say that!" the voice on the phone interrupted, now sounding oddly defensive.

"I mean, not yet, but you’re kinda ruining the whole vibe of it by getting defensive."

Duke adjusted the phone a little as he watched Cass get up. Oh, no, that meant they were playing by Cass' rules tonight.

Dick was rolling his neck until it cracked.

And Damian had a small grin that made Duke genuinely feel a little sorry for the guy on the phone.

That feeling only got a little worse after Tim hit a button on his tablet and heavy CLANGS started echoing all across the manor as the doors sealed and heavy metal shutters slid into place over the windows.

In the kitchen, Jason and Steph poked their heads out.

"Yo, what's going on?" Steph questioned, holding a half-eaten cookie.

Tim shouted back, "Duke got a call from some idiot pretending to be Ghostface. Says he's in the manor somewhere with a knife."

Jason laughed a little at that already checking the ammo on his gun, where he got it from or how he even managed to sneak it past Bruce a complete mystery but Duke was actually feeling bad now because a bored Damian and Jason just found a new punching bag to play with tonight. "We're really doing a Scream?"

Dick grinned. "We’re doing a Scream."

And Jason’s grin matched his. "Hell yeah. Haven’t done one of those since Blüdhaven last year."

"The nutjob with a machete?"

"No, the one with the chainsaw."

Steph just sighed a little as they bickered, already grabbing a rolling pin from the counter. "Do we have to do this every October?"

"Yes," Damian and Jason responded in unison.

Duke sighed a little as he put the phone back to his ear. "Hey, you still there, man?"

"What, what is wrong with you people?!" the voice snapped, the earlier menace gone. "Do you not understand the point of the setup? You’re supposed to be scared!"

"Right, right, my bad," Duke awkwardly coughed a little before he put on his best performance. "Okay, um, ‘Oh no, scary phone man! What are we gonna do?'"

Cass quietly snorted.

"I'm being serious here!" the killer hissed. "You don't know who you’re dealing with! I could be-"

"Kitchen's clear!" Steph called out.

"Hallways safe!"

"East wing motion sensors tripped!" Tim announced.

"Time to hunt then." And Damian was gone slipping into the shadows with Jason and Cass a few steps behind him.