Clara's Halloween

Rare one from me with no sex but was fun to write...

Clara woke from a pretty satisfying nap with her alarm buzzing away on her nightstand. It was Saturday, Halloween and the day was to be filled with making her legendary cakes and candies followed by a party at her friend's house. She turned on the radio as she got in the shower, the DJ's were excitedly proclaiming a day filled with at least 4 Halloween songs per hour and that one started with 'Monster Mash' as Clara got herself clean. She dried off, put on shorts and a t-shirt then set about her baking.

Three hours later, every surface in her large kitchen was covered in trays of monster themed cakes and candies, Clara looked at her work and smiled then opened the bottle of wine she'd brought back from Spain, her expensive treat that she was saving for that very day. She took a mouthful, savored the flavors flooding her mouth before she picked up her phone to call her friends.

"Hey bitches, are you ready for some monster candy overload?" She said as they put her on speaker.

"Hell Yea! Jim is coming to pick you up with his truck, did you make as much as last year?" Said her friend Jane.

"Yea but I didn't make the jello shots this year, Kim said they made her sick for days." Replied Clara.

"Uh no, that was the bottle of vodka she drunk before the shots, no biggie, we have enough booze anyways." Said Allison.

"Well get ready, Jim said he's stopping to get gas then he'll help you load the truck." Said Jane then hung up.

Clara got dressed in her 'Slutty Maid' outfit and was still putting on her makeup when Jim knocked on her door.

"Hey, eyes are up here ya perv." Said Clara, laughing as she opened the door to Jim.

"Oh please, you can't expect eye contact with that on, I might be gay but those things'll put your eye out lady." Replied Jim.

"How are you sweetie?" She said, hugging him.

"Oh, looking forward to getting hammered tonight, this stuff looks amazing as always!" Said Jim.

"Yea, this is my favorite time of year, I practice new Thanksgiving stuff for the shop, put a monster twist on it of course but I can tell what will sell by what is left." Said Clara.

"Well you carry on putting your war paint on sweetie, I'll load this in the truck." Said Jim as he started stacking trays.

Clara owned a small but successful theme bakery that made wedding cakes and specialized cupcakes and pastries depending on the time of year, she worked pretty hard but loved the creations that she got to play with and her customers and local critics loved her.

She finished off getting ready then helped Jim load the last couple of trays into the truck then they drove the short distance to their friends house.

"Holy shit Clara these look amazing!" Said Jessica once the trays had been set out.

"Well enjoy, as always I want feedback, what's awesome, what could be better, you know the drill." Said Clara.

"Oh hey, my cousin Lisa called, her company just got the keys to a super haunted mansion over in Dakota Hills, it's like 30 minutes from here." Said Jane.

"I hate those places Jane, I tell you every time you ask." Replied Clara.

"No, it's not a haunted house thing, it's a real house that's supposed to be really haunted. Fuck, you have me all confused trying to explain this." Said Jane, getting frustrated.

"I think you should lay off the vodka." Laughed Clara.

"I'm game if you are Clara, I'm not drinking this year, doc said I need to stay sober for a few months, let my stomach recover so I'll be driving you rowdy bunch." Said Kim.

"Fine fuck it but I swear, if one single asshole jumps out on me I'm kicking him in the dick until he pukes." Said Clara.

"Such a violent attitude towards the penis, you sure you're not a lesbian?" Said Jim.

"Oh please, we all know you've had more dick than me James, and I have tasted vagina, it wasn't for me so let's leave that rumor in the dust shall we." Said Clara, laughing as she kissed Jim on the cheek.

"I promise, my cousin said she'd meet us there but she's going to be the only one with us all." Said Jane.

"Is it that creepy as fuck looking place with the ivy all over the front?" Said Kim.

"That's the place." Replied Jane.

"I heard a cult lived there in the 80's, said they found a bunch of bodies buried out back when they all mass suicided and the leader hung himself in the closet." Said Kim.

"That's all bullshit, some newspaper guy lived there but it's been empty for years. My cousin is dating the realtor that's trying to sell it, no garden graveyard or blood over the walls, is just really old and creepy." Said Jane as she took her buzzing phone from her pocket.

"I said fine, we'll go but I want booze with me, lets load up a few unopened bottles of vodka and take them with us, sorry Kim!" Said Clara.

"Long as you don't throw up in my minivan I don't care." Kim replied.

"Alex just texted me, he's on his way, said he's not bringing Jenna with him." Said Jane after she hung up her call.

"Did they break up again, he can do much better than that miserable bitch." Said Kim.

"She's not miserable she just hates Halloween and drinking and everything else fun." Said Alex, he had let himself in. "But you can relax and put some color back in your face Kim, she is a bitch and yes we split for good this time." He continued with a smile and hugged a mortified Kim.

"We just love you Alex and hate seeing you unhappy." Said Kim.

"I just got your fucking text, you totally need to get off Sprint." Said Jane.

"Well is her work contract so that'll happen, anyways, no ex girlfriend talk, I want to get fucked up, eat half of Clara's cakes and ignore all my test messages for the night. I'm fine, tonight was just the last straw and I'm done." Said Alex.

The friends all had a few drinks, ate some of Clara's food then decided it was time for the supposed haunted house. Clara felt a shiver down her spine as they pulled into the really long driveway, Jane got a text message from her cousin that the door was unlocked and they were to let themselves in. Kim parked next to Jane's cousin and they all got out.

"None of you can feel that? We're not even inside and it's giving me the creeps." Said Clara.

"Oh it's your imagination, my cousin Lisa is already in there, come on." Said Jane as she grabbed a bottle of vodka and headed up the wide stairs that led to the front door.

Clara took a deep breath then followed the rest of her friends inside. When the door slammed closed behind them, Clara jumped a little and spun round to see Jim standing by it laughing, she punched him on the arm and looked around. The house was very clean but it hadn't been updated for a long time, furniture that belonged in antique stores was surprisingly dust free but the floral wallpaper was clearly aged and had began to peel. They all stood in the grand entrance, a wide staircase that split at the top dominated the room and corridors led east and west as well as two narrower ones under each stairwell. Clara still couldn't shake the feeling that she shouldn't be there but she brushed it aside and drank with her friends, pouring vodka and mixers into her solo cup. Jane was still trying to call her cousin but wasn't getting any reply.

"She just fucking texted me, if she's waiting to jump out on us or is fucking her boyfriend in one of the rooms I'm going to kick her ass." Said Jane.

"Hey can we find the bathroom, I really have to pee. Downside of drinking soda and water all night." Said Kim.

"Try down the left hall, we're going to find the kitchen." Said Jane.

Less than a minute after Kim split off to look for the bathroom she let out a blood curdling scream that sent the others running to her. She stood at an open door, the color drained from her face. Jane looked inside, gasped 'Lisa' and ran inside. The others caught up and consoled Kim as Jane checked Lisa for any life, she was pale, her eyes open and her face frozen in a look of terror. A single line of blood ran from her nose, the red a stark contrast to her white skin.

"She.. She's dead, she's cold but she texted me a few minutes ago. Someone please call 911, I can't believe she's dead." Said Jane, tears running down her face.

"My phone says out of service, not even getting one bar." Said Clara.

"Mine either." Said Jim and Alex almost in unison.

Kim, clearly still in shock, looked at her phone and just shook her head. Jane took Lisa's phone from her hand and looked at it, the screen was cracked but it too had no signal. Jane looked at her own phone then put it away again.

"Someone please go outside and get a signal, I can't leave her." Said Jane.

"I'll go." Said Jim.

Jim wasn't gone long, the others looked at him as they held Kim, he had a worried look on his face.

"Uhm, the door. The door is gone." He said.

"Not fucking funny Jim, a woman is dead, you're really going to fuck around?" Said Kim, she was getting angry.

Kim pushed Jim out of the way and stormed off towards the door, when she didn't come back Clara went to find her.

"This is not funny, where's the door, where is the fucking door." Said Kim as she frantically banged the wall where the door had been.

"Oh this is bullshit." Said Clara and went back to the others.

"The door really is gone, I'm pretty sure Kim is trying to make a new one. I don't like this guys, we need to get out of here. Jane, please come with us, you can't do anything for her." Said Clara.

"I'm staying with her, go and get help, jump out of a window or something." She said without looking up.

Jim and Clara looked at each other as they heard a thump coming from the front of the house, they ran towards the sound. Clara froze but Jim kept running, Kim lay slouched against the wall, the same lifeless look that Lisa had, the same line of blood down her white face.

"Oh fuck, she's dead, she's really cold too." Said Jim as he started to cry.

Jim looked up, he seen something move down another hallway, told Clara he seen someone and ran towards them. Clara took another look at Kim and went back to the others.

"Guys. K... Kim is dead, Jim found her just like Lisa and she's dead. He took off after someone" Stammered Clara.

"What? Come on Jane, we need to get the fuck out of here right now." Said Alex.

"Kim too? No, please no, what's going on." Jane said, she started crying.

Alex pulled her to her feet and pulled her out of the room and made sure Clara was with him as he half marched, half carried her to the hallway. Kim hadn't moved, her vacant stare making Jane worse. She buried her face in Alex's shoulder, repeating 'No No No' as she sobbed.

"We need to find a way out, JIM, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, Clara, head down that way and try find a window, Jane, snap out of it, go upstairs and try and get a signal, I'm going to find Jim and try and find another way out too. Smash a window, make a noise but come back here when you find a way." Said Alex with a stern tone.

Jane kept checking her phone as she headed upstairs, Clara headed towards the east wing while Alex went the direction Clara told him Jim had went. Clara looked around, there were no windows, only walls lined with paintings and furniture. She made her way back to the hallway to find Alex already there.

"Jim is dead, I found him lying just like Kim. Did you find anything, I couldn't find any windows or way out." Said Alex, a troubled look on his face.

"Just hallways and dark rooms. We should find Jane." Said Clara.

They both headed upstairs and seen more of the same hallways. One door sat open, Alex and Clara looked at each other and slowly looked inside. Clara gasped and held her hand to her mouth as if holding in a scream, Alex rushed to Jane's side but she was already dead, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle, her eyes open and frozen in terror.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. She's cold, why is she cold, she was gone two minutes." Said Alex, trying to find a pulse.

Clara caught something move at the corner of her eye and snapped her head round to see something move round a corner.

"A.. Alex, I think I just seen someone." Stammered Clara.

"I'll fucking kill them." He said angrily and jumped to his feet.

Before she could stop him, Alex took of running down the hall. She waited a few seconds after he went out of sight and called to him but there was no reply. Clara slowly walked the same direction Alex had ran but as she approached the corner she spotted him, propped against the wall like the others, his eyes lifeless and staring into the abyss. Clara could see he wasn't pretending and ran back downstairs. She looked around, spotted a door under the stairway and hoped it led to a basement and a way out. She looked inside, it was dark but she turned on the flashlight on her phone and slowly went down the stairs, her free hand tightly holding the railing. When she got to the bottom of the stairs she looked up and gasped in fright at the face looking out at her then laughed when she seen it was her own reflection in a mirror. She spun round at the noise behind her.....

Clara woke from her nap, her alarm buzzing away on her nightstand. She turned it off and rubbed her eyes, trying to shake the nightmare she woke from, something about a haunted mansion. She turned on the radio as she showered but froze when they excitedly proclaimed it was Halloween and would be playing at least 4 Halloween songs per hour.

"What the fuck guys, that was yesterday." Said Clara.

She finished off her shower, wrapped herself in a towel and called her friend Jane from her landline.

"Hey, how did we get home last night?" Said Clara.

"Uh, you had the shop open last night sweetie, you wouldn't come for drinks with us." Replied Jane.

"No, that was yesterday, I made cakes and we drank and... hey, lemme call you back." Said Clara then hung up.

Clara only baked with her expensive trays, even her display ones that she transported cakes and pastries on were never left behind even when she was drunk and clean or dirty, made it home with her every time. She opened her cupboard to find all of them stacked and unused. She checked the pile of ingredients too, extra stuff she'd bought just for Halloween, it was all untouched.

"What the fuck." She said aloud and called Jane again.

"You have been working too hard lady, you texted me that you needed a nap if you were going to make it tonight but you were bringing cakes for us all, we chipped in for it remember." Replied Jane after Clara asked if they really hadn't had Halloween already.

Clara hung up and checked her wine rack, she remembered clearly opening her $500 bottle of wine she'd bought from Spain, remembered the amazing aroma and flavor but it was sitting sealed where it had sat for 3 months. She opened it, savored it's flavor and put her glass down.

"No way I could imagine that." Said Clara to herself.

Clara picked up her phone again and called Jim, he was watching tv but came over to see her when she asked him too. She got him a drink and told him everything she went through on 'her' Halloween.

"Girl, I think Jane was right, you're working too damn hard. Are you sure it wasn't all just a dream? I mean, I'm alive, Jane's alive and I'm sure Alex and Jenna are still fighting but fine." Said Jim.

"I'll tell you what, Kim is going to blurt out something about Jenna being a miserable bitch right as he arrives, if that happens you'll know I'm not imagining all this. I'm behind, do you want to help me bake?" Said Clara.

Clara and Jim laughed and had fun while they baked, they both arrived at the party later than planned but were there right as Alex arrived without Jenna and witnessed Kim putting her foot in her mouth. Clara took another shot of vodka and let it go, she was getting drunk and had dismissed her fears as just a dream.

"Hey Clara, I know you don't like haunted houses but my cousin Lisa just got the keys to a really old mansion she's selling, said it's creepy as hell." Said Jane.

"JIM!!" Yelled Clara. "Is this the house over on Dakota Hills, lot of ivy on the front, big creepy staircase inside?" Said Clara.

"I.. I've never been there but that's how Lisa described it to me just now, did you overhear her? I didn't have her on speaker." Said Jane.

"Oh she's winding you up Jane, Happy Halloween!!" Said Jim who then dragged Clara away by the hand.

"You're going to freak her the fuck out, just a dream remember, we're all alive!" Said Jim as he handed Clara another shot.

Later that evening they all pulled up to the mansion in Kim's minivan, Clara was really drunk but was still freaked out and got worse when Jane couldn't get hold of Lisa on her phone. She insisted that Jim didn't leave her side.

"Hey can we find the bathroom, I really have to pee. Downside of drinking soda or water all night." Said Kim.

"Oh fuck." Said Clara. Jane just looked at her.

"Alex, go with her, try down the left corridor. Clara, what is wrong with you, you've been acting crazy all night. Are you sure you're okay?" Said Jane.

Before Clara could answer Kim let out a blood curdling scream and Alex was calling for them to come to him. Jane ran down the hall and Jim and Clara followed. When they all got to the room, Kim was sobbing in Alex's arms, Jane ran into the room to check her cousin for any signs of life.

"I can't do this Jim, we have to leave, we have to leave now." Said Clara.

"What do you mean Clara, is this a big stunt? Is that just one of those movie dummies?" Said Alex.

"I don't know what's going on, I just don't want to be here." Said Clara.

Jane came out of the room with tears rolling down her face, frantically trying hers and her cousin's phones.

"I can't get a signal, I think she's dead, please call 911 for me." She said to the group.

Clara walked slowly towards the main entryway and like before, the large ornate door was gone, replaced by paintings and a curtain. Jim followed right behind her.

"What the.. where the fuck is the door?" He said. Clara just stood frozen.

"Do you remember seeing windows on the front Clara, I'm going to look." Said Jim.

"I don't know, I'm not moving." Said Clara, sitting on the stairs.

Jim walked towards the west wing, Clara listened to his footsteps and mumbles of 'how can there be no windows' then less than a minute later a thump as he fell to the ground. Clara got up to look and could see his body lying against the wall, his eyes open and lifeless. Tears ran down her face as she sat down again.

"Hey, where did the door go, where did Jim go Clara?" Said Alex as he entered the lobby area.

"Jim is dead, the door is gone." Said Clara, staring into space.

"What? What happened, where is he, I don't believe you." Sobbed Jane.

Kim looked at Clara and started crying again, Alex could see where Jim had collapsed and had his hand over his mouth, his face contorted almost in a silent scream. Jane looked at Clara and started getting angry.

"This is not fucking funny Clara, what have you done. You pretend you hate these things then set up a crazy haunted house to scare us all? Where is Jim really, where is my cousin Lisa. Her pretend body felt real and nice touch with the text but this has gone far enough. Kim is almost catatonic she's so scared. You win, most epic Halloween stunt ever." Said Jane, glaring at Clara with tears rolling down her face.

"This isn't me Jane, I'm just as scared as you. I had a dream that this happened but it felt real. It's not me I swear." She replied.

Jane stared at Clara for a few more seconds then sat beside her, holding her.

"I'm sorry. In your dream, how did we get out?" Said Jane.

"We didn't." Said Clara, still staring into space.

"Oh fuck this, Kim, head upstairs and try and get a signal, Jane, take the west wing, I'll take the east, Clara.... CLARA, snap out of it, check the hallway on the right." Said Alex.