1. knock-knock, who knocks?

S A V A N N A H

I gasp for air on Halloween night when the doorbell rings. 

My hair is in a bun, my heart is beating hard, and I fear a panic attack will take me to the afterlife. 

Closing my eyes tightly, I ruffle my hair and sigh. Then the bell rings again. 

"Gosh, someone's really impatient," I mutter as I climb out of bed. 

I've had a chaotic week on campus, and when I got home I was hoping to relax, since I had the whole house to myself. Yes, my parents are roasting their bellies in Italy while we're freezing to an ice in Canada. So all that Halloween shit became my job. I wasn't expecting to doze off and almost miss trick-or-treat. 

On my way down the stairs, I pause for a moment and my eyes fall on the photo hung on the wall. 

I look so young and fragile as my dark-haired ex-boyfriend hugs me from behind. I feel a sharp ache in my chest as I think back to my last year of high school and how he disappeared after the banquet due to the car accident. He left me... while the paramedics tried to pull me from the wreckage. 

It's your fault... 

The voice in my head haunted me for three years. 

The doorbell snaps me out of the haze of my memories, and as I reach down, I pick up the bowl of sweets. A strong gust of wind hits my face and I'm surprised to see the rear glass door open. I freeze for a moment, then walk hurriedly over and slam it shut. Maybe it's the storm.

"Trick or treat! "

The sound of children from behind the door breaks the silence of the house. 

"I'm coming!" I shout wearily, then run to the door. If I don't give out the sweets, I'll eat them, and that won't end well. 

But when I open the door, there are no children dressed up on the porch, but... a familiar face. 

His green eyes scan my body, his lips curl into a sly smile, and I become still. His dark hair has grown a little, his features sharper, and a huge gash runs diagonally across his face. 

 "River? " I ask, powerless. 

"Gotcha," he whispers in an ominous voice, and that's when I sense someone stepping up behind me. Before I can turn around, a sharp pain hits my head, and the once kind face in front of me blurs and my body gives in. I collapse. 

My head hits the floor sharply and the world goes black. 

I am conscious of someone dragging me across the muddy ground, autumn leaves crunching beneath my body. I groan at the pain I feel in my head. A deep voice creeps into my consciousness. 

"What did I say, you idiot? To be gentle."

"Sorry, but I had to incapacitate her somehow, right? " replies the other male voice. 

Then everything goes dark again.