“Think about it. That’s the house people have gone missing in, and no one has seen any of the bodies yet. And you do know that the bodies have been going missing in the last few months, right?”

“Don’t be such a wuss, Phoenix. The stories are all fake anyways. It’s obviously a prank held by the neighbourhood so that they would look ‘cool’ and ‘hip’ to all of us.”

“Whatever, man.”

It’s the week before Halloween, and everyone is getting ready to throw huge Halloween parties. Sure, it’s all fun and games, but the thing that is worrying me most about this year’s Halloween party is that it is going to be held at the abandoned house that is placed in the middle of nowhere. I look at my watch, realizing that I have spent way too much time at school, and head towards my car. Everyone seems to be either really excited or really scared, and I can understand how everyone is feeling. I mean, it is going to be one of the greatest parties to ever be thrown, but that isolated, abandoned house isn’t the greatest place to throw it, especially with the disappearances happening. I look at back at the school, and think that maybe not going to the party is the safest possible option for me. Turning around and looking at Clay, I see that he is really pumped to go to the party, and I don’t say anything to him. Clay says that he wants to chill with me for a bit, and I agree, because I don’t really have anything to do tonight, anyways. Also, he needs a ride, and out of the two of us, I am the only one with a ride.

Hours later, Clay and I arrive at the house, with a bunch of other people arriving with booze and firecrackers.

“Well Clay, have fun and try not to die tonight!”

“Um… Phoenix? I change my mind. Let’s go back to your place.”?
“You sure, man? I mean this is the party that you said you really wanted to go to.”

“Well, you know. Change of heart, I guess.”

I look at Clay’s face, and it’s obvious that he is petrified. His face has gone pale, and he looks like a ghost. Fitting, since the house is next to a graveyard. I know that he is a huge party animal, and the fact that even Clay decides not to go in is somewhat strange. So I tell him to get back into the van, and I speed down the city, making sure that we are as far away from the house as possible. I drop Clay off at his house, and I make my way home, back to the sweet embrace of my bed.

The next day, I wake up, with the sound of the news on. Great, that means Dad’s home,  which means Mom has already left for work, which means no breakfast for me. Whatever. I plop down next to Dad, and watch the news.

“Last night, a large group of teens from Mighty Prep have gone missing from a party that took place at the abandoned house. A large team of police are working on the case right now, but it is unclear when the answer of this large-scale kidnapping will be solved. More info on this case tomorrow”.

Dad looks at me with a concern written all over his face.

“Hey, son. What happened to all of your friends last night? Didn’t Clay say that he was going too?”??“Nah. Clay chickened out. He went back home, and is probably still fast asleep.”

Dad goes to bathroom, and I go on the computer to try to find info on the people who disappeared last night. Sure enough, the more than three quarters of the school is missing. I look at all the names of students, and decide that I, Phoenix, will be the one to bring back the population of Mighty Prep back.

“Phoenix. Now it’s my turn to tell you to think. Do you understand what you are going to do?”

“Trust me. As long as you got the cops with you, both of our lives will be saved.”

It’s currently 12:30 in the morning, and no one else is around us. I have all sorts of equipment strapped on me, as well as cameras hidden in my jacket. I look at Clay for what I think is going to be the last time, and trudge on ahead. I take a deep breath, adjust all the cameras and equipment, and open the door. It makes a very creaky sound, and it echoes into the night. I enter the house, and all of a sudden, the door closes on me. It doesn’t shut itself, like what I was expecting, but instead, it closes like a normal door would, as if someone else had opened and closed the door for me. I guess in some strange way, I was just a guest at someone’s house. I look around the house, and all I see are cobwebs. They litter the house, and all I can do is keep moving on. I turn on the cameras, and walk around the first floor of the house. Besides everything being ancient, dusty, and eerie, it seemed to be very normal. I decide to go upstairs, but just as I take the first step, I hear a noise. It sounds like someone else is with me, but I don’t know if it is real or just a figment of my imagination. I take the first few steps on the stairs, but everything seems off. Whenever I move my feet, I can see them moving, but I can’t feel them. It feels like I am standing still. I hear some more noises, and this time, I am able to make out what the thing is saying.

“Ahhh…. Yes…. Some fresh new prey…. A new specimen for my prized collection….”

I still can’t see a face, but I know that I have to leave the place. I turn around, but when I do, a thick green gas starts to rise, and the smell almost makes me drop dead in my tracks. My head is rushing from inhaling all of this gas, and my body is shutting down. I can’t control anything, and realize that until the gas leaves and my body returns to normal, I am at the mercy of whatever is living here. That is, if my body is thrown in the graveyard, and if I am still alive. Before eyes close, I look at the hidden cameras, and see that they are still rolling. Good. That means Clay and the police are going to see this clip soon. The last thing I see before I shut my eyes for maybe the last time is a ghostly white face, with a sinister grin that reaches from ear to ear.

“This head will look beautiful among the others… heh….”