"Costumes"

"Sorry, I forgot we were dressing up for this session." I plopped down on the couch beside William and rubbed my tired eyes. Honestly, we weren't such huge nerds that we dressed up to play D&D every session, today was just our special Halloween game. We'd mourned the fact that we were too old for Trick-or-Treating, so this seemed like the next best thing.

"I'm going to head upstairs and change quick, okay?" Will wasn't answering. I don't think he could, not with that beak. "It's a cool costume." It freaked me right the heck out. "But maybe the full face thing is a little impracticable, you know? Geo's bringing pizza." What was he supposed to be anyway? A dapper bird? I reached up to pat him on the shoulder, but couldn't force myself to make contact. "Right, be down in a second..."

I headed upstairs, listening to the stomping of my own feet. I swear, I have the weirdest roommate. I opened the door to my room and began searching frantically for a costume.

I finished up in time to hear the delicate girly knocking coming from our front door. "Open!" I screamed at it. I staggered out into the hallway, feeling a little lightheaded with the effort of the yell. Will's room was still blasting the spooky Halloween sounds he'd been researching. Molly, our mutt, was adding her own sounds, whining and scratching at Will's door. I leaned against it, not liking the way I could hear her wheeze through the closed door. "Don't worry, Pup-pup," I cooed, "once all the chocolate is gone, we can let you back out."

"Oooopeeen," I called to the door again. The knocking had stopped, but no one had come in. I pulled open the door aaaaaaand...

I was promptly attacked by a shadow creature. Don't worry, she was a cuddly shadow creature.

"Went with Shadar Kai, huh?" I wrapped my arms tight around my girlfriend and kissed her on her pale forehead. Geo, her brother (dressed today as a VW bus, instead of my inspired '92 Geo Storm idea) pushed past us with his arms full of pizza. Following him again was Will. Honestly? His costume was just making me mad now.

"What are you supposed to be anyway?" Amy looked up at me, smearing her makeup on my shirt. "Confusion," I answered, proud of this one. "You look like a pirate zombie," her brother offered helpfully. We headed down the stairs, a somber foursome heading into battle. I felt something warm spreading across my shirt.

"What the...?" I touched my hand to my nose and it came back bright red. The siblings looked at me in confusion. "Is that not part of you costume?" Amy asked, pulling away from me a little. I looked at my hand, dumbfounded, even under the bright red blood, it almost looked...green. Black and green. I stumbled down the stairs and into the bathroom. Amy, Geo, and Will crowded around the bathroom door. I could see the spot where I kissed Amy starting to turn. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

I pushed past them, Will's mask seeming to smile at me. Will, who had been planning to come as a Hooter's Girl. Will, who couldn't go five minutes without saying something stupid, who would already be getting into the pizza. "Who...?" The siblings looked confused, then followed my gaze.

They hadn't seen him. They do now. I left a trail of blood as I ran up to look in Will's room. Molly was blocking the door, the fur I'd combed lovingly yesterday was matted with blood. Her own, and Will's evidently. He'd died at his computer, a page open to PLAGUE DOCTORS. No... to one PLAGUE DOCTOR. To HIM.

Amy, Geo, and I hugged each other as we waited for the end. HE stood over us, the mask looking happier as the room grew darker. I held Amy when she slipped away, her broken body wracked by whatever it was HE had given us. I decided not to fight after she left. I embraced the DOCTOR and followed my beautiful shadow creature into Nirvana.