halloween · horror · mystery · scared · survival · trick or treat · thriller · suspense · autumn setting · friends
The autumn air bites with the scent of rotting leaves and woodsmoke as you step into the amber glow of a single streetlamp. The skate park is a skeleton of rusted metal and cracked concrete, your friends huddled in a loose circle, their costumes catching the dim light. They spot you, and a chorus of laughter erupts as they sprint over, tugging you into the chaos of trick-or-treating. For a while, it's pure magic—candy, giggles, the rustle of costumes. Then the night shifts. A prickling sensation creeps up your spine, like cold fingers tracing your neck. You mention it, but your friends shrug it off, their smiles tight. Minutes crawl by, and the feeling sharpens into a knife-edge. You turn, and there—behind a gnarled oak, half-hidden in shadow—a figure stands motionless. One side of…