Re-uploaded. Originally posted on October 31, 2017.

Quick A/N: Just a one-shot that I decided to write up yesterday for Halloween. Warning- blood.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans or any other DC characters.

xXO~#;-;#~OXx

The air was so filled with mist that she could barely see her hand in front of her face in some places. The vapor swirled around her like a cloud, coating her with a layer of dewdrops that slid down her skin and clothes to drip to the ground silently. With every step, she had to push her way through the unyielding curtain of mist, and she couldn't seem to leave the sphere of fog around her. Losing all sense of direction, she meandered in whatever direction seemed to be forwards, sliding her steps as to not trip. Suddenly, she lost her footing and slammed her elbow into the wall, causing a loud bang! to reverberate in the space around her, faintly echoing along the hallway. She grabbed her sore joint and cursed quietly to herself.

"If this is another one of Beast Boy's annoying Halloween 'special effects', I will murder him the next time I see him." She scowled behind the covering of mist and grabbed the edge of her cloak to dry her damp face in vain. Her cloak was no drier than the rest of her person, and it only succeeded in disturbing the damp blanket of air surrounding her.

As she heard the last echoes of the noises she had created, she realized for the first time that the Tower was strangely quiet. Too quiet, in fact- almost silent. She had gotten up at her usual time- 6:00 in the morning, and as soon as she had stepped out in the hallway, the fog had enveloped her immediately. Usually, at least Robin would be awake, and she could always hear his coffee machine running as she drew closer to the common room. Or sometimes the TV if Beast Boy stayed up late to watch a movie marathon or play his video game Attack of the Cloud Sharks. But right now- nothing. Maybe Robin had decided to sleep in today? Or maybe he saw the misty halls and decided to remain in his room.

"This had better not be a stupid prank that Beast Boy set up. That insolent, insufferable-" She broke off to reach out her arms to carefully identify a wall on either side of her.

She felt along the wall on her left, attempting to make her way to the common room. All the while, she listened for any sounds of activity throughout the Tower. Now walking normally, she could hear the quiet tapping of her footsteps on the floor. As soon as her hand fell on a different surface, she stopped. She could feel the smooth metal of the automatic sliding doors that Cyborg had installed throughout the whole Tower when first building it. She carefully made her way in front of it before it swished open, momentarily moving the mist away from the space on either side of the door. At that moment, she glimpsed the common room, empty of all life, and still dark and silent.

She paused before entering. She could go in as the first up that morning, as happened often, and turn on the lights, commencing the next day as normal, but . . . something didn't seem right. It was as if she could sense an unwelcome presence- how foolish of her. She was letting Beast Boy's hogwash and nonesuch about Halloween spirits and ghosts get to her. She was acting ridiculous. Nothing was there, Beast Boy just set up a fog machine to scare them all when they awoke, and today was a normal day like any other. Besides, what was the most harmful thing done on Halloween but children dressing up and asking for candy?

With her mind resolved, she stepped into the common room and snapped her fingers to flip the light switch with her powers. She heard the satisfying click! but- nothing happened. The room was as dark as before. She frowned. Was the electricity line damaged? Or maybe Beast Boy went to such lengths as to even disconnect their power to complete the effect. She scowled once more.

"If I get my hands on that prankster, I'll throw him into the ocean and wring him out to dry." A black aura surrounded her hand as she summoned candles from her room. Snapping again, she lit the wicks, and with a wave of her hand, she spread them throughout the room, save one that she kept in her other hand. Holding it out before her, she peered around the room cautiously, wary of any other tricks that Beast Boy could have possibly set out. The candles bobbed as they hovered in the air, and the flickering glow they effused caused the fog to seem to wave about eerily. Patches of mist were illuminated by the candlelight as if a spirit was dwelling there and emanating an ethereal glow.

She shook off the spooky feeling and began to step forwards-

Thud!

She froze mid-step, eyes wide, and darted her eyes around to find the source of the noise. She didn't deny that she was scared- one experience of "Raven's Haunted House" was enough for anyone. Her eyes landed on a book lying spine-up on the ground, barely visible in the candlelight. Hesitantly, she made her way over to it and knelt. She picked it up with her right hand, her other hand still holding the candle perched on a silver candlestick. Carefully turning it around to look at the cover, she brought the candle closer to see it better and gasped slightly at the words.

I'm Coming, and

This Time There's

No

Stopping Me

"What . . ." She rested the book on her lap so that she could open the cover to the first page.

Darkness hides the evil beings
That haunt the world on this dread night.
In the shadows lurk the fiends
That plan to play to their delight.
Friends once five become now four-
Hid behind the sweetest door.

"Friends once five become now four- what-" The sound of shattering glass tore her eyes away from the page. She shot up, clutching the book to her chest and extending the candle as far as she could. She instinctively moved some of the candles around the room nearer to both herself and the kitchen area, from which direction she heard the sound. The light reflected off of the shards, dimmed by the layers of mist. She approached the broken glass slowly but stopped when she saw that the pieces strangely spelled out something.

TICK TOCK

She thought back to the poem. "Once five . . . now four . . . sweetest door-" She started with a gasp.

"Starfire!"

xXOOXx

Relying on her senses to guide her as she sped through the hallways, she held tight to both items she had in her hands. Her cloak billowed behind her, causing the mist to swirl around her and in her wake, and her footsteps thudded on the floor as she ran, the remaining candles bobbing around her. Turning a sharp corner, she skidded momentarily on the damp metal, almost hitting the wall. Rushing further, she stumbled to a stop in front of another door.

STARFIRE

She knocked on the door rapidly. "Starfire?" she panted, out of breath.

No answer.

"STARFIRE!" She banged on the door, yelling in panic. When there was again, no answer, she tucked the book under her arm and punched in the override code with trembling fingers. As the door swished open, for a brief moment she considered what a fool she would be if nothing was wrong, and Starfire was just a very heavy sleeper, and she was just being paranoid or hallucinating. How embarrassing that would be.

But that thought fled her mind quickly upon seeing Starfire's room empty, and also filled with the fog. Moving the candles to fill the bedroom, she quickly caught sight of a dark stain trailing across the ground from the bed, across the floor, and to the door, where she stood.

"No . . ." she whispered. Her voice caught in her throat. As she gazed in terror at the vacant space, the book grew warm under her arm. She pulled it out with a shaking hand and opened it to the second page, dreading what she would read there.

In the dark, the deed is done
By them who laugh at this dark sight.
Pretty innocence now gone
And never to return so bright.
Four companions drop to three-
No more eyes you never see.

Pulling her gaze away from the poem, she realized that the dark stains spelled out something, just as the broken glass did. Though she didn't want to, she studied the letters formed by the smudges.

TICK TOCK

"Robin!" she gasped as she backed out of the room. She darted down the hallway once again.

xXOOXx

Her footsteps came to a stop before yet another door.

ROBIN

She pounded her fists against the metal. "ROBIN!" she yelled, praying for a response. "Please, Robin, answer me!"

But of course, no response came. She entered the override code, and as soon as the door swished open, she rushed inside, levitating. The candles likewise filled the room with an eerie light. Just as she dreaded, his room was empty in the same way as Starfire's. Even though his room was typically seeming uninhabited, she knew he had been in there- a dark trail spread across his floor in the same way as Starfire's.

"I'm too late!" she gasped, chest heaving for breath. Her lungs felt like they were being crushed as the familiar warmth overtook the cold book. She could barely bring herself to open it to the third page and read the words being penned there.

Darkness had its fun with one
Who in himself is brooding, night;
Lovers in a pair were won
By quite the wicked, darkest sight.
Dwindling three turns now to two-
Lost the human-robot too.

"Cyborg!" she cried out. Wasting no time, she slammed the book shut, not caring that the poems began to make less and less sense. As she turned about midair and sliced through the fog out of the room, she barely saw the words on the floor in her peripheral vision.

TIME WON'T STOP

xXOOXx

Her cloak streamed after her as she shot down the hallways. Coming to a stop an additional time, the folds of the fabric draped around her to cover her figure.

CYBORG

Not bothering to knock in any way, she overrode the door immediately. "Cyborg!" she pleaded as the door swished open.

But just as the other two, his room was vacant. Filling the room with candles, the light reflected off of the abundance of metal, causing the whole room to seem to be glowing. This strongly augmented the stain on the metal floor leading from Cyborg's charging station to the door. After a glance at the room, she opened the book to the fourth page and read the poem as quickly as she could.

Shadows played with metal, flesh,
And disassembled left and right.
Brothers, sister- who tastes best?
Three is not enough tonight.
Only two left- nope, now one!
Gone the orphan, sad young son.

Why did she waste time reading the stupid poem when she knew that there were only one of her teammates left? She didn't bother to look at the words but ran out and down the hallway again. Yet the words were emblazoned into her mind as she left, hoping it wasn't too late. "Please let Beast Boy be okay," she begged, gasping for breath as she ran in front of the wake of her cloak.

EVEN FOR YOU

xXOOXx

As she raced down the hallway, her hands were surrounded by a black aura, as she was prepared to use her powers. She came to a stop in front of yet another door.

BEAST BOY

Without hesitating, she didn't even bother to enter any code, but surrounded the metal door with her powers and slid it open by force. She panted from the effort and exertion she had used previously, but still cried out loudly. "Beast Boy! Please!" Her gravelly voice cracked as she yelled uncharacteristically. Her hood slipped from her head to her shoulders.

But it was in vain. Just like all the others, the candlelight revealed that his room was void of life, and showed a dark stain trailing from his bed to the door.

"Please! No!" she gasped as her knees buckled beneath her. She collapsed in front of his room onto her knees, and her eyes filled with tears that mingled with the mist around her, sliding down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. "All my friends are gone!" she sobbed. "Why?!" Her voice broke as her chest heaved up and down, trying to fill her lungs with the oxygen she needed. Her sight blurred though her eyes were wide, and she could barely hold herself up as she kneeled. "Who could have done this?!"

The book that she clutched to her chest began emanating heat again. Her stomach churned violently and she felt light-headed as she thumbed the book open to the fifth page. Her mouth turned dry as teardrops continued to journey downwards from her eyes.

Inner darkness played without-
Nevermore a soul so bright.
Four could satisfy, about;
Joy and solemn, tough and light.
One is left to pay their dues:
Just a sacrifice to lose.

She trembled. "What? What does this mean?" Her voice was raw and rough, but she didn't care. Blinking away her tears, the first thing she focused on before her was the word written in the stain.

RAVEN

Before she could consider it, she found herself in her room. Somehow, the fog had not pervaded her personal space, and she could see everything in her bedroom. She dry heaved as she took in the sight. Everything was red. And not just that it had changed color, but that it had been covered with the same substance that made up the dark stains on the floors of her teammates. Her curtains looked as if they were dipped into the crimson liquid, as did her bedsheets and any other item small enough. Her walls looked like they had been sloppily painted- the red was spattered haphazardly across the expanse. And the smell. Oh, the smell. She could distinctly smell the odor of rotting flesh, sulfur, and fresh blood, surrounding her and coming from all sides. She gagged on the taste of copper on the back of her tongue.

Then a loud voice pierced her mind. "Well, daughter, it seems that you have finished all the tasks I have sent you to do."

"Trigon!" she hissed, looking about her to see any indication of his presence.

"Do not bother searching for me. I am all around you. And I have been ever since the day the Prophecy was fulfilled, my precious Gem."

Anger coursed through her veins. "Why are you here, Trigon?" She spat his name in disgust. "I banished you from Earth forever. How can you have returned?"

Suddenly, the image of his ghastly face took root in her mind. She saw him grin with a sinister smile, and she could see the gleam in his demonic eyes.

"Foolish daughter, thinking that you could completely keep me from the Earth. Don't you know that demons have always ruled the Earth? Courtesy of the Big Bad Devil himself. You should know that he has complete control over the Earth. And he enjoys letting his demons have their fun. So even if my physical body cannot enter the Earth, I certainly can.

Don't you know what tonight is? It's All Hallows' Eve! Tonight is the night demons have the most power on this planet. Why? Because those insolent, ignorant humans willingly give leeway to us. They welcome us into their homes to do what we will with them. They practically even give their children to us- every time a little girl puts on costume to dress up as her favorite princess, a demon is whispering into her ear, telling her all sorts of lies and wickedness!- every time a little boy rings a doorbell and yells, 'Trick or Treat!', a demon is on his shoulder planting seeds of sin and evil in his heart. Tonight is the night when parents allow their little boys and girls to find the evil inside them, and they encourage them to love the sinful, evil creatures, some of which they've made up. And that all traces back to the demons- every Halloween monster is some variation of a demon, or takes major traits from demons. These parents encourage their kids to love the Devil and treat him like an object of desire while treating Him flippantly.

And tonight is when the few true believers take action- tonight is when we relish the human sacrifices these people make for us. Isn't it wonderful? These people are willing to forsake their kind to offer them to us! And with the power of enough sacrifices, I can finally break free forever and rule Earth in the place of the Devil! And your four friends are just what I need to get all the power I need. And I can get them out of the way at the same time- there will be no one to oppose me!"

Raven's rage grew. "I defeated you last time, Trigon! I can beat you again! I will never join you- I'll fight you with every last fiber of my being!" she shouted, determined to end his attempts once and for all. "I will do all I can to stop you!"

He chuckled again. "My dear Raven, of course you will join me. You're already on my side."

She stood, hands crackling with dark energy. "How can I be on your side?! You killed my friends!"

Trigon grinned. "You are mistaken there, daughter. I am not the one who killed your so-called 'friends'.

You are."

Raven stumbled backward, startled. Her hands lost their glow. "What?"

"Look in the mirror, my dear daughter." His eyes shone maliciously.

A mirror appeared in front of her, and she started at her reflection. Her cloak was torn in several places, and her leotard was ripped away from her arms, back, and midriff. Her clothes were red in the same way as her room- as if they were dipped in and painted with blood. Her hands were also covered in crimson, still freshly dripping. And her eyes- there were two pairs of them, both a gleaming red. Her skin was covered with glowing red markings, and the mark of Scath was visible around her chakra stone.

"No . . ." she gasped, watching her hair grow slightly past her shoulders. She backed away, sickened by her reflection. "It can't be-" Her feet bumped into something. She whipped around to see-

Four bodies. Bloody, battered, bruised, torn. She could barely recognize her friends. Starfire's beautiful head of hair was sheared, and her face was crisscrossed with scars. Robin was bent in half, his limbs at awkward angles. Cyborg was completely taken apart, his pieces scattered everywhere. And Beast Boy was bare-chested, with scratches gouged into his face and all over his torso, still bleeding.

"No . . ." Her stomach heaved and tears cascaded down her face. "NO!"

A torch appeared in her hand to replace her candle, and she found herself standing before a large stone altar, the corpses piled and jumbled together on top of it.

"Time to pay your dues, daughter. It is time for you to make a sacrifice to your father."

"NO!" she cried, torch hand trembling, sending embers and sparks flying down by her feet. "NO! I WON'T DO IT!"

"BURN THEM!"

She could feel him begin to use his power to urge her. She resisted as much as she could, but her strength failed her quickly. She whimpered as the grew ever closer, and the book still in her other hand grew ever warmer. Suddenly, an idea came into her head, and immediately she thrust both hands above her head. Tipping the torch to touch the book, she set fire to the pages.

"FOOLISH GIRL! YOU WILL SACRIFICE THEM NOW!"

She held on to the last of her strength.

"NO!"

xXO~#;-;#~OXx

Raven shot up with a gasp, sweaty and terrified because of her nightmare. She took in her surroundings carefully before letting out a breath, her heart still racing.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos"

She wiped her brow and grabbed her cloak, wrapping it protectively around her shaking frame. She slid out of her bed and walked to the door, hesitating before she opened it, remembering her so realistic dream.

She was met with fog. Terror coursed through her. Was it real-

"BOO!"

Raven immediately summoned her powers, eyes glowing white and hands surrounded by a dark aura. She got into a defensive position, and searched the fog for an enemy-

Beast Boy's green features suddenly became clear through the fog. "Woah, sorry, Rae!" He waved his arms in surrender as the mist dissipated. "Didn't think that I would actually scare you so bad!" His face showed surprise at her aggression.

She forced herself to relax and sighed. Boy, did that nightmare get to her.

"Hey, Rae . . . Are you okay? You seem kinda . . . I dunno, jumpy? Anxious?" He stumbled over his words and rubbed his neck sheepishly.

She didn't respond for a moment. "Just a nightmare," she murmured, so softly that even with his sharp hearing Beast Boy could barely hear it.

"Oh." He grew quiet. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked surprisingly seriously.

"No, I'm good-"

"Remember, this time there's no stopping me. I'll have your friends- no matter what you try to do."

Beast Boy looked concerned by her falter. "You sure you're good? I won't play any more Halloween pranks today if that'll make you feel better."

She internally shook her head out of her daze. Thinking about Beast Boy's offer, she gave a tiny, rare smile. "I think I would like that, thanks."

He grabbed her wrist. "How about we get you some pumpkin spice waffles? That'll cheer up you up for sure!" He began to pull her gently down the hallway. She allowed herself to be led along, with the tiny smile remaining on her face.

xXO~#;-;#~OXx

Soooooooo . . .

That's why our family doesn't celebrate Halloween?

Definitely some of the darkest writing I have done. Please R&R if you have time! It would be much appreciated.

ITNOJ- SHB 😉