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It was Halloween night, and the Junior Psychonauts decided to hold a movie event. The children were gathered in the kitchen, getting their snacks and drinks. Lili was cooking a bag of popcorn in the microwave while Raz gushed about his excitement.
“This is my first Halloween at the Motherlobe! It'll be so much fun! Heck, this is gonna be my first time watching a scary movie ever!”
She turned her head around in surprise. “You've NEVER seen a scary movie before?!”
“No, unfortunately.” He kicked his foot on the ground in shame. “I haven't seen many movies before… you know, because I grew up in the circus and such. In fact, I've read more comic books than anything.”
“Oh. My. GOD! You're in for a treat!”
Gisu went to the fridge to get a can of soda. “I gotta warn you, Raz, Lizzie picks the scariest, most bone-chilling movies you could ever THINK of! You may wanna sit this one out like Sam.“
Being the goth of the group, Lizzie was an expert in horror movies. That's why the other junior agents trusted her to choose the scariest one for this special occasion.
“Pfft, I can handle it!” Raz assured Gisu. “I mean, I've experienced all kinds of frightening things in the missions I've been on. Meat Circus, Rhombus of Ruin, and Tomb of the Sharkophagus. This movie can't be any worse than any of those.”
The Junior Psychonauts went to the rec room with snacks in hand. The room was lit by carved pumpkins, and the walls and tables were decorated with Halloween decorations. There was even a punch bowl with a gelatin brain inside. The kids made themselves comfortable on the couch and beanbag chairs, while Lizzie put in the tape and fast-forwarded through the previews.
"Dude, you really shouldn't have picked this movie," Morris told Lizzie. He took a swig of his drink, then continued his warning. "It's not a good choice for someone who's new to horror, it's a little too scary."
"What?! What are you talking about? Of course I should have picked it!" she protested. "If I'm going to watch a horror movie then I want to do it perfectly. It's tradition."
"But Raz has never seen a horror movie before, we don't know how well he'll handle it," Gisu said.
“What is this movie about?” Raz curiously asked.
“A grave digger who buries his victims,” Lizzie answered.
Raz gulped and looked concerned, as did Lili. Raz kept having recurring nightmares about Tomb of the Sharkophagus and became claustrophobic ever since, and Lili was aware of this, so they both knew that this wouldn't go over well.
The movie started, and the character in the movie was running through a graveyard in the middle of the night. Raz started to look worried, due to previous experiences of his. The villain continued to chase their victim through the graveyard, and then the victim tripped and fell into an open grave. Raz's face changed to a look of discomfort.
"I think it would be better if we didn't go through with this," Adam looked over at Lizzie. “Raz looks very uncomfortable.”
The victim struggled to climb out of the hole, but the villain approached the hole with a shovel in hand. Lizzie watched this scene with a blissful look in her eyes, while Raz covered his eyes. The scene continued and Raz could feel his heart pounding faster, until soon he curled up on the floor, shivering, crying and screaming.
Lizzie pressed Pause on the VCR remote. “Woah, kid, are you okay?”
“Not really,” Raz sobbed.
“It's okay, mate.” Adam assured. “No need to cry, it's not real."
Raz continued to shiver and sob. He was too scared to talk, so Lili had to speak for him.
“He had a similar experience during the Maligula mission,” Lili told the others. “Even if he knows it's not real, it's still very upsetting to him.” Raz nodded his head.
“Shit, I feel kinda bad now.” Lizzie apologized to Raz. “I had no idea what you’ve really been through.”
“Should we call it quits for the night, or keep watching without Raz?” Adam asked Lizzie.
“I say we continue watching without him, I was really getting into it myself.”
“All right, but let's take the kid back to his dorm first.”
Adam, Lizzie and Lili walked Raz through the hallways. He still felt chilly and his teeth were chattering.
“Look, Pooter… I'm super sorry.” Lizzie apologized.
“Maybe you should sit out horror movie night from now on,” Adam suggested to Raz.
“Why don't you sleep over at my dorm tonight?” Lili also offered him. “I even got a spare sleeping bag!”
“That sounds good,” He replied. “I'll just need to get a few things from my room first. Would you mind coming with me?”
Lili followed Raz to his dorm. He felt relieved to be back in the quiet, brightly lit hallways of the Motherlobe. The ThinkerPrint scanned Raz's head and opened the door for him, then he went inside to retrieve his pajamas and toothbrush before heading over to Lili's dorm room. When he arrived at Lili's, he snuggled into the sleeping bag and rested his head on the comfy pillow.
“Here, Raz, I think you might wanna watch this instead.” She retrieved her Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? VHS tape and put it into her VCR. “It’s something that should be more pleasant to watch. Me and my dad liked watching it together when I was younger. It’s kinda corny, but I think you might like it.”
The tape began to play, and soon the iconic theme song came on.
"Hey, Lili. Thanks. I… really appreciate this."
"No problem."
Raz silently watched the Mystery Gang chase the monster through the old mansion while cheesy music played. It made him feel happier after being scared to death by the horror movie. He nestled himself more comfortably into the sleeping bag and eventually drifted off. Lili kissed him on the forehead and sent him some positive psychic energy to ensure sweet dreams.