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The night was cold, but Neteyam's borrowed shark onesie kept him warm enough.
It was Halloween, and the Sully kids, save for Tuk, who was sleeping peacefully at home, were packed into Ao'nung's Audi Q7 along with their metcayina companions. A Kendrick Lamar song Neteyam didn't know the name of was blasting through the speakers as they parked on the side of the road, walking distance from Roxto's friends house.
Doors swung open and the sound of laughter mixed with the scuffling of shoes on pavement was all that could be heard as the group walked to the party house. Neteyam hung back with Ao’nung, who's arm was wrapped around his shoulders.
In a friendly way, he reminded himself.
On the way they passed dozens of houses decked out with Halloween decorations. Judging by the skeletons to the mini grave yards, this street took the festivities very seriously.
“You scared?” Ao’nung grinned. Neteyam rolled his eyes.
When they reached the house, the small group shuffled in through the front door, and in an instant it seemed Neteyam was alone. He chuckled quietly to himself and headed towards what he thought was the kitchen. He walked in and marvelled at the drink selection on the black, marble island.
“Neteyam! My man, get over here!” he heard.
He turned and immediately blushed. It was Connor, the boy he shared a dorm with in freshman year. He had some faint memories of him he wished to forget.
Opting to be polite, Neteyam grabbed a small bottle of something with fruit on the label and walked over.
Connor was wearing all grey and silver, the reflective fabric of his pants gleamed. Attached at the hip was a girl dressed as a.. oh.
Neteyam understood. She was a stripper, and he was the pole.
He cringed inwardly and put on a small smile. “Connor,” he tensed slightly as Connor lightly pushed the girl away and awkwardly side hugged him. “Nice, uh.. costume.”
Connor laughed a little too loudly, turning a few heads. Neteyam quickly realised that Connor was tipsy as hell. “Thanks. Yours is nice too,” his eyes scanned Neteyam’s onesie, before he leaned in a little and whispered in his ear,
“I know you bite.”
Neteyam squirmed in discomfort, awkwardly pulling his hood up and looking away. “Right. Uhm, how's Halloween going for you?” He asked.
Connor let out a rather unattractive yawn and lazily leaned against the wall behind him. “Eh, it's been alright.” He took a short swig of his pilsner, before leaning over and taking Neteyam’s drink out of his hand. Neteyam lifted an eyebrow, wiping the liquid residue off his hand and onto his onesie.
“Cosmopolitan? That's a pretty girly drink,” he laughed again, quieter this time. Neteyam huffed and snatched his drink back. He ignored the comment, cleared his throat and changed the topic.
“So, is this your girlfriend?” He asked, although clearly uninterested.
He looked at the girl who was at Connor’s side.
She scoffed and muttered something along the lines of ‘gross’ quietly under her breath, before detaching herself and walking away. Connor complained and trailed after her without so much as a goodbye, leaving Neteyam alone once again.
“Guess not.” He muttered, taking a sip of his drink.
Leisurely he wandered into the main room, eyes scanning the crowd of people singing and dancing. He found Tsireya and Kiri considerably quickly.
They danced and sang for maybe half an hour, but the shitty DJ couldn't keep the crowd happy for much longer than that.
Soon they found themselves outside on the porch, where Angelina and Jenny joined them. The two girls were somehow acquainted with Tsireya, ever the social butterfly.
Laughing and pleasantly buzzed, Neteyam didn't notice when Ao’nung showed up, followed by Roxto and Lo'ak. That really made him realise how little alcohol he could handle, since he always noticed when Ao’nung showed up.
“This party's crap,” Lo'ak complained. “The DJ is ass.”
“Lo'ak,” Neteyam scolded lightly, although he couldn't help but agree.
“I met this girl, Sophia.” Kiri started. “Apparently there's a haunted house a couple blocks over.”
Angelina sighed, looking defeatedly at Jenny with a pout. “i wish me and Jen could come, we love haunted houses.”
She glanced around the group sweetly. “It was nice meeting you all,” her eyes lingered on Ao'nung and she bit her glossy lip cheekily. “I hope we can meet again.”
Neteyam took a swig of his drink.
Tsireya furrowed her eyebrows in innocent confusion. “Well, why can't you come?” she asked.
“Well, we don't have a way of coming. Angel's brother was supposed to pick us up after the party and take us home.” Jenny answered.
Tsireya’s eyes lit up. She smiled in relief. “Oh! That's not a problem, I'm sure we can take you two.” She turned to her older brother. “If Ao'nung is okay with it, of course?
Immediately Jenny and Angelina rushed to his side, clutching his hands and arms.
“Oh, please Ao’nung, would you take us?” Jenny said, fluttering her eyelashes dreamily.
Neteyam’s heart threw up a little bit when Ao’nung easily agreed, making Angelina and Jenny squeal and clap their hands.
“But, is there enough space? I mean, just us six was a squeeze.” Neteyam said in a pathetic attempt to get rid of them. He could've sworn Angelina gave him the stink eye.
Miraculously, everyone agreed.
“Honestly, the back seat was like a war zone on the way here. I can't imagine two more people in there.” ” Lo'ak reasoned. Neteyam had never been more proud of his baby brother.
Jenny and Angelina eyed each other worriedly. “Oh, don't worry. Me and Angelina are really petite, so I don't think it would make much of a difference!” Jenny laughed. Neteyam cringed and looked at Kiri, resisting the urge to laugh at her disgusted expression.
Ao’nung cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence that had enveloped the group without Neteyam realising it. “Uh, there's two extra seats in the back, so..”
Neteyam cursed inwardly as the group trekked forward and fell back into pleasant conversation.
Once again, Neteyam walked at the back of the group with Ao'nung.
“So, what inspired the costume?” He asked jokingly. Ao’nung was dressed as Soulja Boy, which was completely unoriginal and lazy, if you asked Neteyam.
“Forgot I had to dress up, wore what I had and used tipex on a pair of sunglasses.” Ao'nung said proudly. “I think it's pretty good for a last minute costume.”
Neteyam chuckled lightly. “Sure.”
Ao’nung guffawed in mock offense. “What, should I have dressed up as a shark then? Is that a better idea?”
Neteyam tipped his head back and laughed, not noticing the way Ao’nung's eyes lingered.
Soon they reached the car. Ao'nung set up the two extra seats in the trunk and everyone piled into the vehicle.
Somehow, Jenny and Angelina weaseled their way out of sitting in the trunk seats. Lo'ak and Roxto, curse their luck, ended up being squashed together in the back. Their constant complaining was only mildly annoying.
The second Ao’nung put the car into ignition, Jenny reached over and grabbed his phone, claiming they were in dire need of music. Neteyam's eyebrows flew up. He glanced at Ao’nung quickly who wore a similar expression, just slightly more annoyed.
“Uhm, maybe ask before taking his phone next time?” Kiri muttered as the speakers began playing ‘International Love’ by Pitbull. Roxto, who was dressed as the singer, proceeded to go crazy, belting out every lyric as loud as possible.
“Oh hush, Ao’nung doesn't mind. Right, Ao’nung?” she said, poking her head into the driver's area and leaving the stolen phone in the cup holder.
Neteyam watched from the corner of his eye as Ao'nung's jaw clenched. “Uhm, I wouldn't mind being told before my phone gets ransacked, actually.”
Jenny laughed much too loudly, startling everyone in the car. “Oh Ao’nung, such a jokester.” She wiped a single tear from her eye.
The ride consisted of many bad jokes from Angelina, Roxto and Lo'ak singing at an annoyingly high volume, Kiri and Tsireya disconnecting from the group and entering their own little world of conversation and Jenny's questionable attempts at flirting with Ao'nung. It made the short trip feel quite endless.
Ao’nung stayed relatively quiet, asking for directions from either his sister or Neteyam’s intermittently.
By some miracle, Neteyam had not lost his sanity by the time the little group reached their destination. They got out the car the same way they had gotten in, unorganised and unsure.
The entrance to the haunted house was lined with graves. Skeletons at different stages of decay were positioned so that it looked as if they were climbing out of them. The lighting was, surprisingly, very well done. Not so much that it was obviously fake but not so little that it was hard to see. There were shards of hopefully fake glass splayed all over the lawn, seemingly coming from a single broken window. On the porch were drops of fake blood and off to the side was a detached head, with two bloody holes where the eyes should be.
Everyone in the group paid for themselves, handing their money over to some guy dressed as Michael Myers. Neteyam could've sworn that his hand lingered on his own for a little longer than the others.
The air inside the house was cold, and it was almost completely dark. It made the whole thing just a little bit more eerie. Neteyam found himself stuck to Ao’nung’s side. Annoyingly so, Jenny and Angelina were too.
Lo'ak and Roxto feigned brave faces as they led the group further into the house. Neteyam noticed the hallway getting narrower and narrower until he and Ao'nung were pressed so close that he could feel his breath against his ear. Under different circumstances, Neteyam would have liked it very much.
Okay that was a lie, Neteyam still liked it very much.
The hallway came to a bend and Neteyam expected a jumpscare, but to his surprise nothing happened. Lo'ak audibly sighed in relief. “Oh man, I thought that would be a ju-”
He cut himself off with his own scream.
Two people with blood speckled baseball bats jumped out in front of the group, making Lo'ak fall back and knock almost everyone over.
“OH MY EYWA!” Tsireya screamed as she and Angelina fell through a trap door.
Jenny screeched louder than Neteyam knew was humanly possible, clutching onto Ao’nung. Neteyam couldn't really be mad, because he was doing the same thing.
The actors had disappeared, apparently falling through the trap door along with Tsireya and Angelina.
The now group of six huddled as close together as they could. Neteyam held his brother's upper arm like it was a lifeline, while locking arms with Ao'nung.
“Guys,” Kiri said, scarily calm. “Does anyone else feel like.. we're not alone?”
Slowly, one by one, they all turned around. It was the same Michael Myers they had seen earlier, except now, he held the decapitated head of a terrifyingly realistic woman. The whole group screamed and stumbled over each other, making a run for it.
As they booked it through the halls, Roxto made the mistake of looking up, where he saw gigantic spiders consuming lifeless little children. He yelled and ran face first into a wall, which ended up not being a wall, but yet another trap door.
“ROXTO!” Kiri yelled, pushing away Jenny who was clutching onto her like a koala. She pushed past the door and all the rest of the group heard was a cry of agony.
Neteyam screamed with his entire being as a bloody clown dropped down from the ceiling, inches away from his own face. He smelt the clown's foul breath as he laughed maniacally, revealing his bloody teeth.
Jenny looked about one scare away from dropping dead. Tears were streaming down her face as she attempted to turn back and run, only to be met with a headless woman, who still seemed to be screaming.
They ran as fast as they could, dashing up a flight of creaky wooden stairs. Neteyam nearly tripped over his two feet.
Just as they made it up the flight of stairs, they met both Angelina and Tsireya. Somehow the had also been deposited upstairs. With tear ridden cheeks they lunged towards the group, which somehow triggered another trap door to open which they fell through again.
Well, Angelina and Lo'ak fell through. Tsireya managed to escape the drop by hanging onto a curtain. Screams erupted within the group.
Up the stairs came the crooked man from the fucking conjuring. Neteyam began to cry. He screamed and ran to the nearest door, followed by Ao’nung. They banged on the door and jiggled the door knob, but it didn't open. Ao'nung held Neteyam tightly as the crooked man edged closer and closer, holding a crooked axe.
The crooked man's song began to play as Neteyam’s screams got louder. He turned around and banged on the door one last time.
Miraculously, the door swung open, making Ao’nung and Neteyam fall through.
Without wasting a second, the door swung closed again and Neteyam landed on top of Ao’nung with a thump. Inside the room was a single flickering light and many windows. In the middle of the room stood a chair. The word help was written in blood all over the walls.
Neteyam sat up, before realising he was basically sitting in Ao’nung's lap. He scrambled to get off, a million apologies spilling from his lips.
As soon as the pair stood up, the light died out.
Neteyam gasped and clutched Ao’nung’s arm. He didn't know why, but it kind of felt like Ao’nung was wearing a cloak.
Wait.
He slowly turned his head, and was met with two red eyes staring back at him.
He screamed. “Ao'nung!” He called out, rushing to a window. When he didn't receive a response, he scrambled to find another trap door or something. “Ao’nung!” he repeated.
“Neteyam, I'm here!” He heard. He sighed in relief when his eyes met with the metcayina's.
He held onto his arm and felt two hands wrap around his waist.
“I'm here.” Ao’nung said calmly, but Neteyam could feel his shaking hands.
The creature he had previously seen was nowhere to be found. “Did- did you see that thing?” He asked, trembling.
“What thing?” Ao’nung replied with a furrowed brow.
Neteyam let out a shaky breath. “Doesn't matter. Let's find a way out of here.”
Somehow, they climbed out of the room through a closet. They emerged from the room and were bathed in warm light. A massive sign saying “EXIT” stood proud next to a door, and a kind looking Chinese girl with two spiky buns in her hair was waiting there with a smile.
“Hey y’all, have fun?” she asked, her southern accent very clear. Neteyam stood slack jawed. Right when he was about to respond, Ao’nung beat him to it.
“Fun? That was terrifying! Our group got separated like, 3 minutes in!”
Neteyam suddenly remembered the rest of the people they came in with. “Oh Eywa. Our group!”
The girl laughed lightly, opening the door. “Don't worry. They'll come out soon enough.”
The duo walked through the door and the girl followed them down the steps. Neteyam couldn't help but feel as if something else was going to happen.
They said goodbye to the girl, and were notified that they could pick up a few pictures from the desk up front, where they had purchased the tickets.
“Pictures?” Ao’nung said, grinning. Apparently he had already recovered from the haunted house.
When they got to the table, they were reunited with the rest of the group. All the girls, except Kiri, who seemed the least affected out of everybody, were fully sobbing and clutching onto each other.
Using the flashlight on Roxto's phone, they looked at the secret pictures taken of the group while in the horror house.
There were maybe 15 or 16 pictures, everybody was screaming and crying in every one.
One picture was of Lo'ak and Jenny, where Lo'ak had apparently jumped into Jenny's arms. Everyone had a good laugh at that. There were many pictures of Tsireya in different stages of distress, one of them was just her and Angelina sobbing in eachothers arms.
Neteyam's face flushed when he saw the last 3 pictures. They were all pictures of him with Ao'nung.
One picture depicted Ao’nung and Neteyam falling on top of each other, another was of Neteyam clutching onto Ao’nung with watery eyes, and the last was of Ao’nung looking at Neteyam gently with his arms around his waist.
Lo'ak whistled crudely. “Damn! Looks like things got steamy when you two fell through that door! Or should I say, fell in-” Lo'ak was cut off when Neteyam’s hand met the back of his neck in a harsh slap.
“Oww!” He whined, rubbing his neck.