Sam always had mixed feelings about Halloween. Her parents never liked the holiday, but it was the one day a year that Sam could technically dress as she wanted without getting any funny looks. So her parents let her dress up in “appropriate” attire, which she always hated. Once she became older and moved out, all bets were off. She could freely express herself without ridicule or being targeted. The true reason for the holiday was lost on her. To her, Halloween meant freedom, even if she had to pretend.

But now, standing as the leader of an alien race, she felt conflicted. For one, her newfound appearance put any costume to shame. She even had functioning wings. Second, there was no pretending anymore. No hiding. She could dress how she wanted, talk how she wanted, and no one would bat an eye. So the spirit of Halloween was a waste. What good was it if she didn’t need to pretend?

But it felt wrong to just abandon it all now. The parties were always fun, and who could turn down free candy? But what kind of costume could she wear? Her wide, cat-like feet couldn’t fit any known shoe, and her wings connected to her tail, which made wearing anything not custom-made a chore.

Sam sighed heavily. Her white fur made it easy to match colors at least.

“Hey, Sam, where do you want these bowls?” Lucy called from the other room.

Grateful for the distraction from her mini-crisis, Sam hurried into the kitchen, where Lucy was.

It was easy to forget that Lucy wasn’t human when, aside from the fox ears poking out of her hair, she looked completely human from the waist up. Once Sam stepped around the counter, her fur-covered legs became visible along with the three fox tails trailing behind her. But Sam’s attention was focused on the comically large bowl Lucy held in her arms.

“I’m trying to find space on the counter, but it totally doesn’t feel right,” Lucy said.

“You can just set it on the table,” Sam said. “Hey, you mind helping me pick out a Halloween costume? I have no clue what to wear.”

Lucy’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. “Ohmigosh! You want me to help you pick out your costume? Okay, what kind of look are you going for? Scary, sexy, or scaroused?”

“Scare-what?”

“Think slutty zombie.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Why would anyone be turned on by—you know what, never mind. Let’s just go scary.”

Lucy pumped her fist in the air. “Yeesss! You have no idea how long I’ve been thinking about this! I have a few ideas I want to run by you, but, of course, you said you wanted something scary, so I’m going to have to take a few things off the table. Just give me a few hours, and I will have a better selection for you to choose one.”

While Sam chuckled at Lucy’s boundless enthusiasm, Nix strode into the kitchen. As a humanoid fox, Nix wasn’t passing for anything except the world’s best fursuit. The twin tails would be a hard sell, though.

“Is everything all right? I heard yelling,” Nix said. She looked at Lucy, and her ears rose. “You’re injured.”

Sam looked at Lucy and realized she was covered in fake cuts, a few even dripping fake blood to sell the illusion.

“What? No, these are fake,” Lucy said, rubbing her hand over one of the “cuts” on her arm.

“I don’t understand. What logic is there in faking an injury?”

“Uh, it’s Halloween?”

Nix tilted her head.

“Do they not have Halloween where you come from?” Sam asked.

“We do not,” Nix replied.

Lucy and Sam’s mouths dropped open.

“You don’t have Halloween?” Lucy asked.

“Considering the differences in our species, does that truly surprise you?”

Lucy opened her mouth to comment, but closed it again.

Sam took the opportunity to explain before things could derail. It was no secret that Lucy and Nix didn’t get along, and the sooner Sam stopped things from spiraling, the better.

“So basically, everyone dressed up in masks and threw a party as a way to scare off evil spirits, communicate with the dead, and such,” Sam said. It was a watered-down version, but she doubted Nix really cared about the exact specifics. “Now, it’s just an excuse to dress up, throw parties, and get free candy.”

“Your kind achieved necromancy?”

“Whoa! No, no, that is not the same thing. I mean, I see the parallels, but not what I’m talking about.”

“But you have managed communication with the deceased,” Nix replied. “Can you raise them as well?”

“Uh, no, and that was never the point of the holiday.”

“Look, all you need to know is that everyone dresses up and scares each other,” Lucy said.

Nix tilted her head again. “You frighten each other for amusement?”

Lucy groaned and rolled her eyes. “Please don’t tell me that you don’t pull pranks on your world either.”

“We do, but they are often viewed in poor taste,” Nix replied. “Times are dangerous enough not to require seeking thrills for entertainment.”

Lucy looked like she had a few choice words for that, so Sam quickly jumped in with, “So how do the Abranai feel about Halloween?”

Lucy’s ears perked. “Oh! Well, you know sensitive we are to aether and everything, so on the homeworld, it’s a pretty big deal. We even hold ceremonies to commune with our old leaders.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that. Does it work?”

Lucy shrugged. “It’s above my rank, so I’m never invited.”

Sam made a mental note to look further into that later. “So how do they feel about Halloween now?"

“Here on Earth, no one really cares. We basically just go along with how the humans do it without the trick-or-treating.”

“The what?” Nix asked.

Sam sighed. A longer explanation may be called for after all. But later. It would take too long to do a deep dive into how it all worked and how they got there. “Hey, Nix, would you mind spooking up the place for me?”

“I don’t understand. Spooking? You want me to frighten you?”

“You know, making the place feel scarier.” Quickly, she added, “Without destroying anything. I don’t want renovations.”

Nix considered the question for a moment before replying. “Yes, I believe I can do that. Excuse me.”

“Are you sure she can be trusted?” Lucy asked when Nix left the room.

“Lucy, we’ve been over this. She saved my life—”

“No, no, I mean with the whole decorating thing.” Leaning closer and whispering, she added, “She doesn’t seem like she has good taste.”

There was no denying that Nix preferred function over fashion to the point of being bland. But Sam wasn’t going to let that hinder her. She wanted all of her friends to feel included.

“Maybe she just needs a chance to express herself creatively,” Sam offered meekly. “Besides, it’s her first Halloween.”

“Maybe, but I still feel like—”

The power shot off, plunging them into semi-darkness.

Thank goodness it’s still daylight, Sam thought. “Um, Lucy, do you know why the power went out?”

“This is bad,” Lucy said. “Something is wrong.”

“It’s just a power outage.”

“No, you don’t understand. We have, like, three different backup systems. The power doesn’t just go out.”

Sam wiped her palms on her legs. “Okay, maybe we should message Jacklyn and see what’s up.”

“Good idea, except the comms won’t work without power. Oh, BTW, Sally said something about going to the store, and she took Kathy with her.”

“Okay, so they’re outside, and we just—wait, where’s Nix?”

As if in response, a loud thump cut through the silence. Sam leaned over to look down the hall. The thump came again, but there was nothing there. Sam’s tail quivered. Nix could easily teleport to them. She couldn’t get stuck in places.

She turned to Lucy, hoping for confirmation and comfort, but Lucy stared down the hall with the same wide-eyed expression.

The thump came again.

“I’ll check it out,” Lucy whispered before heading down the hall. Sam quickly followed, not wanting to be left alone. It was hard to tell, but it sounded like the banging became louder the closer they got to Nix’s room.

“These doors have an emergency release, so you can totally get out when there’s no power,” Lucy whispered. She hit a latch in the upper corner of the doorway, and the door slid effortlessly open.

A large figure surged through the open doorway and tackled Lucy to the ground. It snarled and growled as it tried to bite her face and neck, its elongated claws scratching at her arms and chest.

Sam reacted, running up to the pair and kicking the creature in the side of the head like a kickoff at a football game. The creature slammed into the far wall headfirst, leaving a sizeable dent behind as it slid to the floor.

“Lucy, you okay?” Sam asked as she helped her friend stand.

It was hard to look at Lucy’s wounds. Her cuts bled freely, and her top was in shreds.

“That was Nix,” Lucy said between breaths. “What the hell happened to her?”

“Wait, what?! That was—”

Her shock was cut off by a loud growl. They turned to see Nix rising from the floor as if an invisible string pulled her upright. There was no mistaking that the white-furred vixen staring lifelessly at them was Nix.

There’s no way she’s conscious after a hit like that. But more importantly, what happened? Why did she attack Lucy like that?

Suddenly, it struck a past conversation Sam and Nix had. Nix had told her about creatures from her world called “Afflicted”, people who turned into violent, grotesque monsters without warning. What Sam didn’t understand was why. Why here, why now? Nix told her she was immune!

“Sam!” Lucy cried.

Sam snapped back into reality and realized too late that she was being pushed out of the way. Nix had already closed the gap between them and was mid-leap, fangs bared, eyes full of an unstoppable fury and bloodlust.

Sam hit the floor but quickly scrambled to her feet. Lucy was already throwing Nix away from her. She hit the floor and bounced back up, charging again without hesitation. Lucy easily knocked her away again.

It was horrifying to watch. Nix continued, over and over, to launch herself at Lucy. No matter how many times she struck, no matter how far she flew with each rebuttal, no matter how hit her head or filled the hall with the sound of popping bones, she got up without any hesitation or fear. She charged back in with no concern for her safety or care for the two people she once called friends.

What’s wrong with her? Why is this happening? How can we save her? Even as the thought crossed her mind, she recalled what Nix said. There was no cure. The only mercy they could be given was a quick death.

Her strength abandoned her. Kill her friend? Even if it is to save Lucy, could she really do that? Would she really have to choose between them?

“SAM!”

She raised her head to see Nix flying at her once again. This time, Lucy couldn’t intercept in time, but Sam stepped back out of instinct, just avoiding getting grabbed. Instead, Nix’s claws ran down her front from collarbone to navel, leaving deep red gashes in their wake.

Sam cried and jumped back further. There was no pain, but she chalked it up to adrenaline. There would be time to treat her wounds after she figured out what to do about her friend’s madness.

But what could she do? They needed a way to restrain her. Was there anything even in there that could be used?

Only one way to find out. She turned and ran back towards the living room, the angry snarls of Nix close behind.

Nothing immediately stood out as a proper restraint except for the adhesive gun being used to put up the decorations. Lucy did warn her not to get any of it on her, as it was much stronger than it looked. It was time to test that theory.

She snatched the adhesive gun off the table and spun around just in time to see an enlarged, clawed hand aimed at her face. She ducked the blow, slipped behind Nix, and fired several shots of adhesive onto her back.

Nix whirled around for another assault, but Sam rushed forward and kicked her in the chest with all the force she could muster. Nix flew through the air and landed on her back. Sam descended on top of her, landing just as the vixen hit the floor. Sam pinned one hand to the floor with her foot, grabbed the other hand so it couldn’t be used to claw her face, and covered it in adhesive. She then pressed Nix’s hands together and held them over her head.

“I got her! Lucy, get some rope or something!” Sam cried.

Nix continued to growl and snarl as she bucked beneath her in vain attempts to knock her loose. Sam became worried about how hard Nix was fighting her. It was getting hard to hold her down without hurting her.

“We don’t keep rope in here!” Lucy said.

“Then get some wire! Bed sheets! Anything! It’s getting hard to hold her!”

Nix showed no signs of letting up. She kicked and scraped her heels on the floor, her shoulders popped as they dislocated, she stretched her neck until her eyes bulged, all trying to cause as much damage as possible.

“Nix, please, stop fighting me,” Sam pleaded. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Nix roared and opened her mouth. A ball of light formed inside her maw.

Are you fucking serious?!

Sam was forced to let go and dive to the side as a beam of energy cut into the ceiling. Sam scrambled away to avoid being caught by falling pieces of debris. She looked up in time to see Nix once again launching herself at Sam. Her hands were red and raw from forcing them apart, and her eyes showed no recognition.

Sam raised her arms and braced for the inevitable. Nothing happened. Slowly, she opened her eyes and lowered her arms.

Everything in the apartment was normal. No structural damage, nothing knocked over, and Nix was nowhere to be seen. Looking down, even her wounds were gone.

The sudden pounding of footsteps drew her attention. She whirled around, fists raised to fend off the next wave of attacks. Lucy rushed in, strips of a torn sheet in her hands. Just like Sam, all the cuts she suffered before had vanished.

“Everything became so quiet, I got worried and—wait, what happened? Why is everything normal? Where’s Nix?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m right here,” Nix said.

Sam and Lucy jumped and adopted defensive stances. Nix sat in one of the armchairs, appearing completely calm. She showed no signs of the earlier battle or the crazed bloodlust that started it all.

“I apologize, I did not predict the intensity of the illusion,” Nix said.

Sam’s ear twitched as it all clicked together. “This whole time, we were under the effects of a spell?”

“Yes, you did say you wanted me to frighten you. Originally, I planned to place Kathy and Sally in the hall as corpses, but decided against it.”

Lucy jumped between them, her tails curled behind her. “What the hell? I thought you were trying to kill us!”

Nix calmly shrugged. “That is what Afflicted do. They are mindless, uncaring, and unpredictable,” she replied in an equally calm voice.

“You can’t be—” Lucy began, but Sam grabbed her shoulder and sent her a pleading gaze to calm down. Lucy fell silent.

“When I said, spooky the place up, that’s not what I had in mind,” Sam said. She wiped the tears from her cheeks. Whether it was a reaction to the extreme fear she had just felt or sadness at the previous revelation that her friend was trying to kill her, she didn’t know. Only that the adrenaline was wearing off, and now her legs felt weak.

She sat down in the chair next to Nix.

“Sam, I’m afraid I still fail to see the entertainment value in frightening others,” Nix said. “You and Lucy appear very distressed, and I take no pleasure in your suffering.”

“Well, we did just think that we were fighting for our lives not that long ago, and from someone we care about,” Sam said.

Lucy came over with two cups filled with a dark liquid. She passed one of them to Sam, who downed it in one gulp. She didn’t know what kind of alcohol was in the glass, just grateful for something to calm her nerves. Her hands were still trembling from that encounter.

“Okay, how can I put this?” Sam said. She clenched her shaking hands together and gave it some thought before continuing. “The whole ‘scared’ thing only works when you know you’re not actually in danger.”

“You mean acting?” Nix asked.

“Yes! Exactly that, it’s just pretend.”

Nix tilted her head. “But you did not relay that perspective originally.”

“Yeah, that’s on me, but the whole appeal is just that it gets your nerves up, your blood pumping, y’know? It’s a thrill thing.”

“I think I’m good on thrills for, like, the next year,” Lucy said, slumped in her seat.

Sam nodded. She also had her fill of thrills for the day. “If this is what the people on your homeworld deal with on a regular basis, I see why you don’t have spooky holidays,” she said. “But, Nix, next time, can you just go with strange noises?”

“I can manage that,” Nix replied. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to take some time to think on this.”

Once Nix was out of the room, Lucy asked, “Hey, Sam? Is it weird that now I know it’s an illusion, I want her to do it again for the next Halloween party?”

Sam groaned and rolled her eyes. Secretly, she also thought that would be a good idea.