Megan And The Abandoned Mansion

October 31st 2029 finally rolled around and the air outside my apartment tasted like wet leaves and cheap Halloween candy, like the whole neighborhood was sweating sugar. My phone screen lit up with a call that shouldn’t exist-who the hell calls somebody on Halloween? I was still in my work hoodie, boots half-on, staring at my closet like it was going to hand me an answer. Finally it’s holiday break from work i wonder what i should dress up as…(ring) (ring) ugh for fuck sakes who is callling me on halloween i swear if its a prank call im gonna freak the shit out…(beep)

“Hello?” My voice came out sharper than I meant, like I could stab the ringtone with it.

A pause, then Natalie’s voice, too bright for the hour. “Hey Megan it’s me and Natalie. We were wondering if you could pick us up and we could hang out with you since we are family.”

I stared at the ceiling like it might explain why my day was already going wrong. “Oh uh sure for a minute I thought this was a prank.”

“Why would we try to prank you?” Ashlyn snapped in, like she’d been waiting for her turn to be offended.

There was that specific kind of silence after someone says something stupid-like the world itself is holding its breath. Then Ashlyn mumbled, “um since we were like 10.”

I rubbed my forehead. My skin felt too warm under the cheap hoodie. “Megan said c’mon that’s all in the past, meet you at 3:00pm straight to pick out costumes. What are you even planning to wear?”

Natalie’s laugh crackled through the speaker. “i dont know maybe harley quin.”

“ooh that might look good on you i think i’m going as a greek goddess and natalie is going….as a vampire” Ashlyn said it like she was reading it off a poster somewhere.

“Great,” I muttered, already picturing the mess of fake blood and glitter and whatever else they’d manage to drag into my life. “Be ready. I’m picking you up.”

They said okay, and the call ended with that tiny final click that makes you feel like you’re the one who hung up on something important. I tossed my hoodie onto the chair and stood there, listening to the apartment creak in the cold. Outside, someone’s car alarm went off for fun. Somewhere down the hall, a teenager laughed too loud.

By the time I drove to them, the sky had turned the color of dirty dishwater. Streetlights blurred in the windshield and the air smelled like exhaust and popcorn from the corner store. I could hear Natalie and Ashlyn before I even parked-distant voices, bouncing off the buildings like they were trying to outrun how weird the day felt.

Two hours later, my phone buzzed again. “hey meg you made it” Ashlyn said when I got in the car, slamming the door like she was mad at it.

“well no shit i came to hang out with you guys” I said, steering with one hand while I shoved my bag under my seat with the other.

Natalie leaned forward in the passenger seat, her eyes already sparkling with plans. “hey ashlyn and megan take a look at this abandoned mansion its fucking massive”

I followed her gaze as we rolled toward the restricted road. The mansion sat back from everything like it didn’t belong to the world anymore-dark windows, ivy clawing at the brick, the roofline sharp as a threat. The place looked swollen with history and rot.

“woah i wonder who lived here” Natalie whispered, like the building might answer.

“maybe theres ghost in there” I said, because if I didn’t make a joke, I’d start thinking too hard.

Ashlyn cut me off instantly. “ashlyn theres no such thingas ghost i think you need prescriptions for that”

“shut up natalie” I snapped back, but it came out more like laughter than real anger.

The three of us climbed out of the car and the ground under my boots was gritty with dead leaves. My breath puffed in front of me. The mansion smelled like damp wood and something sour underneath, like old sweat trapped in walls.

“We could take a look at it” Ashlyn said, already moving.

“well c’mon guys” I said, and I hated how excited I sounded, like Halloween meant anything good.

We didn’t get ten steps before a police officer’s voice cut through the night air. He stood near the fence line, one flashlight trained at the dark mouth of the drive, the beam shaking a little with the breeze. “hey your not supposed to be here this area is restricted if you go inside you'll be having to pay a $100 fine for trespassing”

The officer’s words were calm, but his posture wasn’t. His hand was near his belt like he expected us to bolt.

“fine we’ll leave” I said, because I’m not stupid. My heart still kicked, though, like my body refused to accept the word fine.

As we started backing away, Natalie’s shoulder brushed mine and she muttered, “We’re only looking.”

“hey nat you thinking what im thinking” Ashlyn asked, her voice dropping.

Natalie’s grin looked wrong in the flashlight beam. “yeah lets break in the mansion at midnight”

“wait what!? Are you guys crazy or something” I said, and my stomach tightened like I’d swallowed a fist.

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