Believe

While normal teenagers were out partying, taking their siblings out trick-or-treating, and doing pranks, I was in the basement searching for my sleeping bag. I knew it was down here somewhere, but then again maybe mom got rid of it when Jared moved in.

Who's Jared, you ask? That would be my mother's husband, my stepfather. He's a pain in the butt, because all he does is sit around all day and watch YouTube videos on his laptop, unless he's working.

So, back to my great sleeping bag search. I had looked in every nook and cranny, including under the staircase...oh wait, no I didn't.

"Aha! I found it!", I shout.

Jared replies with a grunt, "Found what?"

"My sleeping bag!", I yell back, carrying it back upstairs.

Right when I did, I heard the phone ring.

I dashed to answer it, hoping my best friend, Grace, would be on the other end.

"Hello?", I ask eagerly.

"Hey, babe", greets my boyfriend, Logan.

"Oh, it's you", I mumble, but he still hears me.

"Geesh", he says, laughing, "I was just calling to see if you're ready to go."

"Oh. Yeah, I'm ready. I'll meet you out front", I say, and then hang up the phone.

"Where are you going?", Jared asks sternly.

"To Logan's house", I say.

He groans.

"I'll be back sometime tomorrow", I add.

"You're spending the night with him?", He growls, "What does your mother think of this?"

"Honestly, she doesn't care. You do know Logan and I have been dating for over a year!".

"Whatever", He says with a smirk, "Just watch out. Tonight's a full moon!"

Almost on cue my little brother, Jake, jumps into the room and holds up my baby sister to show off her "moon".

"I'm leaving", I announce and walk straight out the front door.

...

Logan's waiting in his truck out front, and as soon as he sees me he jumps out to open the door for me.

"Hi", He says, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hi", I reply shyly.

"Alright, in the car", He says, "I've got big plans for tonight!"

When he starts the truck, I ask what the "big plans" are.

"We're having our own sleepover", He says, "In the graveyard".

...

"Wait a minute...in the graveyard?", I ask.

He nods with approval.

"On Halloween night?".

"Yep".

"On a full moon", I wince.

"Yes, Ma'am".

“Have you ever once had a sleepover in a graveyard, Logan?”, I ask, hoping he says yes.

“Nope, this will be my first night in the cemetery.”

I moan as he drives down the street to his house. He’s killing me right now!

“It’s just the two of us?”, I smile coyly.

“Yeah, I told you that, didn’t I?”.

“I dunno”, I respond, still smirking with an evil gleam in my eyes.

He turns to look at me as he turns off the ignition. He raises an eyebrow.

“What’s that face for, Lia?”.

“Oh, nothing”, I say, when I really mean something.

…

“You two be smart tonight”, Says Logan’s mom, Mrs. Hansen.

“Okay, mom”, Logan says obediently.

“We will, no problem”, I smile kindly at her.

“I mean it”, She reminds us once more as her and Mr. Hansen walked out the door in costume.

“Where are they going?”, I ask once they’re out of earshot.

“Some lame costume party downtown”, He says frowning at me.

“Why couldn’t we have been normal and gone there too?”, I wonder out loud.

Logan laughs, “Chill, Lia. It’ll be fun. I promise”.

“Oh, yeah”, I say sarcastically, “Because getting eaten alive by zombies and cursed by witches is fun”.

“Yeah!”, Logan suddenly says, “It is. I had a friend who’s ex and her best friend witnessed a ghost last halloween at the same graveyard! It was just sitting by this grave of someone and then an earthquake hit…”.

I laugh, but stop abruptly when I see he’s serious.

“Some teenager was found dead...murdered by the same gravestone after the earthquake hit”.

“That’s so stupid, Logan”, I say rolling my eyes, “Ghosts aren’t real!”.

“Yes they are Lia”, He says, seriously, “Trust me...you’ll see one tonight”.

He continues in a low whisper, “Just hopefully not Old Gray”.

“Who in the heck is that?”, I ask, getting butterflies in my stomach.

“The ghost who was sitting by the gravestone right before the earthquake hit...the one who was supposedly the one who murdered that kid”.

“Oh, shut up, Logan!”, I say shoving him, “We both know ghosts aren’t real!”

“Maybe, Lia, you don’t believe in ghosts, but I do. I swear”.

“Fine then”, I say, “Let’s go to the graveyard tonight...and see if we get murdered by whatever that stupid ghost’s name is”.

“Old Gray”, Logan reminds me with a slight smile.

“And”, I continue, “We’ll see if I come home a believer”.

…

As Logan’s truck crawled up to the cemetery gate, I started to get butterflies again. What was I getting myself into? Did I really think some ghost was capable of murdering humans?

There were few people in the cemetery when Logan and I started walking; sleeping bags hung over our shoulders.

Most of the people were sitting by certain graves, crying and praying, while others were standing around with their arms raised up to the sky chanting words I couldn’t understand. Logan said those people were devil worshippers. They believe strongly in magic and those who come back from the dead. 

We passed several younger teenagers with rolls of toilet paper in their hands, laughing and smiling, having a good old time.

And, yet, here I was holding hands with Logan as we approached our spot, an empty grassy opening a good distance away from the gravestones and crosses.

“This is it”, Logan said, dropping his bag, and sprawling out on the grass. I cautiously did the same. This was it.

I must’ve fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew Logan was shaking me. I rolled over, rubbing my tired eyes, and then realized it wasn’t my boyfriend.

...

“Ahhhhhhhh!!!”, I screech. I sit up fast, and find myself face to face with a white, glowy figure.

I look around quickly for Logan’s sleeping bag, but find nothing.

“Ahhhhhh!!!”, I scream again, “Ahhhhhh!!!”.

“Don’t be afraid”, says the glowy figure, “I’m only a ghost”.

I try to speak, but can’t even part my lips.

“I say again-don’t be afraid. It is All Hallows Eve and I am only here to protect you from the ghost of Bernie Gray”.

I finally relax a little, and open my mouth a little to speak.

“You-you mean Old Gray?”

“Yes, the ghost of murder. He is roaming tonight just like last October and searching for his prey.”

“That’s not very assuring”, I say, still trying to cool myself enough to grab back on to reality.

“Where’s my boyfriend?”, I say, suddenly remembering Logan.

The ghost stares at me, and then turns and hovers away.

“Hey!”, I shout, “Come back!”.

I gather myself up in a moment and take off after it, not trusting that this is all real.

…

When I finally catch up with the ghost, I make out a tall, broad figure. Another ghost? Please no.

As the shadowed figure steps into the dawning light, I make out it’s relaxed face, caked with dirt.

“Logan!”, I cry, throwing my arms around him.

“Lia,” He says, “Were in danger. I told you tonight was to make a believer out of you, and well the real reason is that I have to be here to stop Old Gray. I’m a ghost”.

…

I can’t believe my ears. Logan just told me he's a ghost! How is that possible? He’s been human up until tonight. Did he die?

“Logan,” I say, quietly, “Are you dead?”

“Yes”, He says, looking pale.

My stomach turns and I bend over to vomit. My boyfriend is dead? How did this happen?

“How...did you die, Logan?”, I gasp out.

He looks at me seriously and speaks, “I was the kid who Old Gray murdered last Halloween. I had one year to defeat him, otherwise...I turn into a ghost forever, not just on Halloween.”

“Hold up, Logan”, I say, “You were murdered last Halloween, but returned to human form?”

“Until now. When the sun rises I will die ultimately and be a ghost forever.”

I shake my head, “Why didn’t you tell me? We tell each other everything.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t come if I told you, and I can’t bear dying without my girlfriend here with me”.

“You are not going to die tonight, you hear me?”, I say, “We are going to defeat that ghost and release you from his undertaking.”

“And how are we going to do that, Lia?”

“Fight”.

…

The ghost, Myra Adams, who had helped me find Logan said the only way to release him from Old Gray’s grip was to get the necklace around his neck. That necklace held Old Gray’s victims in it, and without it he wouldn’t be able to kill anyone else, and all those he had killed would be set free. 

Our plan was to distract him with Logan and Myra, while I swoop in from behind and grab the necklace, smashing it to the ground. Once it was broken, Logan and all the others would be released.

We found Old Gray sitting on the tombstone of someone named Dave Franklin. That must be his next victim...I thought.

As I hide behind a large grave, Logan and Myra go running up to Old Gray.

“Why, hello there, old friends,” Old Gray says sneerly.

I creep up behind him, and Logan and Myra keep the conversation going with him.

“1...2...3...4...5” I count silently.

Logan touches his elbow to his forehead, the cue.

I charge the ghost, rip the necklace from his neck, and throw it to the earthy ground. Crack! I step on it with my tennis shoe, and it smashes into a billion pieces.

“No!”, shouts the ghost, as it withers up and disappears.

Suddenly a hundred ghosts surround me,and one by one they turn into human form and run off, released from the murderer’s powers.

“Logan, we did it!”, I scream, hugging him.

…

Logan and I walked hand in hand back to the truck, after we said our thanks and goodbyes to Myra.

Right as we reach the gate, the sun rises, and I glance at Logan to clarify he’s still well and alive. He is.

“Well”, Logan says leaning closer to me, “Did I make a believer out of you or what?”

“Oh, Logan!”, I say, “I believe forever and always!”.

We seal that belief with a kiss.

The End