I
Iwas walking home after work, exhausted from dealing with idiots and staring at a computer screen for twelve straight hours. I was tired like a dog, and the cold that had been knocking me down for days didn’t make things any better. My eyes burned from the fever, and I cursed everything in my path on the way back.
It was Halloween! My favorite night of the year. I’d been looking forward to it for weeks. But instead of celebrating, I was dragging my half-dead body through the rain. My Daenerys costume fromGame of Thrones, which I’d proudly worn five years in a row, wouldn’t see the light of day tonight. The only plan I had left was to swallow a handful of cold medicine and collapse into bed, hoping to somehow survive until the weekend.
All my colleagues had gone straight to the club after work to party, and there I was, trudging home through the storm,practically on the verge of tears from sheer fatigue. Angry, feverish, and frustrated, I felt like a rabid dog, ready to bark, bite, or tear anyone apart who dared to speak to me.
The rain hammered against my umbrella, a relentless, mocking rhythm. I was sick of holding it, and the curved handle rubbed against my fingertips like sandpaper. Everything about it irritated me, the texture, the weight, the damn noise of the rain drowning out the music in my headphones. I couldn’t hear a single note anymore. The rain was louder, my thoughts even louder than that.
My focus slipped inward, into that strange haze between exhaustion and delirium, where everything felt distant and unreal. I kept praying I’d make it home before I fainted in some alley, imagining myself waking up robbedor worse. The thought made me shiver, or maybe that was just the icy rain soaking through my black coat. It clung to me like a second skin, heavy and cold, leaving only my head dry beneath the trembling umbrella.
Growling under my breath, I dodged puddles that had swallowed chunks of the broken asphalt, cursing whoever designed the city’s streets “through the ass,” as always. My eyes burned terribly, maybe from staring at the screen, maybe from the fever, maybe from the sheer, raw irritation that simmered inside me.
By the time I finally reached my building, the towering structure glowed with windows lit in every color, each one framing people celebrating Halloween. Laughter and music spilled faintly into the street. Meanwhile, I was about to crawl into bed like the dead.
For a second, I paused at the door and thought.Maybe I should just take the pills and push through it. Go to the club. Celebrate. Do something reckless.But even that thought was tooheavy to hold. My mind fogged over, and I realized I didn’t even have the strength to think anymore.
I opened the door slowly, the faint creak echoing in the quiet hall. Water dripped from my umbrella onto the floor. My leather shoes squelched with every step, they were so soaked through despite their thick platforms. Even they had surrendered to the puddles.
I sniffled, my nose completely stuffed, and blinked a few times before stepping inside. Closing the umbrella, I watched the raindrops slide down and splatter across the white marble floor of the lobby. The concierge’s desk was empty, the small lamp on it turned off, she must have wandered off somewhere.
I pressed the elevator button… or at least I thought I did. After standing there for a couple of minutes, staring blankly at the closed doors, I realized nothing had happened. Apparently, I was so drained I didn’t even have the strength to press a damn button. On the tenth attempt, the white light finally flickered on, and I nearly nodded off waiting for it to arrive. When it did, I stumbled inside, and the metal box groaned softly as it carried me up to the thirteenth floor.
I peeled off my wet clothes the moment I stepped into my apartment, I didn’t even bother to hang them to dry. I just let them fall where they landed and wandered straight into the shower. The water hit me in a steaming rush, burning away the chill that had settled in my bones. My limbs ached from cold and exhaustion, but as the heat soaked into my skin, I finally exhaled—deeply—for what felt like the first time that day.
For two weeks straight, I hadn’t slept properly. The upstairs neighbors threw parties like it was their eternal afterlife, as if vampires had moved in above me and decided human rest was beneath them. Their bass pounded through my ceiling every night, shaking the walls, even through earplugs.I hated them with every cell of my being.The police didn’tcare, they just laughed when I called to complain that it was impossible to sleep at four in the morning! Maybe they didn’t have to wake up at six a.m. every day for work. Still, it didn’t change a thing. They were assholes. Loud, inconsiderate, nocturnal assholes.
I didn’t know how long I stood under the water, but I didn’t care. Tonight, I didn’t need to look at the clock or worry about alarms. Tomorrow was the weekend, that small mercy was enough to keep me sane.
After finally stepping out, I dried off with my favorite black terry towel, the one with little pumpkins printed on it. It was soft and warm, and for a moment, life didn’t seementirelyawful. I threw on my makeshift pajamas: an old, stretched-out T-shirt, it was thin enough that my breasts showed faintly through the fabric, a detail I shamelessly enjoyed and my favorite comfy shorts. Pulling on a pair of fuzzy white socks, I padded into the kitchen.
The apartment was cold, the heating still off for the season, and the air conditioner hummed like a ghost at twenty-four-seven. I didn’t bother turning on the light; I was too tired. I grabbed a spoonful of cough syrup, chased it with vitamin C that was the freshly squeezed orange juice, and swallowed a handful of cold pills for good measure. The warmth spread through me like a lazy potion.
I moved quietly toward the bedroom, though the muffledthump-thump-thumpof the neighbors’ Halloween party still bled through the ceiling. The music had changed, it was more themed now, eerie laughter and haunting melodies mixing with the bass.
I sighed, long and heavy, a low growl rumbling in my throat. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I set a glass and thermos of hot water on the nightstand in case I woke up parched later.Then I shoved in my earplugs already sore from constant use and lay back beneath the weight of my thick blanket.
The low vibrations of the music still reached me, pulsing faintly through the mattress like a heartbeat. I closed my eyes and muttered something between a curse and a prayer. And then, finally, I slipped into sleep earlier than planned on this cursed godforsaken Friday night.
II
Iwas abruptly woken by the sound of the doorbell ringing, lost in the dark. Today was 31.10, Halloween night, and the bell rang exactly at midnight. I saw it on my phone. Midnight. Yes, midnight. It felt like I had been asleep forever, but there was a strange lightness in my body. The room was unnaturally quiet. I reached to pull out my earplugs and realized they weren’t there, they had probably fallen out while I tossed and turned.
I trudged down the dark corridor to the front door, curious who had come. At the door, I felt amazing, like a fresh cucumber. The cold that had plagued me was gone, as if some kind of magic had filled the air.Was the fucking neighbors ringing my bell? Had they really come to apologize?Apologizing at midnight seemed weird, but I trudged to the door anyway.
Automatically, I reached to open the door. Peeking through the peephole, I saw a tall man with a pumpkin on his head. Dark red horns jutted out from it, and he held a pot of sweets, my favorite sweets: Reese’s, Snickers, Twix, even Soviet Pinocchio candy bars and chocolate chip waffle bars with ice cream flavor. I couldn’t believe my eyes.Where had he gotten all these?I hadn’t seen these candies in decades not only the popular bars, but the childhood sweets I’d almost forgotten.Had a neighbor dug them out of some forbidden stash?I urgently wanted to find out, but going in pajamas was not an option. I decided to open the door and ask a stranger.
When I did, it felt like stepping into another dimension. The entire entrance was filled with pumpkins carved into various faces and emotions, all with dimly glowing red eyes. Black, white, and orange candles were scattered everywhere, filling the air with the scent of cinnamon and apples. I closed my eyes for a moment, then let my gaze fall on the stranger.
Massive black platform boots, like a soldier’s. Tight leather pants that clung to his muscular legs. A black pot of sweets in his hand. My mouth went dry, saliva gathering from the view not just because of the candy, but because of him. The leather pants emphasizedeverycontour, the relief of his body clearly visible, and my eyes drifted lower. His crotch bulged slightly under the leather, everything perfectly in place. His cock was definitely large and unmistakable, immediately drawing my attention. I licked my lips involuntarily. Silver locks and chains ran along the sides. Over this, he wore a black leather jacket with chains and pockets, a black turtleneck pressed against his neck and chest, and on his head, the pumpkin mask that actually had two piercings on the lower lip and one in the brow,extravagant design.
Then my smile and lust fell into place. The pumpkin’s cut-outs glowed red where his eyes should have been, and in that light, he seemed more than human.
I frowned, a little embarrassed, realizing I had been staring at him too long without saying a word. But when I looked back at the pumpkin on his head, from which demonic horns seemed to grow, I blinked. Of course it was probably just part of the costume...
He cleared his throat and spoke in a languid bass voice, "Trick you or tempt you, kitten."
The sound sent goosebumps skittering across my skin. Between my legs, my body reacted instantly, a heat building whereI had never felt it from a voice alone.His tone was otherworldly, seductive and intoxicating. My mind clouded with lust and excitement for this stranger whose face was hidden, yet whose body was impossibly beautiful, sinfully perfect, every muscle a work of temptation.
