Trick or Treat

The crescent moon hung in the star splattered night sky. Not a cloud could be seen as the people on the street walked around. It was full of children in costumes and some adults wore some as well.

Three boys ran from a house laughing. Each of them opened their bags to see their goodies.

"Full size!" Yelled the one in a wolverine costume. "Fred, he gave us full size! We have to hit that one again, bub!"

The one wearing a batman costume closed his bag nodding. "Oh yeah we are going to Will! Unless your mom calls you back early Jamie."

The boy pulled his red gloves up for his Saitama costume. "She said I could be out till 10, we have lots of time, so let's do it."

Fred smiled and turned to the next house. "Then let's see what this one's got!"

The house has tombstones throughout the yard. Each one had a skeleton pulling themselves out of the ground as moans played. This house was always very spooky and many little kids stayed away but not them, they were brave after all.

Fred walked to the door first as the other two followed him. He knocked as the other two got into position.

As the door opened all three screamed "trick or treat!" as one.

An old woman stood before them, had to be a 100, smiling her toothless smile. "Oh hello there." She pulled a handful of candy out of her bowl. "I see we have a wolverine, good choice." She said as she put a handful of candy in his bag.

"I see we also have Batman." The woman put another handful into his bag. She reached in and took a third as she turned to Jamie. Looking puzzled. "Who might you be?"

Jamie looked at her to her hand full of candy..it felt like she was holding it back till he told her.

"Saitama from one punch. He is a superhero as well." Jamie said sheepishly.

The old lady nodded and let go of the candy with that. "A group of superheroes, the city is safe tonight. Have a good night and make sure you're good." She closed the door when they turned to leave.

They looked at each other before looking into their bags, she had given them a huge amount of candy compared to most houses.

Jamie looked back at the house. "That was really odd."

Fred laughed a little. "She must just like to know what the costumes are or something."

Will nodded as he looked around the street. "Some people are odd. Now let's head to the next street over!"

All three of them nodded and took off to the next street. Time passed quickly, it was 9:30 as they headed back towards home, aiming to go to the old lady and the full candy bar ones before giving up the night.

Will looked at Jamie. "You still good?" He asked with concern.

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, I feel really good today. I just wish every day was like today." His voice was happy at first but turned sad at the end.

Fred put his arm around Jamie. "Don't worry, you'll beat it and we will have a ton of nights like this." He smiled at his friend. "Your Saitama after all, one punch and it's done!"

Jamie laughed before started to cough, stopping dead in the street as he cough hard. Will bought out a handkerchief he had, even though it was old school.

"You okay?" Will asked once Jamie had stopped.

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Come on, cancer can't beat me!" He said weakly. "Let's get those houses and head home."

Fred and Will nodded and helped him stand straight, both worried but wanting to let their friend have some fun.

Will opened his bag. "Instead of getting more candy, let's..." He pulled a dozen eggs out. "Let's egg that old ladies house!"

Fred shook his head. "Let's do the one to the right that gave us no candy." He took a few eggs.

Jamie nodded as he took some as well. "Yeah, she's a little old lady and gave us a lot. Let's go for the house to the right."

They all headed down the street. Will threw the first egg to the house they agreed on. It hit one of the top floor windows. Fred threw the next one and it hit the house. Jamie joined in, but it hit the grass.

The guys all laughed and kept throwing till they were out. The last one hitting the front door before they took off down the road.

Once they were around the corner and out of sight of the house, they went back to walking.

They got to Jamie's house first, making sure he was good. They got there a few minutes after 10 but his mother wasn't mad.

"Thank you Fred and Will. Happy Halloween!" She waved at them before closing the door. Fred and Will headed to Fred's house for their sleepover. Jamie was supposed to join but with his health, his mother didn't like him away from home too long.

The two boys stayed up late, checking their candy before eating a bunch, passing out before midnight in Fred's room.

A creak in the room made Fred open his eyes. He checked his phone for the time, 12:45 it read. He groaned, not feeling great from all the candy. He went to roll over when he heard another creak from his window. He looked over Will's sleeping body, or he should have. Will was not there. Maybe he went to use the washroom? Fred thought.

He looked to the window that was open, his curtains moving slowly as the moon shone on them. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them.

Another creak filled the air. This time when he looked he could see a figure close to him, standing over him. Before he could even scream, everything went black.

When Fred opened his eyes again, he was tied to a chair. He looked to his right and he saw Jamie and Will tied up with him, both still asleep. He tried to scream but found unable to.

"Oh naughty boys can't scream." Said a voice to his left. When he looked, he saw the little old lady from before but she looked younger? "I hoped you would be good but you disappointed me."

Fred could hear the other two waking up. "What do you mean?" Fred asked, now confused why he could talk but not scream.

"You boys egged poor Ms. Jacksons house. Now since you tricked, I get my treat."

Will groaned. "What is she talking about?" His voice was weak.

Jamie looked around scared. He tried to scream but found like Fred, he was unable to.

"No, no, you can't scream. I took that already. Speak all you want but my spell bound your scream. Silly boys." The old hag said, smiling with teeth. "I already found one treat this evening and three more will make me so young again." She pulled a bowl close to her and started to cut up something they couldn't see.

"Who...what are you?" Jamie asked, sounding very scared.

The old woman looked at him as she tipped what she had into the bowel. "A witch, but more accurately, a hag." She looked down at the bowl. "Now we are ready to start." She picked up the bowl and walked to them.

"For a trick, I pick a treat. In the name of the gods, I call for payment of extended life." She pulled a black blade out from behind her back. Each boy started to yell different things. "Silence!" She commanded and their voices disappeared even as they spoke.

"I take the blood." She continued on. Her knife cutting Fred's hand and letting his blood run into the green liquid in the bowl. As it did the colour started to change, becoming yellow instead. "I take your life force to make my life whole once more." She said taking Will's blood now. "With each I extend my life 20 years."

She took Jamie's blood last. "And take your health as my own."

With those last words she started to drink down the bowl's liquid. They all could see the liquid turn from yellow to black. At first they grew weaker, feeling like someone was stealing their energy but then they felt it all rush back.

The hag dropped the bowl as she kneeled over in pain. Jamie started to cough hard.

"What is wrong? How did my spell go wrong?" The hag screamed in pain.

Her body started to grow older and older before she turned into nothing but dust, as she did the ropes let them go.

Will and Fred ran to Jamie who was now on the ground coughing hard.

"Jamie!" They yelled as one just before Jamie coughed up something black, like thick tar, and rolled over, laying on his back, breathing hard. His eyes opened slowly.

“Are you…. Okay?” Will asked, kneeling next to Jamie. Fred made a face at the thick goop on the ground. It smelled like rotten garbage.

“I haven’t felt this good in years.” Jamie said, blinking a few times before looking at them.

As the boys left the old hag’s house, Fred spoke in a quiet voice, “Did… Did cancer just save our lives?”