The door knocker was a fearsome lion head rearing its teeth carved from solid gold. It looked as if it could snap up Irene’s fingers if she wasn’t careful, the detail in its mane had been enough for Irene to pause and squint at it in the dim aura of the outdoor lamplight. Cold to the touch, the knocker weighed heavily in her hand as she lifted it from its resting place.

A cool breeze whisked tendrils of fog around her, whistling through the autumn leaves like some kind of warning. The full moon shimmered with a wash of faint white light that stained across the earth, giving everything from the cobblestone driveway to the trees themselves an eerie look from out of a horror film.

If only Irene paid more attention to the details, she might not have gotten herself into such a messy situation in the first place. Maybe if she’d listened to Sooyoung’s frequent texts telling her to come back to their apartment and the aching of her feet from walking through block after block of houses. But Irene had only one thing on her mind this Halloween: candy. Lots of it.

She had pushed away any creepy feelings she was getting from the vibe of the place when she made her way up to the massive oak door. For the sake of the precious free sugar-filled treats that awaited her behind closed doors, Irene would do anything to sate her sweet tooth. After a moment’s hesitation, Irene shrugged and let the knocker fall.

A heavy boom filled the air and resonated from within the colossal structure, causing her to jump up slightly from fright. After Irene looted this house, she was ready to turn back in for the night. Her pillowcase was nearly filled to the brim, overflowing with candy wrapped in the vibrant colors. She held a chunk of the rainbow itself in her bag.

This was the last house on the block she just swept through, if you could even call it a house. It was a titan of a house, more like a gothic mansion, if anything. Taking a step back from the door while the bell echoed through the house, Irene her heel to survey her surroundings.

The mansion loomed over a well kept lawn, complete with a bubbling fountain in the front yard and gargoyles sneering down at her from their foundations, talons extended and reaching out towards the end of the driveway. A row of impeccable vintage cars were stationed outside the front of a four-doored garage. It was rather hauntingly beautiful house, with hauntingly beautiful grounds. And, as Irene was about to find out, a rather hauntingly beautiful owner to match.

From within the mansion came the faint sound of heel against hardwood. With each passing second, the sound grew steadily from behind the door as the person came closer. There was a pause, no doubt from the person looking through the peephole, and Irene whipped around, throwing her scarf back over her shoulder to make herself seem more presentable.

“Trick or treat!” Irene sang happily, hearing the locks of the door being turned. She ignored the shivers running down her spine and the way her hair began to stand on the back of her neck when the lady of the house swung the door open wide and stepped out into the dark wash of the night sky. The woman had ruby red eyes like twin embers from a roaring fire which glowed when she fixed her gaze on Irene. She wore a tight fitting black leather dress with see-through lace sleeves and a pair of smart leather boots.

In her right hand she held a flute of red wine, black fingernails curled elegantly around the glass. Long, platinum blond locks were swept back from her forehead and tumbled down her shoulder blades. There was no candy to be found as the strange woman’s other hand was empty and hanging by her side, but Irene didn’t notice in the slightest, not with those hypnotizing eyes lingering over her.

  “What are you of all people doing out and about on this fine Hallows Eve?” The woman drawled, leaning against her door frame. Her voice was soft and inquisitive, coaxing Irene to step forward unconsciously to hear her better. She’d never heard a voice quite like this one, nor seen someone of such beauty before.

“You don’t look...the age to be trifling in such silly mortal matters,” the blond continued. She made a vague gesture with her wine glass at Irene’s pillowcase before taking a casual sip of her wine. “Or perhaps you have indeed found the illusive fountain of youth.”

“Huh?” It was only after Irene took another step forward that she noticed the drop of blood trickling down the pale woman’s face. But even that didn’t faze her. It merely brought her closer, walking straight into the woman’s trap.

“Aren’t you celebrating Halloween, too?” Irene asked, pointing at the tiny stream of glistening blood flowing down her pale face. “Your makeup is amazing,” the college student says, inching her way closer. Without even realizing it, her finger brushed against the woman’s cheek.

A bemused expression came across the woman’s face, as if she were regarding a child. Her eyes gleamed; red rubies that seemed to grow darker and darker with each passing second.

“The blood looks so realistic, and those contacts,” Irene mumbled, stepping closer, toeing the threshold of the door. The eyes flashed, studying Irene’s face. “Where’d you get them? They’re so high quality...I can’t even tell that they’re fake.”

The woman shrugs again, non-committal. It’s like she didn’t even feel Irene’s hands at her skin, as cold and pale as she looks in the moonlight. The only time she gave an indication she felt Irene’s touch is when she gave an apologetic smile and pulled away to take another sip of her wine. “Perhaps they are not fake, then,” the woman states, a lilt of teasing in her voice.

Her eyes lazily sweep over Irene again, and for the first time, she smiles, revealing a set of gleaming, perfectly straight teeth. The kind of teeth you’d see used advertised for a dentist’s office. Another shiver rolled down Irene’s spine. “If you truly are curious...why don’t you come in for a moment and I’ll show you?” The woman offers.

There’s a pause, and Irene is surprised to find herself oddly inclined to take the offer, in spite of the warnings engraved in her mind from her childhood. Don’t go into a stranger’s house. Especially not on Halloween night. What if they’re an axe murderer? What if they kidnap you? But this woman doesn’t seem like a stranger, nor a murderer. T