The Halloween Party By Martin Kane mksequela@yahoo.co.uk Supergirl attends a Halloween party Please note this is a Halloween style horror story and as such contains horror story style horror which may not be to everyone's tastes. *********************************************************************** "It's been done before," was all the mage said when he heard what the boy proposed. "Really?" "Indeed." Silence hung uncomfortably in the air but neither man deigned to break it. The seconds ticked past but as soon as it became a question of will, it was the mage who chose finally to speak. "It's a favourite joke of chaos practitioners. The very definition of 'be careful what you wish for.'" Again silence. The mage wondered absently if his patience were being deliberately tested. This silent scrutiny somewhat resembled a technique used to put others off their guard, although if that were so, it was being crudely applied here. "You didn't think it an original idea, surely?" "To be honest, I got the idea from an episode of 'The Simpsons'." The mage gave a wry smile. "One of their Halloween episodes?" "Indeed." If the mage recognised this repetition of his own use of the word to be mocking, he made no indication of it. The boy for his part kept a straight face. "Yes, even one as old as I knows of 'The Simpsons'." He was a curious young man, the mage noted, with cruel, blank eyes. Should he wish to, the boy would doubtless be capable of feigning any emotion. Those eyes could be utilised to sparkle with charm and soft humour. He would certainly be able to convey warmth, compassion or joy whether he felt it or not. But the icy, reptilian neutral currently expressed was far more in keeping with what the mage saw to be genuine. Had he cared to wonder at it, he would perhaps have questioned the boy's lack of charm here and now. Perhaps he should accept it as a compliment that such sycophancy was deemed inappropriate. And, he had to acknowledge, if the boy had approached him in such a manner, this audience would already have ended. This time, it was the boy who broke the silence. Not yet as adapt at manipulation as his father was, it would seem. To show his hand like that - to reveal his eagerness. He would learn though. The mage had no doubt of that. "You can do it?" "It will take an incredible amount of power." "That's not what I asked." "Out of curiosity, what are your motives?" The pause was barely palpable. "A joke. The embodiment of chaos. And after all, it is the very definition of 'be careful what you wish for.'" The mage offered a barely audible snort of laughter, so soft to be almost a sigh. "Very well. Arrange payment via your father's accounts in the normal manner." The boy gave a curt nod and then paused a second and, as if in afterthought said: "It was a pleasure to finally meet you." It was the most honest thing he had uttered throughout the entire encounter. The house wasn't a house, it was a mansion. At least to Susan who'd never known such careless, over-privileged wealth, that's what it seemed like. Tyler would doubtless brush off such claims. After all, six bedrooms, three garages, pool, home cinema room, all the mod-cons, live- in staff, were all fairly standard in his experience. His parents were out of town but had allowed him to have the party, trusting him with the responsibility of keeping order. They thought the duty of host would serve as a character building exercise and provide him with valuable practical life experience. They had of course no knowledge of his plans for the evening, no knowledge of the runes scratched into the earth at strategic positions about the grounds by their very own private practitioner. If they had known, Tyler's mother would have been horrified and immediately have cancelled the party and had the mage countermand the casting and nullify the magics already lain. His father however would have probably chuckled indulgently and, had he been allowed to by Tyler's mother, probably allowed Tyler to see the plan through. This too was, in its own peculiar way, a valuable character building experience. "Wow," Tyler remarked at seeing Susan's costume, "I love it. Supergirl had a huge impression on my boyhood." She smiled and gave him a cute curtsy. The skirt was a little shorter than she was used to, the top a tad tighter than she'd normally be comfortable with but that was the point of Halloween, it was an opportunity to wear a mask, that duel natured tool of deception. A mask could disguise your face or it could, if you allowed it to, express who you really are on the inside. She had come with Louise who'd dressed as a nurse. A zombie nurse, but a nurse nonetheless. That gave her sex appeal enough as far as Tyler was concerned and the tightness of the nurse uniform, not to mention the criss-cross of rips and tears over the starched white outfit exposing tantalising patches of naked skin beneath only added to the effect, as indeed was the intention. "Wow," he repeated, as he took her coat in turn, as if this wasn't how he'd greeted all his female guests, irrespective of their sex appeal. Admittedly, with Susan and Louise, he hadn't needed to fake his awe and enthusiasm. Louise made a zombie-like expression, blank staring eyes, dead head flopping to the side, bloody lips pulled back in an animal snarl. Her arms rose up. "Brains!" she growled. "Can't help you there," he quipped tapping his head and pulling an idiot face. "But go on inside, grab a drink." "Drink!" she amended eagerly, keeping the voice, and lurched instead towards the party and the promised alcohol. Tyler watched the two women enter his parents' house, their coats folded over his arm. He headed into the hallway, took two hangers from the mammoth walk-in closet and hung their coats neatly. Raymond appeared at his side. He was dressed as a cowboy. "You think that's gonna be a problem?" he asked, nodding to the disappearing women. Tyler smiled. "No," he assured his friend. "It's gonna be fine. Loosen up, it's a party. This is meant to be fun." He checked his watch and added in a sardonic drawl, "an' the fun's about to kick-off big time!" "Hello Kara!" "Huh?" "Kara is Supergirl's real name. You are Supergirl, aren't you?" "Well... I'm not necessarily the Supergirl, but I am a Supergirl." Natalie had dressed as Wonder Woman but done so in a manner that turned heroine chic into porno glamour by dint of her sizable breasts. They were busting shamelessly from the iconic corset which was almost certainly tailored for a much more modest chest. Her gym-skinny body with athletically toned musculature added to the overall effect of comicbook excess and exaggerated sexiness. "I've always said, if you've got it flaunt it," Natalie giggled, jiggling for effect. Her eyes appraised Susan's figure-hugging top. "But then, you're way ahead of me there. That is one seriously distended 'S'." Susan smiled and folded her arms self-consciously. "Don't do that," Natalie scolded, "be proud! If I had a chest like yours I'd be showing it off left right and centre." She glanced down at the expansive cleavage she was displaying. "And, oh look, I do and I am." "You're shameless." "Shame is for those too stuck up to just enjoy life." Natalie pulled a disapproving expression then. "Speaking of which, don't you have a drink?" "Louise was just getting me one." "Oh, I saw her outfit. Zombie nurse! Looks freaky. I admire her guts though, I'd go for the scary costume myself but I'm really not a horror-phile." Louise returned and handed a cup of seriously alcoholic punch to her friend. She grinned at Natalie. "You do know that Wonder Woman is a superheroine don't you," she remarked, "and not a go-go dancer." "Are you here alone?" Susan asked. "I thought I saw Owen when I came in but I thought you were going to dump him." "Yes he's here," Natalie agreed, "and yes I dumped the stupid little shit. He doesn't even know anyone at this party but he'd already spent weeks making a costume so he insisted he come. I assure you he's not here with me. And what's more, he better keep his distance or he's gonna get a drink thrown in his face." "Well about time," Louise said approvingly. "You're too good for him." They toasted good humouredly. "Any other ships on the horizon," Susan asked, knowing Natalie wasn't the kind of girl who did absolute single for very long. In fact, when it came to men she tended to practice an overlap system. She just thought of it as keeping her options open. "Well I've got my sights set on Superman," Natalie admitted. "I thought it appropriate," she added with a giggle, actually giving a sexy little shimmer. "Superheroine, not go-go," Louise reminded her. "Trust me, when I get my hands on him it'll be all-a go-go!" Superman was across the room from them, chatting idly with a guy dressed as Batman. "Is that Rob?" Susan asked, suddenly, taken aback. Like her own supersuit, the tight costume clung to him in a way that provoked lustful scrutiny. It was a look that demanded a well-trained physique to pull it off and he certainly had one. "Screw your eyes back in," Louise told her friend, although she gave the man far more than a cursory glance herself. "And close your mouth before a fly gets in." "Jesus, he's been working out!" "Oh yeah," Natalie agreed lustfully. "Seriously, he used to be like the skinniest kid in class. But now..." "He's certainly not skinny now," Louise agreed with typical understatement. "I admire your taste!" Susan said, shaking the spell and getting hold of herself. She managed to finally prise her eyes from the boy. "Hands off. Tonight, Wonder Woman gets Superman. Besides, you're his cousin, remember." "What?" "Supergirl is Superman's cousin," Louise told her. "Oh, OK." "Do you just like the colour blue or what?" Susan laughed. "It just appealed to me, is that OK with you?" "Sure." Natalie checked her tits and psyched herself up. "Wish me luck." They did so, not that she needed it. Natalie was confidence personified as she stalked over towards Superman and Batman, both stopping dead to stare in open-mouthed awe at the woman who approached them with focused intent. But the party wasn't just populated by Marvel and DC. How boring would the spell be if that were the case? Tyler checked his watch again, wondering how long it would be before the spell kicked in. The grounding forces took several hours to take effect but they had been laid early this afternoon. The mage had told him that the spell would work like a bubble, surrounding the building, invisible and insubstantial. But when the casting took a hold, all those within its sphere would be subjected to it and the transformation would be instantaneous. As indeed it was. One minute it was a boisterous and jovial party full of eccentrically dressed Halloween guests. And the next - chaos reigned. Unfortunately for Darren, he had chosen to come as a corpse. The make-up job was amazingly detailed, a savage gash right across his throat. It had taken him three hours and that didn't include the additional hour applying the face-paint which gave him a deathly pallor. As soon as the spell hit, the wound became a real one and the painted-on blood was replaced by a pulsing arterial gush. One moment he was chatting up Maggie, a sexily clad vampire babe. He sipped confidently at his Halloween punch while regaling her with tales of stage school make-up. And the next moment he was spraying blood all around, reeling like a drunk as the life flowed from his cut throat. He fell against the vampire woman who instinctively shoved him away from her. Such was the force of her two-handed shove that Darren went flying backwards, propelled as if by a traffic accident across the room. So savage was his blood-loss however that he was already unconscious as he landed on the far side of the highly spacious lounge. He didn't get up again, the last weak pulsing of his opened throat spilling the last of his life's blood as he lay unmoving in a crumpled heap. Maggie just stared down at her hands in amazement, not comprehending how she'd been able to strike him so hard. She didn't ponder this sudden influx of strength however because another urge overpowered her. His blood was everywhere and had thickly coated her hands. Acting on pure instinct she began desperately licking them, relishing the intoxicating richness of the blood, not even noticing that her plastic vampire fangs had now been replaced by real ones. Vicki had come as a cat. She'd put on a lot of weight the previous year and had determinedly worked-out to gain a slimmer, leaner beach- body in time for the summer season. She'd failed in her goal however and had been too embarrassed to wear a bikini in public through the hottest months, only slowly improving her body and her self-confidence. But she'd continued to hit the gym and had attained her ideal weight, if a little later than she originally intended. Cat ears, a tail, painted on whiskers. They were all accoutrements to justify the leotard. She jumped at the chance to dress her newly slimmed figure into figure-hugging spandex and show off to all those who still (and more importantly, wrongly) thought of her as fat and dumpy. Unfortunately she'd barely arrived at the party when the spell hit. She had received a highly flattering "wow" from Tyler, the party's host as he took her coat at the door but had barely had time to strut her stuff when she was suddenly and mysteriously transformed into an actual cat - albeit a rather oversized one. She barely had time to take stock of this unexpected occurrence when she noticed what looked suspiciously like Scooby-Doo barrelling towards her, barking heartily. With a throaty "rhowl" she turned on surprisingly nimble legs (four of them) and took off for the open patio doors and the garden beyond, the cartoonesque dog hot on her heels. Supergirl looked around the room in alarm. Everywhere about her people were dying or going crazy or simply, like her, gazing at the carnage in horrified shock. Louise was doing her zombie impression again. But this time, she knew, it wasn't an impression. There was something too real about the corpselike make-up, something too cannibalistic about the expression. Arms rising, Louise lumbered towards her once friend with murderous intent. "Louise! It's me. It's Susan!" But the zombie saw the girl in the Supergirl outfit not as her friend but as a meal. Not that everyone was horrified by the sudden transformations that had occurred. Miriam had always loved fairies and all things fey. She collected statuettes of fairies and had posters of fairies. She had a cat named Tinkerbelle and liked websites where people had photoshopped fairy attributes to various attractive celebrities. It came as no surprise to any of her friends that when attending a fancy-dress party, even a Halloween one, Miriam would come as a fairy. And once the spell struck the party, once she'd recovered from the initial shock (utterly regardless of the chaos and carnage going on all around her) she began experimentally flapping her newly acquired fairy wings. Unlike the coat-hanger and tinfoil contraption she'd rather clumsily fashioned for herself, these wings were gossamer constructions of delicate intricacy. Muscles she'd never had before were flexing as she tightened something in her back and chest. The wings stretched out behind her, more like a bumble-bee than an angel, it had to be said, but that was OK with her. She tried flapping them and felt the tightness in her breasts and her stomach. But flap her wings did and she managed to hold herself in the air as she tentatively drew her feet up off the floor. Flexing harder she gained a little height before veering inelegantly off to the side and smacking head first into the wall. Unperturbed, she straightened her wings and tried again. Other costumers were equally accident-prone in their new guise. Will had dressed as The Flash and was now having trouble moving. Every time he tried to take a single step he ran smack into a wall at such velocity he fell backward, reeling senselessly. He tried to steady himself and slammed at speed into a table. In getting back to his feet he sped across the room so fast he was just a blur. He collided face first against the wall with such force that this time he was knocked out cold. A woman had dressed head to toe in tight, clean bandages, the wrap done in a manner skilful enough to allow both freedom of movement and an adherence to her feminine curves. As the spell struck she collapsed, her pretty fresh flesh now transformed instantly into ancient leather as thin and brittle as dried parchment. Quite dead, her body was powdery and as delicate as ash. Vampires were definitely in vogue these days. Wendy had wanted a costume that was vampiric in nature but subtly so, guessing that there'd be dozens of vampires at a Halloween party. She loved the TV show 'True Blood' and had found a waitress outfit from the show. OK, it was just an excuse to wear an obscenely tight T-shirt and shorts as the girls on the show had to. But it had 'Merlotte's Bar and Grill' across it. It was subtle enough a reference for only those in the know to pick up on it. Besides, she loved Anna Paquin, the actress who played the show's heroine, Sookie Stackhouse. And she'd been told on occasion that she looked a little like her, which was flattery indeed. So she'd bought the costume and she'd done her hair like her heroine. OK, it was true she was a tiny bit tubbier than Anna Paquin but figured that in a shirt this tight that was just to her advantage. Besides, her legs were pretty good and in the tight shorts they too were shown off to maximum effect. And she was right about other vampires being at the party. Almost immediately she saw a woman in an elegant black dress, sleek and slinky. The woman was named Maggie. She was slender but had curves to die for, shown off with a deep plunging cleavage and a tailored waistline. For a moment, Wendy felt horribly out of place. She might look like Southern White Trash, but Anna Paquin made that look look good and that was the look she aimed to emulate. Maggie took in Wendy's skimpy outfit and her eyes instantly lit in recognition. She smiled with kindred knowing. "I love it," she enthused, genuinely delighted. "Sookie right?" Wendy knew her choice had been correct after all and grinned back at the woman. But later that night, the world had gone to hell. Sookie Stackhouse was a psychic, gifted with the influx of other people's thoughts like schizophrenic voices in her head. Wendy didn't notice the changes happening around her when the spell hit, she was too distracted by the hail of chatter. It was like background conversation turned up to maximum, so loud it drowned out all conscious thought. Wendy clutched her temples and cried out in mental pain. She didn't know what was happening to her, could not even begin to get her head around this psychic babble, so intrusive - so destructive. She reeled. It felt as though she were being physically assaulted. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this kind of attack. It was like someone screaming abuse directly into her ear only a dozen times over. She had not flesh enough to encompass all the directions these assaults struck her from. Sobbing, still clutching her head, she looked up, desperate for help. And she saw the most unexpected of things. She saw a vampire. A part of her recognised Maggie, the gothic, elegantly costumed woman she'd met earlier. But a more primal part of her mind recognised her for what she was. A predator. But more than that too. This particular predator could do something for her in return for her meal. This woman could silence the fear and the panic that currently ravaged her. Already was doing so in fact. Wendy realised that while she was locked in the vampire's lustful gaze, the voices had finally silenced. "Trust me," those eyes said. "I love you," they said. "I'll show you a pleasure you've never before imagined," they said. And Wendy believed them. "Come," Maggie invited and Wendy went willingly into the woman's embrace, actually offering her neck. Their bodies wrapped together in an embrace so tight they could each feel the other breathe. The vampire took the proffered gift ravenously. Wendy gasped as much from pleasure as pain as the world went as silent as the voices had. Tyler stood by and laughed heartily at the carnage. Like an overseer he toured the various rooms surveying the chaos. It was true, there was damage being done to the house but that was hardly a concern. He'd have time to clear up and arrange necessary repairs. And besides, it was a party. Things got broken at parties. It was a small price to pay for the entertainment spilling out before him. Things were getting broken now alright. Stuart was looking down at his costume. "I'm Batman?" he said, slightly confused. But his costume was just a costume. The toys strapped to his belt were just toys. He was still the same guy he had been when he arrived here and was wondering if he was the only one here who'd been unaffected. His friend Rob, or rather Superman, as he was tonight, had disappeared with Natalie, that ridiculously hot bitch who'd come dressed as Wonder Woman. They'd probably found an empty bedroom. God knew in a house this size there had to be a fair few of them. He was probably fucking her senseless right this very moment. Lucky bastard. And now the whole party had gone all weird. People had started acting like their costumes. No that wasn't true. They weren't acting like their costumes, they'd actually become their costumes. Which meant... Leatherface came at him, the crazy Texas Chainsaw Massacre killer. His chainsaw growling threateningly. Batman grabbed a chair and lifted it up before him as though he was a lion tamer and the chainsaw killer was a lion. But the killer spoke up, lifting his free hand in a pacifying gesture. "Chill dude," the killer said, his voice panicky and far from monstrous. "I'm just a guy, see," and he rapidly pulled the Leatherface mask from his own face. "My name's Carl." The mask was made of soft plastic and was standard kit from a joke or comic shop, especially this time of year. Stuart then noticed that the chainsaw was made entirely of plastic, including the totally static blade. It was well detailed and convincingly put together but wouldn't fool anyone who wasn't in a state of high agitation. The man was slamming at it in frustration and finally he succeeded in shutting it off. The synthesized chainsaw noise died. "It's just a costume," he insisted. "My name's Carl." But Batman raised the chair again, fear suddenly apparent in his face. Carl turned around in time to see a huge, lumbering Karloff-style Frankenstein come at him. Arms as thick and strong as industrial pipes reached down and monstrous hands grabbed him. Batman manoeuvred around and slammed the chair into the monster. As it happened, the chair was antique and very valuable. It was however next to useless as a weapon against Frankenstein who ignored it as it shattered across his broad back. He must have been seven feet tall and was proportionally powerful. Stuart grabbed the monster but he might as well have been wrestling a statue for all the effect he had against its staggering might. The beast continued to crush the life from Carl, growling with rage as he did so. Stuart roared with his own frustrated rage and launched a savage series of precision strikes against the monster, punching and kicking with an ingrained skill he'd never previously possessed. Moves and fighting technique that should have taken years to perfect just flowed, turning his limbs into lethal weapons. If he'd been fighting a man and not a monster, he'd certainly have effortlessly defeated his opponent. But his assault, however skilled and devastating, was utterly ineffectual against the creature. A blurry streak of blue then. A flash of red cape flying. He was knocked backwards. A woman moving so fast he barely registered it as arms mightier than Frankenstein's and yet still pretty and slender shot forward. Supergirl grabbed the monster from behind, wrapping her arms about his and wrestling him off of the gasping, plastic chainsaw wielding Texan. The monster fought back, struggling against the girl that held him, but she was the stronger of the two. It was a tough battle, but although she was dwarfed by this giant she managed to keep his arms pinned back behind him. He swayed from left to right, trying to shake her off. Supergirl swung him suddenly, slamming him hard against the wall. He struck it head first, cracking the plaster. Silently, the monster slumped in her grip. Tentatively the girl released him and let him fall face forward onto the carpet. "Jesus, that guy's actually Frankenstein!" Stuart gasped, still in a state of shock. "Frankenstein was the scientist, not the creature," Susan told him testily. "It's a common mistake amongst those who are woefully fucking stupid!" She was breathing heavily but it was more shock than exertion. After all, if she was Supergirl, then taking down Frankenstein - or rather, the creature - would be nothing to her. "Where are Natalie and Rob?" "What?" He still wasn't quite functioning properly. "Natalie and Rob? Your friend was dressed as Superman?" "What the hell's happening?" Stuart demanded. It was close to a scream, panic really beginning to overwhelm him now. "It looks like chaos magic. People are changing into... DOWN!" He flinched at her shriek but failed to duck or even turn. Supergirl sent out a shot, a laser bright beam from her eyes which passed so close to his head he actually felt its bristling power crackle like static. He turned then in time to see a vampire woman recover from the blast, a burn mark on her forehead. She hissed like a cat, fangs exposed, then leapt again. She would doubtless have landed on Stuart if Supergirl hadn't have launched herself at the woman, catching both her wrists and throwing her backwards. She landed on top of the vampire, pinning her down to the ground, slamming her hands either side of her head and using her body to hold the woman on the floor. The vampire was incredibly powerful however and it took Supergirl's inhuman strength to keep her down. Her fangs were bloody, she'd fed already, but she was still hungry, whipping her head from side to side trying to reach first Supergirl's throat and then, when that failed, either of her arms. Keeping tight hold of the vampire's wrists, Supergirl eased them further apart, out of range of those deadly fangs. Thinking quickly, Stuart grasped a good sized hunk of wood from the chair he'd shattered over the Frankenstein monster's back. He ran with the makeshift stake to where Supergirl held the vampire down, intending to finish the bitch in the traditional manner in which one dealt with vampires. She was wearing a lethally sexy Morticia Addams style dress, a deep V of cleavage that gave him a perfect target - right between those luscious tits. Supergirl twisted about however, planting a kick in his stomach that doubled him over and threw him backwards. "NO!" She'd held back, not actually damaging him beyond a bruise he'd feel for weeks. "It's just the costume," she told him. "This is still a woman. Once the spell fades she'll return to normal. Everyone will. We can't actually hurt anyone." Susan turned her attention to the woman still snarling and snapping at her. "It's Maggie isn't it?" she asked, her voice calm and compassionate. The woman stopped her attack, her face suddenly soft and vulnerable. Beseeching eyes looked up into Susan's. "What's happening to me?" she pleaded. "What are you doing to me?" "It's going to be OK," Susan assured her gently. She did not however lessen her grip on the woman even though the rabid struggling had completely ceased. Her face changed again, becoming somehow more wanton - more lecherous. Susan, who'd never entertained a lesbian thought in her life suddenly felt an almost overwhelming desire to kiss this beautiful and enticing woman. Their breasts suddenly brushed and Susan realised she'd lowered herself towards the woman, realised those luscious lips were mere inches away and she went in for the kiss. She let the weight of her body press against the woman, whose own body arched up against her in wanton desire. But instead of kissing her, the vampire moved so quickly even Supergirl couldn't pull back in time. Diamond hard teeth as sharp as razors dove for Susan's throat but they failed to penetrate the Superhard flesh, as if the girl's body was protected by a coating of steel. "Ow! What the fuck?" demanded Maggie, the seduction dropped. Her mouth hurt where her attack had failed, as if she'd bitten down on a rock. Horrified by her lapse, Supergirl pulled back. "Bitch!" She looked at the two men who were watching this unfold. Batman was still holding his gut. "You two get over here," she ordered. They obeyed, glad that someone was taking charge. In a state of crisis people will latch onto any kind of authority offered them. "Keep her held down," she told them. "Are you crazy?" Carl demanded. But even so, they dutifully knelt beside the pinned vampire and took an arm each. "Don't let her bite you." And with that, Supergirl floated up to the ceiling, flying across to the large front windows. The curtain rail was an elaborate piece of wrought ironwork, bolted to the wall. One curtain was already torn free. It had been ripped off and used to securely wrap and tie up a zombie nurse who was even now bucking away in the corner, struggling against the binding. Susan ripped off the other curtain and shook the rings off while she flew back to the vampire. Maggie had thrown Carl aside, bodily heaving him through the air. She was currently wrapping her arms around Stuart and was about to plunge her fangs into his throat. Susan gave her another blast of her lasers, knocking the woman senseless. It was a controlled burst, she didn't want to hurt her after all, but it was powerful enough to make her drop her quivering prey and stagger back. Supergirl landed and made quick work of wrapping the thick iron bar around Maggie's body. It was a good length, maybe eight feet, and went around the vampire several times. Supergirl bent the bar around to close it tightly around Maggie's neck too, pinning her head backwards and severely limiting the movement of her head. It was crude but it would do the job. Raymond regarded his cowboy outfit. "So this was pointless?" he demanded. "Why this costume? I could have come as fucking James Bond. I could have come as Superman." "Will you just trust me?" Tyler told his friend. "Just go have fun. Look at Ben. Ben's having fun." "Ben's a fucking nut-case." Tyler chuckled indulgently. It was just one of the many mannerisms he'd unconsciously picked up from his father. "But he's still having fun!" Out in the garden, the lawn was scattered with mauled corpses. Simon who'd become Scooby Doo had finally caught up with Vicki who'd become a very large tabby cat. Before the fur started flying however, a larger animal had intervened. This new cat was not larger in size, all three were human equivalent in scale, but it was definitely further up the food-chain. This new cat was a cougar. Despite her new cat-like instincts Vicki still had enough residual human emotion and basic intelligence to form certain rudimentary thought-chains. After the horror of being run down by this dog, she wasn't too animalistic not to want to see poetic justice met out at the teeth of a greater predator. And the cougar certainly delivered, breaking Scooby Doo's back with a single swipe of its paw then going for the throat, tearing it right out as it had done to all its previous victims. The cat realised her mistake a moment too late as the cougar then turned on her. She should have made a run for it while she had a chance. She tried anyway, taking to her heels again, but the big cat leapt on her back, taking her down with the speed and efficiency of nature at its finest and most savage. If Vickie had still been capable of speech, her last words would probably have been expressive, if somewhat obscene. Inside the lounge, Darth Vader was having trouble breathing. He'd bodily transformed into Star Wars' dark lord of the Sith, but unfortunately, his costume had not. Therefore, the inbuilt life-support system that kept the mighty warrior alive remained merely a piece of moulded plastic decoration and failed to stop him from keeling over, gasping at his throat, struggling to breathe. Princess Leia was the only other Star Wars costume, a bemused woman with an elegant looking white robe of a dress that flattered her appearance and a current bun hairdo which did not. Her name was Yvonne. "What the fuck is happening?" she demanded. Bender didn't know, and was trying to ignore Yvonne, too intrigued by his own transformation. Lawrence had dressed in cardboard and tinfoil, and had in turn become the robot from the cartoon series 'Futurarma'. Unlike Darth Vader, Bender was having no problem with his new form, having bodily transformed into a humanoid machine. He'd already discovered that he could open his front panel to reveal the empty cylindrical cavity where his chest should be. He was currently experimenting with sending small jets of flame from his mouth just like in the cartoon. He let rip with a particularly powerful burst, a long stream of fire which accidentally struck a fairy who happened to be fluttering unsteadily past him at the time. The flames wrapped about her wings, causing the fairy to scream out in scorching pain and come crashing to the ground in a heavy heap. Bender and Princess Leia bent down to help the fallen fairy. She didn't appear to be too badly hurt by the flames, they were already out and had barely touched her skin or clothing. Her wings however were ravaged and ruined. A Pirate's hand had been replaced by a rusty hook, his leg by wooden peg. He was currently lifting his eye-patch, tentatively reaching beneath it with a horrified need to know. Michael Jackson had not actually become Michael Jackson, he was still Eric dressed up as Michael Jackson. Although his skin had suddenly become rather odd and tight on his face. In fact, now he came to think about it, it felt almost as if someone had covered his face in glue and let it dry into a tight, plastic sheen. He began trying to pick at it but his fingernails failed to make a purchase. Jason, whose costume consisted of a pumpkin for a head did not survive the magical casting, his head being transformed instantly into a pumpkin. He keeled over the moment the spell took effect, his head bursting on impact, spraying seeds and pumpkin innards in a spattered pattern about him. Susan found Natalie. Or rather, Natalie came running into the lounge, utterly distraught. "I think he's dead!" she sobbed. "Who's dead? What's wrong?" "Rob!" she wailed. "We went into a bedroom and were... well... you know." "It's OK, calm down. Just tell me what happened." Natalie took a deep breath. "Well, everything was going fine." Her voice suddenly became more lurid as she admitted, "Better than fine actually, it was fucking fantastic!" And then the horror of it all struck her once more and the sobs returned. "Then suddenly his body just crumbled in my arms. In an instant his bones became as brittle as eggshells. We're going at it and then his bones just snap in my grip. I think I somehow broke his hips and maybe I damaged his spine too. Oh and we were holding hands at the time and I think all his fingers got crushed. I don't know what happened to him, why he suddenly became so fragile." "You were having sex?" Susan reiterated. "Yes," Natalie told her. "He'd taken his Superman costume off?" "Well, yeah." "Tell me, did you happen to leave yours on?" "Well I had to take the hot pants off, obviously," she said. "But everything else, yeah, I was still wearing it." She didn't see the relevance of it. "It was his idea," she said defensively. "I guess he has a thing for Wonder Woman." "He didn't suddenly become weak," Susan told her. "You suddenly became incredibly strong. It's the costume. Everyone's taking on the attributes of their costumes. I think it's some sort of black magic." Natalie thought about this for a moment. "I'm Wonder Woman?" All thoughts of her new boyfriend's predicament were suddenly forgotten in light of this bombshell. She looked at the wall and then thrust her fist through it. The brickwork shattered as though struck by a rocket launcher. Fragments and brick-dust exploded beneath her fist, revealing a massive hole. Through this gaping, jagged wound, they could see right into the kitchen. Through it, they could see a woman dressed as a police officer, although her uniform was somewhat sexier than typical police issue. It was tight around her bust but it was doubtless her rippling abs that the cut-off top was really chosen to reveal. She had well toned arms and incredible legs, as the hot pants aptly displayed. But the woman hadn't actually transformed. She was just a young woman dressed in a sexy stripper-style police outfit. She was currently tending to her boyfriend who had dressed as Mickey Mouse. He was freaking out. He had the suit and tails, a waistcoat and bowtie, and the head of a giant fucking mouse. Natalie was paying the couple no mind however, instead regarding her fist in shocked awe. "Fucking cool!" Incredibly, Stuart was actually paying Wonder Woman no mind, despite his earlier inability to prise his eyes from her. He and his new friend Leatherface had found another slasher film stalker in the form of Freddy Krueger. "You OK, man?" Stuart asked him. He turned to Carl. "His mask is almost as good as yours." Then Freddy Krueger drove his knife-clad claw forward. Carl was still carrying the plastic chainsaw. It was surprisingly hefty and managed to deflect the worst of the blow. Even so part of the plastic Batman mask was shredded. It saved Stuart from getting his face sliced up however. "Shit!" he shrieked. The burnt faced monster, evil eyes blazing, was grabbed by Supergirl, coming to his rescue again. She slammed Freddy face down against the table, knocking him out cold. She was rapidly loosing patience with movie monsters. Why didn't people come to Halloween parties dressed as Bo Peep or bunny rabbits? What was so appealing about the bad guys? The next crisis came in the form of a witch, a Wicked Witch of the West style outfit, a fairly generic look. She burst into the room, her desperate panic all too apparent. She seemed to have clocked about the whole costume thing that was happening because when her eyes lit upon Supergirl her relief was palpable. "Are you actually Supergirl?" "Yes," Susan told her quickly. "Please, you've got to help. It's Ben." "Who's Ben?" Susan asked, following the girl back out of the lounge. "He's in the dining room." "I don't understand." "He came as a fucking Droog!" Susan heard Natalie behind her. "What's a Droog?" But she didn't have time to answer, she had instantly caught the witch's panic and rushed after her into the dining room. Natalie quickly caught up with them again but both women's demeanour had changed suddenly into a cruel and quiet calm. Their horror and panic replaced with sardonic amusement. Inside the room a powerful woman was sat astride a fallen thug. He was dressed in the iconic garb of the gang in 'A Clockwork Orange'. Natalie finally remembered where she'd heard the term before. The delinquent rapist thugs were called Droogs. His body appeared to be in a curious state of rigor - utterly frozen and helpless. The woman astride him stood, lifting her powerful body. She was leanly muscled and strikingly tall. Her rather impressive body was clad in leather and armour. She held herself with a dangerous assurance. This was someone you did not want to get on the wrong side of. She spoke with a voice that was so rich and alluring that it was almost as seductive as the vampire woman who'd clouded Susan's senses with lust. "I'm Helen," Xena told them. "Susan," Supergirl said then gestured to Wonder Woman beside her. "And this is Natalie." "Hi!" "Sorry, I didn't catch your name," she said to the witch. "Gill," she told them. "And this is Ben." She walked up to the Droog and gave him a healthy kick in the side. His body gave a spasm but apart from that he made no response to the assault, not even glancing towards her. "Oh yeah," Helen sighed and wandered back to the frozen rapist. She jammed her finger at the guy, prodding him in a dozen places, making the pressure points on his body crackle in audible little pops. Ben gave a weak shudder and collapsed unconscious but no longer trapped in that hideous grimace of rigor. She stood again, holding up the lethal finger for everyone to see. "I can cut off the blood supply to a man's brain just by jamming my finger into certain points on his body. I don't know how to do it, but I know I can if I just decide that I want to. It's like autopilot or something. It's not even a real technique, it's supposed to be some bullshit contrivance of a dumb TV show. This is seriously weird." "Well if the guy tried to rape Xena, then he was a fucking idiot," Natalie pointed out. "Actually..." And there was another woman crouched trembling in the corner. With her assailant incapacitated so dramatically and so violently, she recovered her composure quickly. She stood and smoothed out her dress although her hands still shook a little as she did so. She managed to look up finally and turned first to Helen. "Thank you," she stuttered. She took a breath, steadying herself. "God knows what would have happened if you hadn't have stopped him." "You're welcome," Helen assured her. No one remarked that actually it was quite obvious what would have happened if Xena hadn't have stopped him. "I'm Caren," she told them. Caren was dressed as Elvira. She was a curvaceous, slightly dumpy woman whose plump curves had been nonetheless utilised to staggering effect by expertly exposing a magnitude of cleavage that skinnier women required the services of extreme plastic surgery to acquire. Maybe it had been this outrageous display that Ben had taken as an open invitation. Maybe he'd just been overwhelmed by his Droog costume and simply done what a Droog would have done. "Does anyone happen to know what the fuck is going on?" Gill pleaded. "Well, I'm guessing some form of dark magic," Susan offered. "I know it's hard to swallow but weird things happen and all that. There are greater things on Heaven and Earth..." "Can we stick to the plausible?" Helen said testily. "No!" Susan snapped, losing patience herself. "Let's stick to the reality we actually inhabit here and fucking now. Now I happen to know that there are some things that seem to be supernatural and can't be readily explained. Whether you believe that or not isn't important. What is important is that you deal with what's actually happening to us. Whether or not it's fucking possible, it's happening!" "Agreed," Gill said. "I just saw a guy dressed as Spiderman climb up the wall and scuttle across the ceiling." "But it seems to be arbitrary who changes and how they change," Helen said. "I saw a guy who was dressed as a skeleton collapse into a pile of dried bones but someone else dressed as Jack Skellington from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' became a living dancing skeleton. Seriously, he's out in the garden singing and dancing. He was doing the Shakespeare bit from Hamlet with his own skull!" "OK, nice example," Susan said. "The skeleton was just that, a skeleton, whereas Jack became what he was dressed as - a living, breathing character. Maybe the spell really is that literal." "I haven't become a witch, I can't do magic or anything," Gill said. "But this isn't makeup anymore. My skin has become green." "Are you a specific character or just any old witch?" "Just a witch," Gill said. "But I saw a guy dressed as Harry Potter. He was waving his wand around shouting 'Petronus' but nothing was happening." "Maybe that's why the character goes to school, to learn this shit." "And I'm not Elvira," Caren said. "I'm just a girl dressed as Elvira." "And what special powers or skills does Elvira have?" Susan said. She wasn't being sarcastic as such, she was just thinking aloud. "You'd feel the same. Be the same. Stuart dressed up as Batman and suddenly knows kung fu but he's still Stuart, still the same guy. He hasn't changed personality or anything. Another guy, Carl was Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw films but didn't become a psychotic killer. The personality doesn't change, just the attributes, the skills or powers that character has." Her mind was working now, processing thoughts, her voice like a stream of consciousness. "And yet Freddy Kruger and Frankenstein's creature both become the monsters. They are monsters - supernatural creatures. Maggie became a vampire. I saw a cat and a dog become a cat and a dog. Louise dressed as a zombie and became a zombie. Personality doesn't come into it there because Louise as a zombie would be a zombie - that's what a zombie is. But Wonder Woman is still Natalie only she's now Natalie with Wonder Woman's powers. Rob took off his Superman suit and didn't change." This brought another sob from Natalie but she swallowed it, staying with the program. "You, Xena." "Helen." "Sure, Helen. You still feel like the same woman you've always been? You haven't actually become someone else?" "Like you say, I'm the same, I just happen to have all of Xena's strength and skill. One more thing..." She stepped forward to emphasise the point she was making walking right up to Susan in a manner that would have been aggressively threatening in other circumstances. "I'm five foot four," she stated flatly quite in contrast to the fact that she currently stood over half a foot taller than Susan. "And then there's this," Helen said, pulling the chakram off of her belt. It was the distinctive disc weapon Xena used, a razor-edge flat loop of metal, thrown like a frisbee. Only here and now it was a plastic toy, a prop for the costume. "Batman was the same. His suit was still some crap plastic cape. His props still toys, rather than real tools or weapons. But he gained the skills." "My costume still has a 'Hometown's Fancy Dress Hire' label," Natalie offered. "It hasn't changed. The headband and wristbands are still plastic." "I saw a guy dressed as Ironman," Caren told them. "He hadn't changed into Ironman though. His costume was still just this crap homemade thing. Slabs of badly painted polystyrene tied to his limbs. He looked like a dork, actually." "Trust me he is a dork," Natalie assured her. "Huh?" "Her ex," Susan explained. Then, back on topic, "And yet I saw a guy become a robot." "And my armour is still just a costume, not a war suit. The fabric hasn't become leather, the metal's still just tinfoil." "There are some quirks to all this," Susan agreed. She gestured to Helen, highlighting her tremendous stature. "You're still Helen only you now have Xena's strength, her skills and her amazing body." "Gotta admit," Helen said, squeezing her fists and tightening her muscles, slowly contracting her arms to feel the power and tension there. "I'm kinda liking the physicality of it." "Long and short of it, I figure it's a temporary effect," Susan told them. "Take that as good news or bad, as you will. Personally I say the sooner this is over the better." "You said magic, right?" Gill said. "You seriously think that's what this is?" "Yes." "Has anyone heard the rumours about Tyler's father?" Gill asked them. "You know what he does?" "His dad's a businessman," Caren said. "What business?" "I don't know!" "It's just stupid rumours," Gill admitted, "But it has been said that he's involved in this whole weird evil cabal. Black magic, demon sacrifices. The whole nine yards." "Mindless speculation is pointless," Susan said. "Not necessarily," Helen insisted. "Like father like son? Tyler's hosting this party. Who better to blame?" "Actually..." Susan said, taking it back, "you're onto something. It would take a fair amount of effort to set something like this up. Spell-wise I mean. There's all sorts of grounding forces that need to be aligned. You're right, it's got to be Tyler. No one else would have had a better opportunity." Natalie slammed a fist threateningly into her palm, loving the potency she felt running through her body. "Well we can at least ask him about it." "Of course," Gill said, "you know who hangs out with Tyler?" They all turned towards the unconscious Ben. "Too bad," Gill sighed. "You could have done that Xena thing to interrogate him for more information." But something else became apparent then. A final synapse firing, clicking all the pieces into place, like the spark of inspiration in solving a particularly obscure puzzle. "If the personality stays the same..." Natalie began. "A Droog isn't like a horror-movie monster," Caren said, her voice quivering once more. "It's just a guy who dresses in a certain way. He's no different to what he was before than I am to what I was!" But this had all already occurred to Susan and she'd hoped the matter wouldn't crop up. "It wasn't the costume," Helen concluded, although they were all already there. "It's Ben," Gill sighed. "He doesn't need an excuse to behave like an asshole. He is an asshole." Natalie took this in. Her teeth set in a menacing grimace and she strode up to the unconscious Droog. She drew back a leg to give him a healthy kick in the balls but Susan called out to stop her. "Whoa there Wonder Woman. Super strong, remember?" Natalie genuinely seemed to consider this a few moments before letting him have it anyway. Her foot connected with a solid and satisfying crunch and squelch. The Droog wouldn't be capable of rape for a very long time to come. Susan was fast and powerful. She could probably have stopped her friend if she tried to. She didn't. "You could have stopped them," Raymond pointed out. Tyler just shrugged. They were standing outside, looking down at the back yard, the litter of corpses, the cougar still feasting on one of them. Jack Skellington had climbed into a tree to escape the big cat. It was paying him no mind, hardly a hearty meal to be had there, but he was taking no chances. Tyler gave Jack a wave. The skeleton flipped him a bony middle finger, his cartoonish face crinkling into an expression of one who was severely pissed. Tyler just laughed. The conservatory and garage were adjacent add- ons to the rear of the house and their combined roof had been converted into a spacious roof garden. Raymond was still not enjoying the party. He'd just come running in to relate the sad tale of Ben and the aborted rape. "Well? Couldn't you?" "Fuck you care about Ben? I thought you hated him." "That's not the point! He was one of us." "And what am I? His lord and master? Tell me, what is it that you think I owe you?" "You don't see us as any different to the rest of them, do you? We're just more playthings in your sick games? Only we're stupid enough to think you were on our side." Tyler hissed, his cool evaporating in a burst of scornful rage. "Honestly, you people! You're right, you know, you are no different to the rest of them. You might think you are, but you're not. You're not my friends, you're just after what you think you can get from me." He looked down into the garden below them. He smiled. "You never will learn to embrace chaos. Embrace that freedom." And he pushed Raymond. A short sharp shove that sent the other boy staggering backwards. It was only a few steps but they were already close to the edge. Raymond flailed for a moment before going over. The fall was a short one and barely did more than bruise him. He landed OK, managing to avoid breaking anything. But that wasn't the danger here. As he heard the roar the beast was already on him. Hot breath and teeth. He cried out but the cougar ripped the scream right out of his throat. They wandered the party looking for Tyler. They witnessed various sights that failed to evoke more than a passing glance from the wearied troupe. There was a Ronald McDonald looking creepy and obnoxious, so no change there. They heard a noise coming from the walk-in closet. They opened it to see Ironman cowering inside, most of his homemade armour pieces had come off or sat badly askew. "Natalie," he gasped. "Oh thank God it's you. You won't believe what's been happening to me." She cut him off, grabbing him about the throat and hauling him from the closet. One-handed, she lifted the boy up and held him there at arm's length. "Gotta admit," she cooed, "I am so glad I picked Wonder Woman and not Barbie." She twisted herself around and bodily threw her ex across the entire length of the hallway. He tumbled in the air before crashing against the far wall thirty feet away. He crumpled to the floor in an untidy heap. "That felt so good," she sighed in satisfaction. Then to Susan. "You say this is just temporary?" "Afraid so." "Shit. Oh well, guess it's time I started including the weights room in my fitness regime." Susan laughed. "I thought you didn't like the look of big muscles on women." "If it means being this fucking strong, I'm more than happy to get used to it." Elsewhere, Miriam was sobbing uncontrollably while punching the robot Bender in the face. She had him on his back and was sat astride the cylindrical torso while she furiously pounded him. Although her fairy wings were destroyed, the powerful muscles necessary for flight, in her back, chest and shoulders, were still present and all too apparent as she repeatedly struck the helpless robot. The metal face was dented and buckled. He tried to push the woman off of him. Strong enough to bend steel he may well be, but this furious and distraught woman was more than his physical equal. He was immensely glad that robots didn't feel pain. Princess Leia had initially tried to prise the fairy off of her metallic friend, but had quickly given up. Best just to let the rage run its course, she figured. She filed her nails while she waited. Incredibly when everyone did finally change back, Lawrence's battered face had only a few superficial bruises. Miriam had been suitably horrified by the savage beating she'd subjected the man to, but had also secretly relished the power that she'd felt unleashed in those sweet, unrestrained moments. Flying had been wonderful but so too had been that potent strength, although the transformation had taken back the muscles she had so briefly been gifted with. She might not ever know flight again but strength was something she could make a claim to. She resolved to join a gym as soon as possible. Frankenstein's creature had come round again but was much calmer now. He was sitting back, enjoying a cup of punch and a cigarette with Carl. The vampire was calling him, trying to persuade him to use his strength to wrench open the great iron bar that Supergirl had tied her with. Every time the creature looked her way, Carl distracted him back again, persuading him to ignore the bound vampire. So far it was working. The vampire in turn was cursing him in less than complementary phrases but Carl made certain not to look at her, careful not to get trapped inside those seductive eyes. As they wandered the huge house, Natalie noticed Helen scrutinising her. More specifically, she was helplessly ogling the stunning cleavage which the Wonder Woman corset made of her already magnificent bosom. "They are rather eye-catching, aren't they," she offered, catching Helen in the act. Helen looked away embarrassed but Natalie just giggled. "It's OK, I don't mind. I'm not wired that way personally but I am still pleased that I can turn female heads as well as male ones. Guess it's the exhibitionist in me." "Yeah, but I'm not wired that way either." "You're not?" Natalie asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet to make her whole chest jiggle, just begging to be grasped. "Well, not until now," she admitted, helpless with wanton lust. "Oh, OK. Maybe the Xena thing is affecting you after all." "Chill," Gill told them. "It's not just you. I can't take my eyes off them either. Susan interrupted them. "Actually, you guys take a look upstairs. I want to just go check something out. I'll join you up there in a minute. So they headed upstairs. They checked a bedroom were a muscular demon woman was raping a man. She was some kind of a faun, furry goat-legs, red flesh naked, the black leather bikini had been discarded to expose her tiny but beautiful breasts. Devil horns poked through her raven-black locks. Her dark red flesh rippled with a savagely developed musculature. She was fitness-babe buff, just edging into bodybuilder mass. Her biceps were strong and shapely, bulging with power as she held down her victim, riding him like a demon succubus. His costume had been ripped from his body. In fact, it looked to be utterly shredded. She hadn't undressed him gently it would seem. It looked like a tuxedo. Suave clothes in the James Bond style. Sure enough there was a plastic Walther PPK amongst the torn garments. So enraptured in her pleasure was she that the demon hadn't noticed the intrusion. Xena grabbed her from behind, grasping her arms at the biceps, eyes going wide at the solid mass she felt there. She hauled the demon back off of the man. The demon let out a squeal in a decidedly non-demonic manner. The victim for his part jumped at seeing the sudden audience invasion. He grabbed the sheet and threw it over his rigid nakedness. Xena dropped the flailing woman, unable to contain her panicked but muscular thrashing. The woman backed away, horrified at the attack, throwing her arms across her naked chest. She looked at the various women in fear and shock. In the scuffle the headband that held the fake plastic horns had slipped. Helen realised her mistake even before she looked down at her hands. They were a bright bloody red. It was bodypaint. "What the fuck?" the woman gasped, still too shocked to be angry. Although that would probably come quickly enough. The furry legs were not those of a goat. She was wearing stockings and miniskirt all covered with thick fur. It was effective and impressive to look at, especially with the woman's fantastic thigh and calf muscles. James Bond finally broke the silence. "Well, either you're staying or you're leaving. And if you're staying, do join us." And at this, he threw the sheet aside once more. He was still sporting a tremendous erection. That did it. Blushing and apologising, the women retreated. Supergirl had sent them on a false trail. She'd used her superhearing to pinpoint as much activity as she could in the house. She'd concluded where the bad guy was and she wanted to face him without putting the others in danger. And she was right. Tyler was standing out by the edge of the rooftop garden, watching a woman who had become a cougar eating his friend who had become his victim. "Your timing is impeccable," he told her without turning around. "It was you," Susan stated flatly. She was no longer in any doubt. Tyler turned to face her. It occurred to her that one puff of breath would put him in the back yard. The fall wouldn't kill him, probably wouldn't even hurt him. But let's see how he liked the cougar up close. She wasn't a killer however. Whatever she was capable of, there was a strict morality to be aware of in all walks of life, and it had to be adhered to rigorously. If not then she risked abusing her powers, risked becoming as callous and loose and free with human lives as men like him. "Well, well, well," Tyler sighed. "I must admit, Supergirl, you were quite the heroine tonight. Not what I was expecting but still, highly entertaining all in all." "Why?" "Most of those who acquired superhuman powers just bumbled about uselessly. Whereas you...? Well. What can I say? I am indeed impressed." "Fuck you, you fucking psycho." He laughed. "You should be pleased. You have done so well. Others have not been so lucky." "Why did you do it? "Because I can." And she sighed. In the end, for men like him, that was all the answer there was. It was all the excuse he needed. She knew she would get nothing more from him. "Couldn't you just go postal like any normal rage repressed freak? Take a shotgun into Starbucks and express your pointless tantrum with as many bullets as you can get through before the police turn up?" She took a step towards him and he moved like lightning, whipping the gun out and pointing it directly at her. His hand didn't waver an inch, his resolve firm. "Please," she sneered contemptuously. "Faster than a speeding bullet and all that." Even so, it succeeded in stopping her approach. "Yes, but there really is something I think I should tell you," he said. His voice was still rich with sardonic amusement but the gun remained squarely focused upon her - all business. "Oh yes?" "Don't you want to know how I did it?" "What the fuck do I care? You could've waved a magic wand for all I know." She took another step forward. The click of the hammer cocking, his thumb prepping the gun with expert precision. It was her final warning and it did succeed in halting her once more. "Aren't you even curious?" Susan rolled her eyes. "OK, fine, how did you do it?" Her voice was petulant but she indulged him. "There are more things on Heaven and Earth than can be readily explained by such as you and I." "No shit Sherlock!" "I know of people, strange men and women capable of acts others would call impossible or supernatural. Dark magicians, powerful beings, unnatural creatures. Things a pretty thing like you would not dare to even dream of." "Bored now," Susan hissed stepping forward. With the gun prepped and cocked he couldn't do anything more to threaten her with it than wave it about. Which he did. "I'm not bluffing," he insisted. "I will kill you." "I'm Supergirl. Hello! Fucking shoot me." "There's something you really should know." But she was ignoring him now, striding the last few feet towards him. He held up his watch to show her. "Any... second... now..." Susan stopped again, indulging him. Nothing. She waited longer. Still nothing. "And...?" she insisted. He shushed her, waving a finger. His watch gave a short beep. "Fucking finally!" he sighed, and Susan was surprised to see that there was genuine relief on his face now. "What?" He pointed the gun at her again, for all the world as if for the first time. But he tried to instil into the gesture the fact that he actually meant it this time. "What?" He repeated, laughing. "The spell's finished. Everything reverts back." And to demonstrate he gestured to the skeleton in the tree at the back of the large yard. Jack Skellington had been hanging loosely from a branch. Was practically dozing in fact. The sudden acquisition of a body once more, tripled his bodyweight without warning. He tumbled clumsily from the tree, landing heavily. But his concern was not for bruising but the anticipated cougar strike. Instead of a cougar however he saw only a woman in a black leotard and leggings. Velvet for fur, a long luxuriant tail, elaborate face make-up. She was currently vomiting a very unpleasant looking spew of semi-digested meat. Up on the roof garden Tyler smiled evilly at Susan. She was unimpressed however, laughing mockingly. "Was that all you were stalling for?" "Back up bitch," he hissed, his voice low and savage. "Fuck you!" she sneered. "Shoot me. I dare you." So he did. The gun fired and he didn't even flinch at the shot. Neither did she. Not even when the bullet bounced off of her chest, ricocheting aside. Supergirl smiled. Tyler just stared, aghast. He fired again but this shot too rebounded off of her prominent bosom. He pointed the gun directly at her face and emptied it, firing a rapid stream of shots directly at her head. All the bullets hit home but Supergirl didn't move a muscle as they bounced ineffectually off of her cheek, her chin, her forehead, the bridge of her nose and her eyeball. At the final shot she moved finally, swinging her arm around too rapidly for the human eye to catch, snatching the very bullet out of the air. She held it up for him to see. She flattened the slug between her thumb and finger, squashing it like a pancake and turning it into a rough disc about the size of a quarter. She tossed him the disc and, standing there in dumb shock, he caught it on impulse. "But the spell's ended," he whined. "You're supposed to be normal again." "I am normal," she told him. "I'm Supergirl." Tyler couldn't quite get his head around that. "What?" he demanded. "Well, not the Supergirl maybe, but I am a Supergirl." "That's not possible." "What isn't possible? Immortal being? Superhuman girls able to fly, travel faster than a speeding bullet, yahda yahda." He couldn't answer her. "There are more things on Heaven and Earth. Things you'd call supernatural or impossible because they can't be explained by the likes of you and me." Something must have snapped in him then because despite the fact that bullets hadn't phased her, he attacked with his bare hands. Without warning, screaming obscenities, he ran at her with his fists flailing. It was such an unfocused mania that she doubted he'd be able to do her any damage even if she wasn't superhuman. She blew. By her scale it was a soft exhale, but it was enough to stop him in his attack, to knock him backwards, to send him hurtling off of the roof. Susan took off, gently lifting her body up and hovering along and then down into the yard to catch up with the boy before he did any more damage. He'd landed OK and was already on his feet. She noticed that he had pulled out another magazine for his gun, which he promptly loaded. And then she noticed something else too, something Tyler hadn't seen yet but soon would. Any second now. Tyler spun around and his eyes delighted at the woman who was walking towards him. He pulled back the slide of his handgun as he rushed towards the woman, thinking he now had himself a hostage to bargain with. "Don't," Susan warned. But he was already there. The woman was dressed as a vampire, but unconventionally so. Wendy he thought her name was. Yes, that was it, Wendy, a pretty, not to mention exceedingly voluptuous young woman. And she'd dressed up as Sookie Stackhouse, a character from the TV vampire show 'True Blood'. Even though the actual costume was just an obscenely tight T-shirt and short shorts. The shirt was blood stained and Wendy wore vampire fangs. He had to admit, she looked impressive. A wonderful blending of Halloween horror and blatant sex appeal. "She's a vampire," warned Susan. "The spell's finished," Tyler reminded her as he pointed his gun at the relentlessly approaching Wendy. Susan rolled her eyes. Some bad guys didn't deserve the title. They were too stupid to be real villains. Wendy hadn't flinched at Tyler's threat. She just locked her eyes on him, cruel malice written boldly across her face. Too late he realised the danger. Wendy grabbed the gun, ignoring the shot that fired as she did so, not even flinching as the bullet bounced off of her belly. Tyler struggled against her, but the woman was inhumanly strong. His arm snapped with a loud crack as she pulled him roughly toward her. Her breasts crushed up against him, her arms hugging him hard against her body so furiously that he thought she might actually crush his ribs in the process. Her face nuzzled into the crook of his throat and he felt the fangs go in. "How?" he sighed as the vampire finally took him. "She didn't come as a vampire," Susan told him, strolling unhurriedly over towards them. "She wasn't changed by her costume. She was bitten by another vampire. One who is attacked by a vampire becomes one in turn. Don't you know that? I thought everyone knew that." But Tyler wasn't listening to her. Tyler was already dead. Wendy finished draining the corpse and tossed it away, done. She stepped back grinning, sated for the time being. "You don't need to be wary," Wendy assured Susan, "I'm not going to try and attack you. I know you're Supergirl. I know I can't hurt you." Susan passed her a tissue and she took it thankfully, wiping the blood from around her mouth. "Besides, I've just fed. I'm not hungry." "How long did it take you to wake as a vampire?" Wendy shrugged. "Hour or so," she guessed. "I can't let that happen to him," Susan explained. "He's too dangerous. I can't let a man like him have the kind of powers you have. Do you understand?" "Go ahead. I don't care about him, I was just hungry." Tyler's body had fallen face down on the ground. Susan sat astride it, pinning the shoulders down with her knees. She took a firm hold of the head and wrenched it viciously around. With a savage sounding crunch and a long tearing noise, Supergirl ripped Tyler's head right off. Wendy watched, genuinely curious. "Isn't he meant to go all dusty or crumble to ash?" "That only happens if you kill a vampire. He hadn't changed yet. Now he never will." There was an uncomfortable pause. "And am I next?" Wendy asked slowly, well aware that she could be fighting for her life any moment. Fighting against a far more powerful foe. But Supergirl made no threatening moves. In fact she smiled. And it was the sweetest, most gentle smile you could possibly imagine from a girl who's just ripped someone's head off. "Actually, I think you might be useful to keep around for a while." "How's that?" "I'm pretty sure I've just murdered the only son of a powerful businessman, a member of some evil black magic cabal. I get the feeling that I'm gonna be grateful for all the friends I can get, especially the superhuman ones." Wendy smiled. "Sounds like fun." Together they headed back into the party to survey the damage and check on their friends.