Babette wasn't really fond of Halloween. You might think it odd, for a witch, but truth be told this holiday wasn't really helping the cause of witches in general. It made them look either extremely ugly or very stupid. But this time, Babette was willing to change her mind.

She had been invited to a party! A costume, candy, buffet, nice wine and fancy decorations kind of party, mind you! Free food is always good to take, and she thought she had a right to some relaxing time.

The costume wasn't hard to make, at least: just add a bit of black to her usual garb, a pumpkin on her hat and tadaa! She now looked like a "proper" witch. On her way to the party, she met with a man dressed as a demon: three black horns, gray-blue skin... And a heart-stealing smile. As it turns out, they going to the same place. 

While they walked towards the gigantic manor, they exchanged trivialities and tried not to reveal that they weren't really completely human. Luckily for them, Babette and Mike aren't typically names associated with occult powers.

As soon as they opened the door, they were swept off their feet by a butler, who separated them while directing everyone to the long tables where food was served. Otherworldly music was playing, the guests and hosts were charming, the wine powerful, and Babette soon found herself completely relaxed. 

For just a short while.

The front door suddenly opened with a thunder clap, revealing the latest guest. This one had nothing charming about him at all. Tall, muscular, with an evil smile and a cleaver in hand, he was welcomed by the Jack'O Lantern host like an old friend.

"Butcher! At last! Ladies and gentlemen, we are now complete. Let the party... Begin."

The newcomer raised his arm in mock salute, a wide grin on his ugly face, and advanced on the closest open-mouthed person with obviously violent intentions. It was Mike.

The demon slowly stepped back as the Butcher advanced, trying not to bump into anyone. "Oh, I'm sorry Babette, I didn't mean to..." His apology was cut short by a cleaver coming straight at his head, forcing him to dodge and run for cover.

“Oh dear, okay Babette, relax. Deep breaths. Yes. You can do this. Now, for the love of snakes, THINK!” Babette was starting to panic, which is never a good thing to do. Especially in this sort of situations. She hadn’t been a witch for long, 30 years weren’t enough to overcome her natural anxiety. She was almost forgetting she had powers at all!

“Wait… Old manor, unkempt, eerie loud music…” her thoughts were interrupted by the Butcher jumping over the unconscious body of a lady who had the brilliant idea to faint in terror merely a minute ago. Babette threw the contents of her glass on the floor, right under the man's feet. He slipped, which was of course the expected result, and landed on his machete-holding arm, which was a very much welcomed bonus. It wasn’t enough to completely stop that madman, but it would give her enough time to retreat.

Babette barely had time to take a few steps in a random direction before she was hit on the midsection by a nicely thrown pumpkin, effectively cutting her breath for a few seconds. That seemed to settle her panicked mind a bit, just enough to properly examine what had hit her. It was the host’s head. Bloodied, still lit from the inside, a creepy smile forever carved under terrifying empty eyes, the head spoke. “Booh!”

This did not quite have the effect it should have. Instead of screaming and dropping the crazed pumpkin, Babette threw it away in the general direction of the staircase, on which the rest of that definitely spooky host’s body stood. Almost lucky throw: it missed the body but hit the wall, making a loud “crack”, damaging both the head and wall. 

Meanwhile, the Butcher had regained his composure and was hacking and slashing his way towards that rude woman who had dared ridicule him. He was not happy, and he was getting hungry.

“Oh no you don’t! I have my final exams in a few, and I really want to get my broomstick! And my Familiar! You’re NOT taking that away from me!” 

Babette’s fear was making her angry. She had worked so hard for that exam, and she wasn’t about to let something as petty as imminent death ruin all her efforts! She dodged, kicked, twirled, put her hand in her pocket and finally found what she was hoping for. Her star-shaped talismans, magic condensers, currently her most powerful tools. She wouldn’t have time for a big spell but…

The Butcher was almost on her when she turned around. Facing him, she raised her talismans and chanted a simple blinding spell. With the help of her stars, the damage would be permanent. The madman raised his hands to try and protect his eyes but it was too late. Babette took advantage of his struggling and gave him a kick in the knees, trying to break his legs. It didn’t work, but he did lose his balance and slipped on all the blood, alcohol and sweat that littered the floor. 

Unable to get back up, his eyes useless, his arm and legs hurting, he growled but knew that was not getting him anywhere. Babette had won this fight. Next, she turned to the pumpkin man who was still on the staircase, his head under an arm, eyes wide and obviously thinking hard.

“Anyone still alive?” there were a couple of miraculously unharmed people, and a few wounded. Mike gave her a thumbs-up from under a table. He had found the waffles. 

Babette had to act fast if she wanted a chance to save them all. She rushed to the staircase, her mind covering every possible option. What could she… “Of course! The roof! It’s next to collapsing anyways, shouldn’t be too hard…” 

As soon as she was within reach, she shot the pumpkin head with all her might, aiming for what looked like a weak spot in the roof. A bit off course, but it hit and did some damage. Not quite enough, though. Babette was starting to get desperate, especially since the host’s body was still moving and trying to kill her.

In frustration, she hit the wall behind her, trying to think, unable to gather her wits for more than a split-second because of the rising panic. The whole manor shook from the violence of her anger, and the already-weakened roof finally collapsed. To make it even better, parts of it fell straight on the wriggling body, effectively crushing it. 

She had somehow managed to defeat both of her enemies, and the other guests had been smart enough to join the demon under his table as soon as she had hit the wall. They were still alive, most of them even able to walk. They could now all make their way towards the wide-open hole upstairs, shocked and grateful to see the moon still shining.

"Never. Doing. Halloween. Again."