SS Halloween Special Ch 9

Elsa and Ying head down and through the junk room, into the wine room.

There are perfectly good overhead lights that work, but they’re all turned off. An electric lantern sits on the floor, and Apple is on her hands and knees, lighting candles.

The others watch idly, and Ying hands Kylie her drink.

“Thank you, beautiful,” Kylie says, giving Ying a sly look. “Would you believe me if I told you I’ve never double-fisted before?” she lifts the two cups.

Apple has drawn a big, elaborate design on the floor: several circles overlapping and involving a lot of symbols. In the middle is a five-pointed star. There are entirely too many candles, and their light gleams on the padlock keeping the dungeon shut.

“What’s all this?” Colby asks, pointing at the symbols.

“It’s how we get the cool ghosts,” Apple says, doggedly clicking her utility lighter.

“Cool like they’ll do a shoey or cool like the spirits of multiple murderers and that?” Kylie asks. “Like, instead of the spirit of some insurance salesman.”

Colby gasps. “What if we get the spirit of the girls murdered here? Oh! Oh!” She lifts her mask and takes a gulp of her drink.

“Chucky,” Kylie goes. “That was the spirit of a multiple murderer.”

“Oh my god.” Elsa drinks deeply.

Ying leans toward her. “I don’t understand everything being said.”

“You’re the lucky one. Now what the fuck are you doing, Apple?” Elsa snaps.

Apple has a container of table salt, and she’s pouring it on the floor in a circle around the circle that’s already there.

“It’s protection,” she says, the frills of her black dress bouncing. Her hat falls off, and she hurriedly puts it back on. “It’s a real thing. Trust me.”

“Did you draw this with lipstick?” Ying asks.

“I wasn’t going to use blood,” Apple replies defensively.

Elsa makes a face. “Are you supposed to use blood?”

Apple pauses to consult her instructions. “It doesn’t say. But you would think, right?” She opens a suitcase off to the side and lifts out a familiar board covered in letters and words. She places it in the center of the circle.

Colby balks. “What? It’s just a normal Ouija Board? Lame! I want my money back. I want to see the manager.”

“I thought we’d sacrifice a goat or something,” Kylie says.

Elsa gasps. “You wouldn’t! I wouldn’t. Swear to god. Anyone tries to hurt a goat, and I’ll **** everyone.”

“Maybe don’t say that here, of all places,” Colby says.

“Maybe don’t be a nerd,” Elsa shoots back with a hiccup.

Colby whirls, waving a floppy sleeve. “Maybe get a costume that fits!” She hesitates, thinking furiously. “Nipples Mc… Nippleserson!”

Elsa’s buzzed brain searches for a comeback. She has nothing.

“Now that I said Chucky, I’m thinking about Jennifer Tilly,” Kylie says. “Can we get Jennifer Tilly?”

Apple looks back at her, frowning. “What?”

“Can we summon her? I like her.”

“She’s not dead, doofus,” Elsa says.

“We can only do dead people?” Kylie sounds disappointed. It’s only then that Elsa remembers that Kylie is not at UFG on an academic scholarship.