October 29th

1118 EST

While Avi was not human, she was fascinated with the celebrations that the human race participated in. As Halloween approached, she found herself decorating her room with paper bats and orange and black streamers. She knew everything about the holiday and its origins in a metaphorical heartbeat, and even though October 31st could potentially bode imminent danger for her and her friends, Avi was entirely excited for the holiday to arrive.

Sunlight streamed in through her window as she finished sticking the last of the decorative pumpkins to the glass panes. Smiling with pride, Avi stood back and admired her work. She almost didn't hear her door opening behind her, and didn't turn until she felt the general chill that followed Tristan.

She whirled around, seeing the dark haired boy lean against the doorframe, an amused smile on his lips. "Yes?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Tristan's smile grew. He cast his icy eyes around the room, nodding to himself as he noted the decorations. "Way to get into the spirit, Av." He acknowledged.

Avi folded her arms, sticking her nose into the air. "Why, thank you, Tristan. I am quite proud of myself, to say the least."

Tristan laughed, causing Avi to do a quick scan of the boy in her doorway. She'd hardly heard him laugh these past few weeks, what with their strenuous training and relentless meetings with the Contingency day in and day out. Her readings told her that while still stressed, he was happy, and that was enough to put a smile on her face as well.

Tristan nodded his head out towards the hallway. "Come on, we're going on a field trip."

Avi knit her eyebrows. "What? Where?"

Tristan pushed himself off of the doorframe. He was dressed for a day in the city; black jacket over a flannel hoodie and t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "Halloween costume shopping," He smiled weakly. "By command of Priscilla and my relentless twin sister."

Avi beamed. "Fantastic." While she didn't have a temperature to maintain, she still pulled on a coat and some mittens. She followed Tristan out of her room and down to the cortex, where her friends were waiting. What shocked Avi most was how silent everyone was.

Bristol leant against one of the pillars, her lined eyes shut with her face to the sky. Her arms were folded over her tan peacoat, her hair windswept as always. She opened her eyes to see Avi and Tristan enter, but didn't do much to acknowledge them. She merely pushed herself off the pillar, stretching her muscles.

CJ sat at the base of the training platform, his hazel eyes distant. He bounced his leg up and down rapidly, paying no attention to Avi and Tristan or even Bristol for that matter, which struck Avi as odd.

Liv, it seemed, was the only one with any energy. She clapped her hands together, hopping off of the training platform with a feline agility. "Glad to see you all could make it," She grinned. "Shall we?"

Without another word from her companions, Liv sauntered down the opposite hallway, the others herded behind her. Soon enough, they reached the manual entrance. Avi remembered the time when CJ had brought them down there over the summer, voicing his beliefs of a corrupt system beneath the river.

Avi frowned. Things were a lot easier back then.

Bristol stepped forward, just like she had done back then, only now the prospect of herding a group of heroes beneath a river to the opposite shore didn't even faze her. She spread her hands, forging into the river. The others followed as she headed to the shore leading to Brightbay City, not even breaking a sweat as she climbed back onto dry land.

As the dark haired girl trudged forward, breaking into a soft conversation with Liv, Avi leant up to Tristan. "Something's off," She murmered.

Tristan knit his eyebrows together. "But what?"

Avi cast a glance in Bristol's direction. She tried to read her, but couldn't. Frowning, Avi continued to follow through the woods. A while later, the Union was maneuvering their way through Brightbay City, crossing bustling streets and moving past people in all directions.

"Alright, Liv, how much further?" Tristan called from beside Avi. They sidestepped around a man walking his dog, trying to keep up with Tristan's sister and the two silent heroes in her wake.

Liv didn't respond for a moment, but after another block, she lit up. "Here we are!" She exclaimed, staring up at the marquee above the shop. Sure enough, Liv had led them to a Halloween costume shop. "In, we go."

Although something was clearly up with Bristol, it slipped from Avi's mind as her gaze fell upon the glitzy costumes on every rack in the store. She lit up, attacking the nearest one with delight. "Do you guys know what you want to be this year?"

"Is 'not killed by Rune' an option?" CJ drawled, leaning against a pillar. He glanced at his side at the shelf of skulls and leapt away.

Tristan made a contemplative face. "I think that goes for all of us." He clapped the speedster on the shoulder, moving past him towards Avi. He glanced at Bristol, and that longing Avi had come to notice filled his sapphire eyes.

She followed his gaze to see Bristol strolling deeper into the store, approaching a glittery aisle filled with sparkling dresses and tiaras. The brunette bit her lip and turned back to face Avi and the others. "Avi, do you wanna help me find a costume?" She asked.

Avi found herself smiling. "I would love to!" She glanced at Tristan cautiously, as if gauging his reaction, but the blue-eyed boy only smiled at her.

Liv pranced up to them, linking her arm around her brother's. "So, Tristan, what're you thinking for Halloween?" She continued to chatter with him, lugging him away down another aisle. Tristan shot a panicked look at Avi before disappearing into the aisle.

Avi stifled a laugh and glanced back at Bristol, finding that she was doing the same. The Elemental Empress looked up and met Avi's gaze, nodding her head over to the sparkly section. "Come on," She said, a laugh laced in her voice.

Avi started forward, but noted CJ's lingering by the column. She frowned, catching the speedster's attention. "CJ, would you like to accompany us?"

CJ looked up and something about his gaze unsettled Avi. She detected immense waves of distress coming from within him, especially when he stole a quick look at Bristol. However, his signature smile crept onto his face as he jerked a thumb behind him.

"Thanks, but no thanks. There's a superhero aisle over that way and I would like to see if they've got any Flash suits." He pushed himself off of the column, starting forward.

Avi shrugged, pacing to stand at Bristol's side, who watched the speedster saunter away. "He's already a speedster and wants to be one for Halloween."

"I heard that!" CJ called, not daring to look back.

Bristol laughed, despite her tense stature. "Dork," she shook her head. "Shall we?" She looked up at Avi.

"We shall," Avi said happily. Together, she and Bristol entered the aisle, and Avi was caught off guard by how many glitzy costumes and accessories hung from the racks. She approached a pink dress, feeling the fabric. "Is there a specific character you would like to be?"

Bristol made a face. "Well, yes." She said, searching through a rack of blue gowns. She frowned, stepping away. "But these are all kids dresses."

Avi looked around the aisle, trying to pinpoint any blue gowns in an adult size in the store. Thankfully, no one aside from Bristol was around to see her eyes glow. As soon as she finished, a little girl and boy ran into the aisle, chasing one another around. A woman followed them, most likely their mother.

"I've got an idea," Bristol smirked. She sped out of the aisle, Avi forced to follow in her wake. The brunette wove her way through the store, coming across Tristan, who was waiting for his sister outside the dressing rooms.

He knit his eyebrows at seeing Avi and Bristol, watching them carefully. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

Bristol spread her hands, moving to sit beside him. She batted her eyelashes, a charming look on her face. "Tristan..." She leant up, a sweet smile on her face. "Do you think you could..." She trailed off, whispering in his ear.

At first, Tristan took a ragged breath but at hearing Bristol's request, he turned to glare at her. His nose to hers and a knowing look on Bristol's face, he spoke. "No, no I am not using my powers to make you an Elsa costume."

Bristol's smile fell into a tired visage. "You're no fun." She decided, pushing herself off of the bench. "Come on, Avi, maybe we'll have better luck with your costume."

Avi laughed. She and Bristol left Tristan to his own devices, and as they headed through the store. They returned to the princess aisle, and as they continued to search the racks, Avi's curiosity built.

"Bristol, is everything alright with you lately? You seem a little...off." Avi noted, her voice soft.

Bristol tensed, but just as quickly relaxed. "Nope," She said airily. "I'm fine. Totally fine."

Avi arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" She pressed.

Bristol sighed. She glanced at the little girl near them, looking up at the dresses in admiration. Her brown eyes returned to Avi. "CJ and I sort of broke up."

Avi blinked. "Really?" She felt the need to run and tell Tristan, he'd be ecstatic! But she found herself staying put, continuing to look through the racks.

Bristol nodded. "I mean, it's hard to consider that we even dated to begin with. We've hardly had any time to ourselves to actually do anything together, so we both thought it was kind of useless to have the title and just not enforce it." She paused. "It's a relief, and I'm glad it was a mutual thing."

Avi smiled. She reached forward, resting her hand on Bristol's shoulder. "I am glad you are okay, Bristol. Truly."

Bristol met Avi's gaze, and for the first time that day, she saw sincerity in Bristol's dark irises. "Thanks, Avi."

Avi grinned. "Now," She grabbed a half dozen dresses off the racks, giving Bristol a mischievous smile. "Shall we try these on?"

Bristol tossed her head back and laughed. She reached forward and grabbed some from Avi's arms. "We shall."

With their free arms linked, they sauntered through the store to the dressing rooms.

~~~

An hour later, and the Union was prepared for Halloween. It seemed that they had forgotten about the imminent danger that could await them, only focusing on their plans for the holiday and trying to hint to one another what their costumes were.

"Bristol, what is this I hear of Tristan making you a costume?" Liv elbowed her brother in the ribs, wiggling her eyebrows at the dark haired girl at her side.

Bristol waved her free hand dismissively. "Oh, please," She said airily. "It's not like he could actually make anything."

Tristan made a face. "What're you trying to get at, Bris?"

Bristol met his gaze. "Oh, nothing, Tris."

Avi met Liv's eyes and they both rolled their eyes playfully. Nerds.

They exited the store and turned to head down the street but ran into CJ, who was staring up at the window display of the costume shop. His hazel eyes were glued to the display in disbelief, his lips parted.

Avi frowned. "CJ, are you alright?"

The speedster didn't speak, he merely pointed to the display as his friends surrounded him. Avi, Liv, Bristol, and Tristan gasped in unison. Bags fell to the sidewalk as hands flew to opened mouths, eyes bulging in disbelief.

The costume shop's window display held five mannequins, a bold banner bearing respective symbols above each one. The first mannequin was dressed in a royal blue and silver suit, a snowflake emblem in the center that matched the banner hanging above it. The second, a black suit with green streaks forming an intricate pattern across the neckline and shoulders, matching the triangle-like symbol on the banner. The third, a blue top and skirt with a golden double E emblem. The fourth, a red, black, and silver uniform, and the fifth, a black and red suit, lightbolts down the sides.

The Union stared up at their supersuits, now in costume form for the people of Brightbay City to wear on Halloween.

"That's insane," Tristan breathed, his sapphire eyes glittering with admiration.

Avi tried to agree, but despite the knowledge of every word and language known to man she possessed, she found herself speechless. Her green eyes traced over the banner hanging above the mannequins. It read This Halloween, join the heroes of Brightbay City! Each one of their superhero aliases was printed over a plaque at the foot of each of mannequin.

"You guys know what this means, right?" Liv spoke silently, tearing her caramel eyes from the display. "We have a duty to this city. More so than ever before. We can't let Rune get away with his plans."

Together, Avi, CJ, Bristol, and Tristan looked at Liv, who stared boldly at each of them.

"She's got a point," CJ noted, waving to the display behind him. "People are looking up to us a lot now. We're not just training to be heroes anymore. We are the heroes now."

Avi pressed her lips together. At that moment, the door to the shop opened, and the family that had been inside with Avi and Bristol earlier came out, bags in hand. However, the little boy and girl wore their costumes, and Avi's heart swelled at seeing Liv and Tristan lock eyes instantly.

"Look, mom, I'm Deep Freeze!" The little boy exclaimed. He ran around his mother's legs, pretending to blast things with his imaginary ice powers. Tristan tried to fight the grin on his face.

"I'm Ember!" His sister shouted. She threw her hands forward, making sound effects as she shot her imaginary flames around her. Liv put her hand up to her mouth, her eyes glassy.

Their mother only laughed, grabbing her kids by their hands and smiling at the teenagers before her apologetically. Her children only smiled and waved back, trying to impress the strangers with their so-called powers. If only they knew that the heroes they so admired were the teens standing before them.

No one spoke as they watched the woman and her kids head down the street, still pretending to be superheroes. The only thing that interrupted the reverie was the sudden shimmer of light in a nearby alley.

Avi turned to see Priscilla standing in front of a trash can, wrinkling her nose as she stepped away from it. Their caretaker emerged from the alley, sauntering towards them in her signature heels and a white suit.

"Kids, I hope you all had fun on your little field trip." She stretched her lips into a smile. "I hate to interrupt but I'm afraid we have intel on our little issue. Come." She turned on her heel and headed back to the alleyway, where no doubt, a portal was waiting to be opened.

Avi shared glances with her friends, and as the five heroes shot one last reverent look at the display in their honor, they headed down the sidewalk after their caretaker.

~~~

"A few weeks ago, courtesy of Liv, the Contingency was able to get ahold of one of Rune's teleportation amulets. As I'm sure you all know, these amulets are in possession of each of Rune's central cohorts. Titanium Wave was able to succeed in tracking a surge of Rune's power." Priscilla's voice reverberated around the impeccable control room, which for once, was lacking a member of the Contingency.

The Union's red-haired caretaker tapped something on her tablet and an image displayed itself on the transparent screen in the center of the room. A map of Massachusetts opened up, reveling Brightbay City as the halfway point between Boston and Cape Cod. Another tap from Priscilla and a purple light pulsed in the northern part of the state, the image zooming in on itself until a map of Salem was traced on the screen.

"Rune was last tracked in Salem a few days ago. While not spotted directly, witnesses reported odd noises and lights coming from Salem Woods late at night." Priscilla took a breath, pacing to stand in front of the screen. "I'm sure you all know the history surrounding Salem, and why this could pose as a big threat considering Rune's plans."

"The place is known for witchcraft," Tristan folded his arms, his eyebrows furrowed. "Rune's planning some sort of necromantic approach."

"He's already a sorcerer, can't he do that stuff by himself?" Liv countered, lifting a hand.

Priscilla shook her head. "While Rune is exceptionally powerful, an approach like this...well...it might take a sort of mythic aid to carry out. And Halloween is one of the most mythical holidays out there, if not the most."

Bristol blinked, watching the pulsing purple light on the screen. "So you're trying to tell us that Rune's got some sort of demonic force out there that's helping his plans?"

"That seems to be the possibility, yes."

"Well, wonderful." Bristol pushed herself off of the wall she was leaning against. "That's right up our alley of weird."

Avi watched Priscilla carefully. Their caretaker had been acting strangely in the past couple of weeks, but she seemed to be acting normally now. "When do we leave?" She asked.

"Right away," Priscilla tapped at something on her tablet. "I'll teleport you, but before you go, the Contingency has brought you five some gifts."

She sauntered over to the council table on the opposite side of the screen, coming back with five plain white boxes that matched the interiors of the room they were in. "The city has started to recognize you five as its permanent saviors, so the Contingency has decided that you deserve the gadgets that'll help you out on your missions." She smiled, handing everyone a box.

Avi stared at the blank white box, no bigger than a standard necklace box. She opened it and her eyes widened instantly. Atop the plush navy insides was a thin metallic bracelet, obsidian in color with lime green designs gilded into it. It weighed almost nothing, but as Avi slipped it on, she could feel the energy pulsing within it.

"What are these?" CJ asked, slipping on his bracelet which was black with arcs of scarlet and gold.

"Your supersuits." Priscilla said with a proud tone. "You can carry them with you everywhere now, in case you ever need a quick transformation. When you activate it, the bracelet will meld into your suits, and carry all the same functions as the devices in your sleeve cuffs do. Earpiece controllers, flares, it's all in there. All you need to do to activate your transformation is tap the bracelet."

Avi couldn't fight the anticipation welling inside of her. She tapped the obsidian metal and a flash of light wrapped around her like a butterfly's cocoon. A second later, the glow faded, and when Avi looked down, her black and green supersuit was on her body. She glanced down at her left wrist where the bracelet had been and sure enough, it had joined with her black sleeve.

"See? It works!" Priscilla exclaimed triumphantly, waving a hand at Avi. She cast a look at the other four heroes, who watched Avi in astonishment. Quickly, Avi tapped the cuff of her left sleeve, and another flash of light later, she was back in her casual clothing.

"Priscilla, would you mind running over the task one more time?" CJ asked, tearing his gaze away from his bracelet and the powers it possessed. "I think we've all forgot it what with these new toys."

"Ah, yes," Priscilla noted. "I'll teleport you five to Salem. Once there, learn as much about the area and its history as possible before dark. Gather information, witnesses, anything. But do not enter the forest, understand?"

Bristol made a face. "Why not?"

Priscilla took a shaky breath. "Rune's magic, you all can deal with using your own abilities. Whatever he is summoning in that forest, should he still be there, is beyond our knowledge and control. I do not want you five getting into trouble that you don't know how to defeat."

Avi shared a look with Tristan, turning to meet everyone else's eyes as well. If it was one thing the Union did from time to time, it was break protocol. Especially if they thought something was up. However, something flared within Avi. She trusted Priscilla's word on this, that whatever they did, do not enter the forest.

"What if it's still light out? Those witnesses reported stuff happening late at night so what if we scope out the woods in the daytime?" CJ suggested.

Priscilla shook her head. "I'd rather you not. If you must get a glimpse of the forest, go with a tour group or something of that sort. Those things close by evening, so I trust you'd be out in time before anything happened. But listen to me. If you are in the woods and you get the slightest feeling something is wrong, you run. Do not try to fight it. Understand?"

The unanimous silence formed their caretaker's answer, despite it being the opposite of what the heroes anticipated.

Priscilla straightened up. She tapped her tablet again and the map on the screen disappeared, the transparent screen going blank. "Very well," She said. "If you all are ready, we'll reconvene in the cortex in ten minutes to get you all going."

She waved a manicured hand at them in dismissal, and the five heroes relaxed and left the control room. As soon as the door shut behind them, a voice spoke up from the corner.

"What was that about?" Calum drawled, leaning against the wall. A smirk laced his lips as usual, his dark eyes a black hole of control and manipulation.

Bristol smiled sweetly. "Nothing that the son of a villain needs to know about."

Calum's smirk seemed to grow, his eyes growing darker. "Careful, Bristol. Wouldn't want our lovely friends to know about that little secret you've been hiding."

Bristol's brown eyes flickered with a sort of fire that Avi had only seen in Liv. She clenched her fists at her sides, staring dead into Calum's obsidian irises.

Tristan, Avi, Liv, and CJ watched Calum carefully, sensing the tension between him and Bristol. Avi performed a quick scan of the two and detected immense amounts of rage coming from Bristol, waiting to be released like a geyser about to burst.

"Bris, what's he talking about?" Tristan asked, concern and skepticism in his voice.

"Nothing," Bristol responded quickly. She stretched out her fingers, still glaring daggers at the son of Psyche.

"Oh, it's hardly nothing." Calum opened his mouth to speak again but in a second, Bristol's hand flexed. All the air in the hall went still at her command, and Calum's eyes widened. He took a breath, trying to gasp for air, but only glared at Bristol when he couldn't.

"It's—nothing." Bristol forced through grit teeth.

Avi didn't need to breathe, but her friends did. She shot a pleading look at Bristol, and was nearly taken aback by the fire in her eyes. However, the brunette's gaze softened. Her hand relaxed, and with a sigh, air streamed back through the metallic corridors.

"Wanna try that again?" Bristol said sweetly, a sarcastic smile on her lips. It fell, and she shoved past Calum as she stormed down the hall to the cortex.

Calum didn't so much as bother to look after her. His gaze fell upon Liv, who looked very uncomfortable. "Liv, talk to me when you get back from this little...retreat." He waved a hand lazily, pushing himself off of his spot on the wall and stalking past the rest of the Union on his way back to his room.

"I wonder what he was talking about with Bristol," CJ mused, confusion in his hazel eyes. "She never told me anything about Calum knowing something about her."

Tristan set his jaw. "It's probably nothing."

Avi knew as much was a lie, but they couldn't afford to interrogate one another for their secrets. She remembered how much it had taken Bristol to confess about her time in Rune's prison, and how much stronger she had gotten in her time away from her bonds. She decided to use that as an excuse, trying to compensate for the answers her companions wanted.

"Calum's a mindreader. He probably was able to learn about Bristol's time in Rune's grasp before she told us. He doesn't know she already told us, so he thinks that it is still incentive on her. That is all." Avi placated.

The silence that followed wasn't exactly on Avi's list of things that were reassuring to witness, but it would have to do. Liv sighed from beside her, running a hand through her cropped platinum hair. "Come on, before Priscilla yaps at us for being late."

They followed Liv down the hall, preparing for what was to come.

~~~

Wind blew through Salem as the Union walked down its streets, sending a chill down their spines. Avi wasn't bothered by it too much, only finding it slightly aggravating when her hair would blow into her face, cutting off what she had to say.

For the most part, they listened to what they could from gift shops, tour guides, and more. However, it was Bristol that seemed to have the most knowledge of the area, and Avi and the others found themselves following the Elemental Empress.

"The events of the Salem Witch Trials actually happen in what's now Danvers, which is a little ways north from here," Bristol concluded her spiel. "But just like any other historical place, this Salem is more popular to visit during this time of year than the actual Salem."

CJ wrinkled his nose. "If the witchcraft didn't happen here, then why is this where Rune's hiding?"

Bristol shrugged. "Back then, they didn't have distinct towns and borders. Danvers is still really close to where we are now, so they probably used the same woods that Rune's supposedly hiding in."

"So, what, are we witchhunters now?" Liv asked, shoving her hands into her coat pockets.

Avi tilted her head. "Warlockhunters," She teased.

The group laughed, their voices carrying on the wind. They continued on through the streets, until the more populated areas turned to neighborhoods, CJ leading the way. The tops of the forest rose in the near distance, looming like a watchtower over the Union's every move. Eventually, they reached a house that appeared to be abandoned, weeds growing all over the place.

"Uh, CJ?" Liv asked. "Where are we?"

The speedster blinked and knit his eyebrows at the house. "That's weird..." He whispered. "I could've sworn..." He glanced back at his friends tentatively and smiled sheepishly. "We might be lost."

"What now?" Tristan groaned, turning around to try to find a way out. "It's getting dark."

"We should let Priscilla know we're done." Avi stated. She pulled her hand out of her pocket to tap her bracelet, but the sound of rapid breathing and footsteps made her jump.

Incoming from what looked to be a road into the forest were two middle school aged boys. Their cheeks were red from exhaustion and the stinging October wind, their eyes wide and filled with urgency. Whatever they were running away from, it seemed to make the wind a whole lot colder.

"Woah, slow down Speed Racer," Bristol stopped one, a kind look in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

The boy she had intercepted took some ragged breaths, looking back at the treetops in the distance. "We...we were just going on a walk...and we...we saw these lights."

Bristol looked up quickly, her brown eyes filled with fear. "Did you follow them?"

"No, they...they seemed to...to get closer. We...we ran after that. Please...please can I go home now?"

Bristol stood. "Of course, hurry on home. Don't go back into the forest, okay? Not until its safe." She said. The boy and his friend nodded, and together, they blitzed off down the streets.

As soon as they were gone, it seemed that the sky was darkening a lot quicker. The wind got colder, and a silent agreement filled the spaces between Avi and her friends.

"Do we go or do we not go?" Liv asked, panic filling her voice. "Something doesn't feel right."

Avi clenched her hands into fists. "Priscilla told us not to enter the forest after dark." She gazed back at the treetops, only to see a flare of purple light come from within the woods. "But this could be the lead we have been needing to figure out Rune's plans."

She met her friends eyes and despite the fear she could detect radiating off of them all, they tapped their bracelets. With flashes of multicolored light, they were in their supersuits, and the confidence of their superhero aliases seemed to soften the levels of fear surrounding them.

~~~

The light stopped flaring as soon as Avi, Bristol, CJ, Liv, and Tristan entered the forest. Night fell faster, stars and an almost full moon dotting the sky. Their light seemed to do nothing for their visibility, and it was up to Avi's nightvision and Bristol and Liv's fire powers to give them light.

"What are we even looking for?" CJ hissed, casting a glance over his shoulder. "I'm not a fan of being in creepy forests. Bristol can vouch."

"I can," Bristol piped up softly, the flames in her hand illuminating her face. "It wasn't fun. Very Blair Witch Project-esque."

"Would you both shut up? You'll lure Rune right to us." Tristan hissed. His eyes glowed with icy intensity, and he turned back around to lead the way.

Avi maintained her silence, scanning every treeline for anything malevolent in nature. Aside from some curious foxes and other woodland creatures, nothing approached the heroes trekking through their home.

The trail they were on began to turn more decrepit, and as they rounded a bend, Bristol and CJ both tensed.

"What?" Liv asked, her caramel eyes glowing alongside the fireball in her palm.

Bristol took a ragged breath and pointed. "We're in the right place." She croaked.

Directly ahead of them, about twenty yards away, a large graveyard began from the foot of the trail. Graves made of piles of stone filled the yard, and maybe it was Tristan's or Bristol's agitation, but mist began to form around them.

"Let's check it out," Liv tried, starting forward.

Bristol, quick as an adder, reached forward and grabbed the blonde's wrist, pulling her back. "Liv, I'm serious, there is nothing in there that you want to see." She looked ahead to Tristan. "Tris, we can't keep going. We've gotta go back, come on. Something isn't right."

Tristan turned to face his companions, but his eyes locked on something behind them all. His face went slack with horror and he froze.

"Tristan, what—" Avi turned and her eyes widened. She felt every system within her flare at her fear as she stared down the creature standing at the end of the path before it disappeared back around the bend they'd come from.

It stood among the mist, its leathery face tilted to one side. Its eyes glowed with a sickening green color, and aside from that, it had no face. Although it was too far for normal vision to detect, Avi could note decomposed clothing clinging to its now leathery body. A zombie.

"He did it," Avi said in absolute horror. "He actually did it."

For a moment, the heroes stared down the monster that had appeared behind them. Then, it took a lurching step forward as its eyes glowed, and a scream ripped up from behind Avi.

"SCATTER!" Tristan bellowed. He shot a blast of ice overhead, towards the zombie.

The Union didn't need to be told twice. They split, Tristan and CJ going one way and Avi, Liv, and Bristol going the other. They darted into opposite sides of the forest, darting past trees and rocks and things Avi hoped were not extensions of the graveyard that resided ahead of them.

A rustling sound from behind them sent another flare of panic into Avi. It had chosen to follow them, and based on how quickly at had caught up to them, it was nowhere near as stereotypically slow as the media portrayed them. This thing had been enchanted by dark magic, and was given abilities that Priscilla had guaranteed they would not know how to deal with.

"How do we kill this thing?" Bristol flicked her hand, and a shudder ran through the earth. The sound of a boulder hitting something behind them filled Avi's ears, making them run faster in hopes to lose their pursuer.

"You mean how do we rekill it?" Liv countered, lobbing a fireball over her shoulder. "I don't know, why don't we call the cast of The Walking Dead?"

"Not the time!" Avi interrupted, and the three girls picked up their pace.

They continued to run through Salem Woods, and were forced to take a breather after a while. Bristol and Liv leant against trees, catching their breath. The soft babble of a stream nearby filled Avi's ears, and she tried to focus on it to relax.

"Avi, please tell me it isn't too close to us." Bristol panted, her brown eyes pleading.

Avi's eyes glowed neon and she performed a scan. She searched around them, and uneasily, came up with nothing. "It is gone." She said in disbelief.

Liv knit her eyebrows. "What?" She asked, bewildered. "How can that be?"

Avi turned to try again, but found herself face to face with a leathery face and glowing green eyes.

A scream built in her throat, and her training made her reflexes kick in despite her petrification. She thrust a hand forward, a green glow surrounding it, and shot a ball of green energy at the zombie. It went tumbling back a few yards, but recovered quickly.

"How the hell did that get here?" Bristol yelped. She straightened up, ready to run.

Avi racked her brain for possibilities. They couldn't keep running, they'd only lead the zombie after them and towards civilization. Tristan and CJ were nowhere to be seen, which made Avi believe that there couldn't be only one zombie. Besides, who knew what else Rune had running around in the forest?

"We can't run," Avi decided. "We stay and fight."

"That I can live with," Liv breathed. She yelled in defiance and thrust another ball of fire at their undead enemy. It exploded in front of the zombie, and while it looked fazed, it recovered.

"We need to overpower it. I will keep you both covered. Use your powers to overwhelm it." Avi ordered. Liv and Bristol nodded, locking hands.

Avi spread her hands, feeling the power within her awaken. Her eyes glowed neon and her skin radiated with her coding as an aura of green surrounded her, growing outward until she, Liv, and Bristol were encased in a force field.

"Go!" She commanded, trying to keep as much of her focus on maintaining the barrier as possible.

Liv and Bristol didn't need to be told twice. They locked their gaze on the zombie, which was trying to find a weak spot of the barrier, and raised their free hands up. Energy arced between them, as if a wild wind had ripped into the barrier. With a defiant yell in unison, a wave of energy shot out from the barrier, washing over the zombie.

"Where did you learn that?" Avi asked.

"Just now," The girls said in unison, taking a deep breath.

Bristol perked up at the sound of the stream and spread her hands. Instantly, a wave of water formed around her, materializing from the banks into thin air within the barrier. She willed the water around the outside of the force field, and turned it into shards of ice.

"Liv," Bristol strained, forcing her energy on her ice attack. "Catch it offguard. I'll deliver the blow."

"I thought you'd never ask." Liv said airily. She flexed her palms to the sky, and like a dragon, fire began to swirl around and around the girl's slim body, growing in heat and intensity. When she opened her eyes, they were the same color as they had been when they fought Rune at his fortress: a bold caramel and dancing with flames.

She threw her hands forward and the white hot arcs of flame ripped through the barrier without breaking it, heading straight for the zombie. For once, it didn't seem to recover quickly. When the fire faded, the zombie's leathery skin was burned intensely. Even the glow of its green eyes seemed dimmer.

"Bristol, now!" Avi commanded.

Bristol grit her teeth and flexed her palms, her ice storm darting through the air with lightning speed. Like a million arrows, the shards of ice pierced the zombie's body, and the light in its eyes went out as black blood leaked from its wounds. With a dispel of fog, the corpse disappeared.

Avi released the barrier, collapsing to the ground. She took a breath, although unnecessary, but was grateful for the oxygen in her lungs. "We should have listened," She said in a gravelly voice.

Liv took a deep breath. "Yes, but who knows what that thing would have done if we didn't kill it? Rune had a plan and we know it now. We've gotta get back to headquarters." She rested her hands on her hips, catching her breath.

Bristol ran a hand through her hair. "I don't think I've ever been that panicked in my whole life, and I've been kidnapped and tortured before." She said. Maybe she meant to laugh, but the darkness surrounding them seemed to thicken.

Avi reached down to the cuff of her sleeve, tapping where her bracelet should be. A flare emerged from the fabric, ripping through the sky and exploding in a small firework of green light.

"Hopefully the boys are alright." She managed, looking around. Her eyes kept tracing back to where the corpse had been, and she wondered what had happened to it, and where its creator had gone.

A couple moments later, a rustling of leaves filled the air. The girls tensed, prepared for another battle but Tristan came towards them, an unconscious speedster at his side.

"You three okay?" He asked, his icy eyes filled with concern as he looked at each of the girls.

Liv waved a hand. "We're fine, got everything under control. How about you and Speedy Gonzales? He doesn't look too hot."

Tristan frowned. "The zombie had another zombie friend that went after us. For some reason, it snuck up on CJ and nearly paralyzed him. I had to fight the thing myself, but it's gone now."

"Don't jinx it," Bristol mumbled, casting another look to where the monster had lied.

"Let's get out of here now," Liv suggested with urgency laced in her voice. "CJ needs to rest and I don't know about you, but I've had enough spooky scary experiences for a lifetime."

No one needed to speak again as they forged their way out of the forest. As they left the trees behind, a silent agreement ignited within them all. Some things should stay buried, no matter how much power it could have if raised again.