Fan Fiction ❯ Who's Really Scared? ❯ Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own things. Many things. But not the Teen Titans. Enjoy the story.

 

 

Welcome to a story of Walpurgisnacht and the horrors that come from angering the spirits. Welcome, and beware.

 

Things are not always as they seem, and you must pay attention to what you learn—or face the consequences.

 

Who's Really Scared?

 

Beast Boy burst into the common room, holding up a video cassette, wrapped with the image and logo of a video / DVD rental store that has just reopened in town, having been closed for reconstruction after an attack by Control Freak not too long ago. “Dudes!” The changeling cried, unable to contain his excitement. “Look what just came out at Jambreaker: Wicked Scary II: The Night of the Living Dead who were Once Living and Now are Dead! We gotta watch it now!”

 

Raven blinked, unfolding her legs from her meditation position and floating down to Earth. She took a look at a computer screen, clicking around a few Internet pages, before staring Beast Boy in the eye. “Not a chance, Beast Boy.” With that, she stormed out of the room, off to find quiet place to meditate. Not dismayed in the least, Beast Boy shrugged off Raven's comment.

 

“Ah, she's still scared from the time she saw Wicked Scary. I'll get her to see it later.” Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire came into the room, wondering what had caused Beast Boy to shout. Explaining his choice of movie for the movie night, the changeling expelled all thoughts of Raven from his mind. Convincing her could wait. Now, it was time to do the important stuff; the snacks wouldn't buy themselves.

 

 

Later that day, Raven was sitting and frowning moodily at the television, as if it was the plasma screen's fault that she was being forced to watch this “pointless” movie. Starfire sat next to Robin, ready to duck beneath his cape if the film became too scary. Cyborg sat to Robin's left, a huge bowl of popcorn on his lap, just waiting for him to eat it. Dramatic as always, Beast Boy made a great show of revealing the tape and placing it into the VCR. The screen flickered into life, and the Titans were lost in the storyline, their eyes glued to the screen though the desperately wanted to look away.

 

A few hours later, the screen flashed “THE END” and the credits began scrolling up the screen. Cyborg was hiding behind the couch, all thoughts of eating forgotten at the foulness of the movie. Starfire had hidden behind Robin's cape, and he was ducking underneath her hair. Beast Boy was under a couch cushion, and Raven had completely vanished from the room, though none of the room's residents could say when she left.

 

“Is the movie…over?” Starfire asked tentatively, one eye peeking out from underneath Robin's cape. “I do not wish to look unless it is over.” With Cyborg's reassurance and some awkward movements to untangle Robin and Starfire, the four friends were able to talk about the movie freely, laughing at their own foolishness, safe in the light.

 

“Man, remember when that girl?” Cyborg shouted.

 

“From the first movie?” Beast Boy asked.

 

“Yeah, her. When she grabbed that guy?” The android reminded his green friend.

 

“Who controlled the monster?” Beast Boy wondered, unsure which person Cyborg meant.

 

“Yeah, him. And he screamed?” Cyborg shouted again. Starfire burst into the conversation.

 

“I almost blasted the not-dead girl with one of my starbolts, the scene seemed so real.” Robin patted the Tameranean on the shoulder, comforting her.

 

“Don't worry, Star. The movie's over; the zombies can't hurt you.” Starfire nodded.

 

“I am aware of this, friend Robin. It is just that - ” Whatever it was that Starfire felt the group never found out, as the lights flickered then shut off. Cyborg groaned as Beast Boy muttered “Oh man, not again!” The changeling shouted out that Raven should just admit her fear and get all this over with now. The witch either didn't hear or she simply didn't want to reply, as the only answer Beast Boy received was silence.

 

Making sure to stick together, the teens slowly marched down the hall, unwilling to let themselves be sucked in by the darkness as they had not too long before. Eventually, it was decided that they should split into groups of two and try to find Raven so she could stop being afraid and regain control of her emotions. If one of them was taking, the other would alert the second group and they would regroup.

 

Starfire picked up Robin and flew off to Raven's room to check for the likely source. The half demon was not to be found; though there was a faint message scrawled on her door. Starfire called the others over, and the boy wonder shone his flashlight on the message. The message read as thus:

 

Book of the Days, page 219, Lady Lark

Read, for your own sake.

 

Robin alerted Cyborg and Beast Boy of the sudden change, and the two raced over to Raven's private area, hoping she wouldn't be mad at them later on. There was a sudden burst of black energy, and Beast Boy could have sworn that he saw two pairs of red eyes.

 

The group puzzled over the message, trying to discover what it meant. Lighting up a starbolt on her fist, Starfire flew around Raven's room, letting the green light she created glow on the book titles. With a squeal of delight she pulled one off an upper shelf, showing the others that it had the same title as their message stated. Four of the five Teen Titans took the book out into the common room, where Cyborg flipped on an emergency power source, which would last for about fifteen minutes. Paging through the text, Cyborg found the chapter the 200's were located in: Spring Celebrations.

 

Page 219 contained many different titles, all apparently for the same holiday. Cyborg read Lady Lark's quote aloud as it was written in the text. The quote was about the entrance of spring itself, known as Walpurgisnacht.

 

“ `Spirits of the night take flight. Some to protect, some to fight. Demons and devils are chased away. Ghosts reign. Keep your little ones close. Ward the house. Walpurgisnacht is about to begin!' ” Robin moved over to one of the computers to check out more info on this celebration, but Cyborg stopped him, holding out a hand. “There's more. Raven wrote something underneath it. A note, or something. `Be careful not to tease the spirits on the day of Walpurgisnacht; they are easily offended by horror movies and other human mockeries.' ” Beast Boy gulped audibly as all eyes centered on him.

 

“How was I supposed to know about this? When's Wall-pure-gist-whatever anyway Cyborg?” The android checked the Book of Days.

 

“From the night of April 30th to dawn of May 1st.” Beast Boy nodded then turned to Robin, who was seated in front of a computer.

 

“And what's today?” Robin and Cyborg answered simultaneously.

 

“April 30th.” Cyborg looked at Robin, surprised. He had a calendar in his right arm, so finding the date was easy. However, Robin would have needed to check the computer's date and time log, which would have taken a good thirty seconds more.

 

“Yo dude, how'd you know that?” Robin moved aside, revealed a black scrawl on the screen:

 

April 30

 

Starfire shivered. Both a sudden drop in the temperature and the frightening nature of their search had caused the shaking, and she looked around, wondering what might have caused the incident. Beast Boy ignored the chill and looked to Cyborg, hoping he might reveal to them a way to appease the spirits, or at least get rid of them.

 

Before Cyborg could check the Book of Days, it flew into the air and ripped into pieces, forever locking its secrets within its unreadable pages. A mysterious laugh echoed around the room, and each Titan saw a different figure. Starfire: an infinitesimal number of four-eyed rats; Robin: a tentacle- and slime-covered octopus; Beast Boy: the monster from Freaky Scary itself; Cyborg: an endless shadow, engulfing everything it touched and coming ominously towards the android. Each Titan looked at the horrifying figure above them. Each Titan looked around. Each Titan screamed, and each Titan ran off in a different direction.

 

“Okay Raven! You can stop now!” Beast Boy cried as he ducked an attack from a tentacle, then flew into the air as a hawk to escape the reach of the beast. Starfire was unknowingly agreeing with the changeling as she spun around in midair, firing starbolts at the rats. Though they dispersed in the area where the attack landed, more crowded in each new space with each attack, making Starfire's attempt seem futile.

 

“Please, friend! I do not wish for you to create these creatures any longer! Please, stop!” A tentacle wrapped around Robin's mouth, choking the martial artist and pulling him closer to its portal into another realm. He struggled, then burst free of its grasp, racing down a hallway and tossing random disks behind him in the hopes that he could somehow slow down the arms chasing him. He ducked as Cyborg jumped over his head, facing backwards as he leaped to fire his sonic cannon at the shadow. It did no good; the darkness continued to advance, eventually leading Cyborg into a dead end. The android backed as far as he could, finally resorting to blowing down the wall behind him and racing into the next room, repeating this technique as necessary.

 

Soon, Cyborg came to the last wall between himself and the ocean. He blew it down, then perched on the edge, uncertain if this last resort would be completely crucial. On the other side of the tower, Robin was leaning out an open window, ready to jump so he could escape the tentacles. Beast Boy was almost out of energy, and would not be able to keep in animal form much longer. A minute or so and he'd be completely vulnerable to any and all attacks. Starfire was in the basement, rat-like creatures beginning to pile up around her, crawling on top of each other in their attempt to envelop the alien.

 

Without any warning, a chime echoed through the Tower.

 

Once…

 

Twice…

 

Thrice…

 

Four times…

 

Five times…

 

Six times…

 

Then nothing.

 

“Six,” Beast Boy mumbled feebly, changing back into his human state as consciousness left him.

 

“But…” Starfire wondered as the rats completely engulfed her.

 

“That would be…” Cyborg thought to himself as he toppled off the side of the Tower, plunging into the bay.

 

“Dawn…” Robin muttered, springing from his window seat and diving towards the water.

 

And all at once, everything ended.

 

 

Raven awoke from her trance, the vials of holy water floating around her head. She looked outside her bathroom window. There were streaks of blue mixed in with orange. The half demon almost smiled. Dawn.

 

The witch lowered herself into a portal, reappearing in the common room. There rested the other Titans: Beast Boy on the floor with a couch cushion on his head; Cyborg lying with his feet on top of the couch and a bowl on his head. Robin and Starfire were leaning on each other's shoulders, nodding and sighing in their sleep. The changeling stretched and sat up, brushing the cushion off his head. He looked up and saw Raven walking around. One painful-looking yawn later, and Beast Boy was all questions.

 

“You knew all the time—about Wall-purge-whatever—didn't you? Then why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have watched if I knew your powers would do that to us.” Raven frowned, but Beast Boy didn't notice it as he continued. “It's a good thing you left us those hints, though. I would have thought you were really scared if you hadn't told us—what?” For the green-skinned Titan had noticed Raven's scowl of confusion. “What's up, Raven?”

 

“Beast Boy…I never left you guys any notes. I hid out in my bathroom with charms to ward off evil all night. I didn't do anything to help you.” The changeling paled to a shade of puce.

 

“Then—that means—you—we—it—oh…” With this sudden load of shocking information, Beast Boy collapsed once more, not to wake for another few hours. Raven walked away from the group of comatose Titans, smirking as she opened a small portal. Out of it a black, ghostly hand appeared.

 

A haggard voice whispered, “Thank you for one last night out, daughter of my master. I greatly enjoyed my last night before the spring.” Raven nodded, then shook the hand.

 

“It was my pleasure, lowly spirit. After all, it showed my friends who was really scared after all.”