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Ever year the Justice League had a small competition. It was a fun little thing they did. Each year, a different person was picked to make a haunted house for the League to go through. It was a simple competition, scoring based on how frightening and believable things were. This year it was Batman’s turn to host the haunted house. He had been waiting for his opportunity. He was ready, after all, he was Batman. Halloween and Gotham go together hand in hand.
Bruce had gathered his kids into the dining room. They were all sitting there, looking at him as Bruce gathered up the scattered papers he had dropped onto the table. Alfred was looking at him with a brow raised, but he chuckled when he caught sight of the papers. “B, what's with all the papers?” Dick asked him.
“Halloween.” Bruce said, acting as if that was the perfect answer.
It wasn’t and the rest of the kids looked at Bruce in confusion. The man finished organizing his many different papers, spreading them out with a satisfied smirk. He stood up and planted his hands on the table. The kids looked at him. “This year, we get to host the League’s haunted house.” Bruce said, a smile on his face.
“Yooo!” Jason said, pumping his fist.
“YES!” Stephanie yelled from her seat, almost falling over with how far she leaned back.
“Oh this is gonna be good.” Tim said with a chuckle.
“What are the plans?” Damian asked, looking at the papers.
“Well, I have a lot of ideas. I just want your opinions on them.” Bruce said, picking up one of the papers.
Just then, the room got colder. Jason chuckled. A white haired boy made his presence known, floating above the table. “Sup.” Danny said, giving a mock salute.
“Danny! Perfect timing actually! We are talking about plans for our haunted house.” Dick said, waving to the halfa.
“Yo, a haunted house? I gotta see this.” Danny said, green eyes glinting in mischief.
Bruce chuckled as he grabbed his papers. Danny took to floating at the edge of the table. The halfa looked at some of the papers, interested. “Alright. First off, the experience should start in the Cave.” Bruce said.
“Oh! I’ll ask Bab’s if she wants to help too!” Dick said, pulling out his phone.
“Next, they would go up the elevator, and begin their journey.” Bruce said, pointing to his map.
“Will they have a guide of sorts? Or is it all up to them?” Danny asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Do you think there should be a guide?” Cassandra asked.
“It could work if done right. More like a suggestion of ways to go.” Danny said with a small shrug.
Bruce wrote something down on one of the papers. He chuckled slightly. “Danny, would you like to be part of this haunted house?” Bruce asked the ghost.
Danny’s eyes lit up, sharp teeth poking through his smile. “Oh you bet I do.” The ghost said, a mischievous cheshire cat smile on his face.
The Justice League was gathered in the Watchtower, waiting for Batman. They were talking amongst themselves when the caped crusader arrived. Batman walked over to all of them. He had his regular expression, but Superman could hear his heart beating in excitement. “I see you are all here.” Batman said, voice gruff.
“Follow me, I have set the zeta to the correct destination for all of you.” Batman said, stepping in.
He vanished. Superman shrugged and went in after Batman. Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Green Arrow all followed after Superman. The space they arrived in was dark and cold. The only sounds they could hear were their own breathing and the faint squeaking of bats. A single light flicked on, illuminating the space around them. It was the BatCave, but it wasn't quite right. For one, everything was damaged. Glass shards were strewn around, claw marks slashing through solid metal. Scratches adorned the floor and tables.
It was unsettling to say the least. Superman noticed something fall from one of the walls. It was a paper. The Kryptonian walked over to it, picking it up. He looked at it and felt his blood run cold. It was a diagram of a human body, a drawing of a spine, normal bone, then a drawing of a metal spine. He looked around and spotted a table, torn to shreds. Blood was spilled on it, staining the metal. Vertebrae were littered on the table and ground. He swallowed, letting the paper drop from his hands. He turned back around to the rest of the League.
They heard a crack. The heroes jolted, looking around. A screen lit up, a green faced woman appearing. “Greetings, Justice League, It's wonderful to see you all.” The voice said.
“Oracle! Can you tell us where Batman is and what happened here?” Aquaman asked, already knowing the woman.
The rest of the League looked at Aquaman, confusion on their faces. Aquaman didn’t get a response from the woman. Aquaman was confused. He went to tap the screen. “Do not touch the computer.” Oracle said.
“Sorry…” Aquaman said. They heard a screeching noise. The light above them flickered before it broke. The League jolted.
“Greetings, Justice League. Gree- Greetings, Justice- Greet-Greetings-” Oracles voice began to glitch out. The computer screen went black. A red line appeared on the screen.
“Zeta access deactivated.” A voice said, red line moving with the audio. It was distorted, but sounded slightly like Oracle. The League heard a ding noise. They turned, spotting an elevator.
“Enter the elevator. You can't leave any other way.” The voice said.
The Justice League had no choice. They entered the elevator. Before the doors shut they heard a final sentence from the computer. “Welcome, to the Manor of the Bats.” The doors closed.
The heroes all looked at one another. “I think Bats really likes Halloween…” Superman said.
“Yes, it would appear so. The commitment is incredible.” Wonder Woman said.
The light in the elevator began to flicker. With an electrical pop, the light went out, leaving the League members standing in the dark. “Well then…” Green Arrow said.
They heard laughing from somewhere above them. It was echoing around the room. No. It echoed around their very heads. “You guys hear that too? Right?” Flash asked.
They nodded. The laughing tapered off. “Welcome Justice League. We’ve been expecting you.” The echoing voice said.
It was a familiar voice to Superman, but he couldn’t quite place it. Aquaman and Wonder Woman shivered, the temperature in the elevator having dropped quite a bit. “I hope you all left some time before your next events. Because you don't leave until we're done with you.” The voice laughed as the elevator dinged and the doors began to open. “Unless, of course, you take my way out.”
Stood before them in the room was a boy. The League felt their blood run cold. Blood was pouring down the boy’s arm, leaking from a wound traveling across his face. His shirt was stained, blood having dripped down it. His eyes were vacant, but glowing a toxic green. He raised his arm and a blood curdling scream tore itself from him. The lights flickered, wind howling as the door behind them swung open. With a crack of light, the boy was gone. The only sign he had been there was the blood on the floor. Superman walked towards it.
“Did Bats get a new one? I haven’t seen that one before.” Green Arrow said.
“I don't know…” Green Lantern said.
Aquaman and Flash were looking out the open door. It was dark, the wind gently rustling the leaves on the trees. Suddenly the garden lights flickered on, illuminating the path. Wonder Woman tried the door of the room they were in. It didn’t budge. “I guess we have to go that way.” She said, turning to the open door.
Superman nodded and they all made their way out. The door slammed shut once they were out. They heard the flick of a lock. Green Lantern rattled the knob. The door stayed shut. “Damn ok… Locks us outside…” He said, hands on his hips.
They began to walk down the path. It lead them away from the manor. Not too far, but far enough that it would be difficult to get back. The path was gravel, crunching beneath their feet. Aquaman spotted a shovel, dented and bent out of shape. Flash was walking, looking at the plants around them. Something grabbed his ankle and he jumped, screaming. Superman whipped around, catching the speedster in his arms. They looked down, a dark hand. A bloody hand was reaching through the bushes. It sunk back into the foliage, leaving a streak of blood behind.
Superman dropped Flash, the man yelping. Wonder Woman shook her head and kept walking. They came to an arch. On the arch was a stone bat. It had glowing red eyes. Green Lantern looked at the bat. It seemed to be looking back at him. He went under the arch, following the others. He looked back at the bat. It whipped its head around and he yelped. “What?!” Wonder Woman asked him, seeming more startled by his yelling.
“Sorry…got spooked.” Green Lantern said, rubbing the back of his neck.
They were now in a clearing. It was a graveyard. The gravedigger was laying down, collapsed on the ground, body bent at an odd angle. They held a shovel in their hands. Superman walked over and put a hand on the gravedigger's shoulder, rolling them over. Superman felt his stomach lurch at what he saw and he let go quickly, backing up. Every orifice on the person’s face had mushrooms growing out of it, mold crawling along their skin. Aquaman gagged behind him.
Thunk. Another thunk. They looked around, spotting the open grave. It was half filled. Another thunk sounded, coming from the casket in the grave. Suddenly the wood of the casket broke, a hand slamming through. A glowing green eye took the place of the arm, looking through the hole. The League members staggered back.
The casket was suddenly ripped open from the inside. The wood splintered and flew at the heroes. The figure stood up, eyes transfixed on the League members standing there, frozen. Blood was running down the figure's head, their body a tinged purple and mottled with bruises. It grabbed the shovel, ripping it out of the gravedigger’s hands. More accurately, ripping the gravedigger’s hands off their body, bones snapping. Aquaman gagged again. The figure began to walk towards them, dragging the shovel against the gravel. They raised it.
Flash came back to his senses and grabbed the other League members and ran, dragging them along. The zombie thing started running, green eyes filled with anger. He ran down the gravel path, back towards the manor. A pair of doors swung open. The Flash ran through them. They slammed shut behind them. He dropped the rest of the League, panting. Flash was still bent over when they heard the shovel slam into the door, window panes rattling, one cracking. They jolted and turned around, looking out. The green eyes were staring at them from outside, hidden by the shadows. The zombie thing backed away, eyes fading until they couldn’t see anything outside anymore.
After they collected themselves, they looked around the room they were in. It was large, their footsteps echoing around the room. Suddenly music began to play. Faintly glowing skeletons began to appear, talking to one another. Some were dancing. Others were looking at the League with a sort of disgust. The heroes began to walk around, trying to find their way out of the room. The music suddenly changed, sounding rather unsettling now. It sounded almost like a calliope. They heard the skeletons go quiet. Laughing filled the air. “Now, what's a party without some… Entertainment?”
Bright lights filled the room, the heroes wincing at the light. They could hear the skeletons cheering and clapping. Once their eyes adjusted, they looked around. They followed the light upward. A figure was hanging in the center of the room, limp. It was tangled in the broken fly bar of a trapeze, spinning slowly. It’s eyes locked onto them, head snapping to look at them. The skeletons went quiet as the person tugged on part of the fly bar. It untangled and they began to roll down, gaining speed. Superman went forward, ready to catch the person. At the last second, they grabbed the rope and pulled, swinging over Superman, hitting the ground and rolling before going limp. The skeletons were cheering.
The Flash ran over to the person. Their limbs looked wrong, bent back and twisted. The figure's body twitched. Their head snapped to look at Flash. He jumped back. The figure began to twitch and pull their limbs into the proper place. It stood up, facing away from the League. The skeletons went quiet again. The skeletons turned to face the League. The figure suddenly bent backwards, planting their hands. The skeletons let out an unholy shrieking noise as the figure began to speed towards the heroes, body still bent unnaturally. Aquaman and Green Arrow screamed. Flash was gone in a second, running towards the now open door. Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Green Lantern were quick to follow. Superman and Wonder Woman ran. They just barely got out before the figure grabbed them. The door slammed shut. They could hear the figure pounding on the door, the wooden door rattling.
Superman leaned against the door, sinking to the floor. Green Arrow was bent over, breathing heavily. “Ok… I think Batman wins Halloween… forever.” Green Lantern said, holding onto the banister of the stairs to keep from falling over.
“I second that…” Aquaman said.
“Hello Justice League.” A voice said.
The heroes jumped, screams escaping them. Stood there was Alfred the butler. “How the HELL did you get there?!” Green Lantern demanded, hand on his heart.
“Please mind your language, the kids are here.” Alfred said.
They heard mechanical whirring from upstairs. They looked upwards. When they looked back, Alfred was gone, having vanished. Superman began to walk up the stairs, the others following, albeit a bit reluctantly. The upstairs had a long hallway, spanning the length of the manor. They could hear the mechanical whirring coming from the end of the hall. They began to walk down the hall, Superman in front. He reached a door. The sounds went silent. He opened the door. It was a room that looked absolutely destroyed. Scratches and slash marks covered all the surfaces. The lights in the room were broken, and the ones that worked flickered constantly. The heroes began to look around the room. “Hello, Justice League. It seems you are enjoying your stay?” Alfred had appeared again.
They jumped, turning to face the man. He didn’t seem to notice or care that he scared the heroes. Instead he simply adjusted the blankets on the bed, dusted the table and walked out.
“Ok… why is he one of the creepy things? He just keeps appearing.” Green Arrow asked.They heard the sound of something clicking against wood. They looked toward the source of the sound.
A long, spider-like limb was reaching down, tapping the bed frame. They followed the limb up, to the body of a boy. His back was covered in metal, mechanical limbs reaching out from him. He was suspended in the air by the limbs. He dropped to the floor, the limbs breaking his fall. Wonder Woman backed up, Flash shuddering slightly. The boy raised two of the limbs. The ends of them fractured open, revealing sharp bladed claws. He reared back before reaching for the Justice League. They screamed and ran out of the room, slamming the door. The boy crashed into it. The door opened slightly, Superman shoving it closed. It didn't work. One claw had gotten out and was holding the door open. The limbs worked their way out and the Justice League ran. They didn’t stay to see if the boy was following them.
They ran down the stairs, Green Arrow and Green Lantern tripping over one another, causing them to tumble down the stairs. They landed as a pile of green at the bottom of the stairs. The others reached the bottom in a less dangerous way. They saw something in the corner of their eyes. They turned. A girl stood there in the doorway, back to the heroes. She turned her head to them. Her mouth was stitched closed, blood running from the wounds. She turned to face them fully. Her eyes locked onto Superman. He tensed. She tensed in the exact same way. He brought his arms up slightly. She did the same. She was mirroring every action he made, at the same time he did it. They heard something bang.
The doors to another room swung open, a large figure looming there. It had broad shoulders, a long cape billowing out from its form. Claws were visible on its hands. It took a step forward, they realized it had the face of a bat. It looked horrifying. The door of the ball room swung open, the contorted figure and the zombie breaking through. The League screamed and ran past the girl. They ran through the manor, finding a door that led back outside. They could hear the screeching of metal, the pounding of feet on gravel, the sound of a shovel hitting the ground occasionally. They kept running, not noticing the green candles that adorned the path. They reached the end of the path, a statue standing there. Alfred stood there, a plate in his hands. The other figures arrived. Alfred dropped the plate, letting it shatter on the ground.
The statue began to glow a bright toxic green, the temperature dropping rapidly. A clawed hand reached through the base of the statue, green liquid pouring out. A head came out, eyes wide, a horrible shrieking noise coming from the creature. Stark white hair, pale blue green skin, icey horns, glowing green eyes. The Ghost King. The King pulled itself from the statue and stared at the League, sharp teeth dripping ectoplasm. Their pupils were pinpricks, staring down at the League, a low growl in his throat. Aquaman fainted, body thudding against the gravel.
Suddenly the King burst out laughing. He floated higher, kicking his legs slightly as he laughed hysterically. The rest of the people around the League began to laugh. Flash lightly kicked Aquaman. More figures appeared, one pulling himself out of a bush. A boy and girl walked over from the direction of the manor. “We have so much blackmail.” The boy said, holding the device in his hand.
That made the others laugh even harder. “The costumes were perfect, Steph.” The girl with the stitched mouth said, pulling the stitches off her face.
“I know, I make miracles happen. No need to thank me or say I'm great. Actually, please do.” The blond said, helping get the fake stitches off.
“I knew your plan would work.” The zombie said to the Ghost King, high fiving him as he wiped his face off.
“Oh please, I just added on to what B already had.” The King said, shifting forms to a more casual look. Superman recognized him.
Superman looked at the bat headed figure. It chuckled. They lifted the bat head off, revealing the face of Bruce. “Halloween is MY holiday.” He said with a smirk.