Title: I Ain't Afraid Of No Zombies
Author: Pattie
Feedback: patfiler@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully are not mine. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and Fox Studios. However, everyone else belong to me.

Summary: A Hallowe'en Challenge story written for the 2009 Hallowe'en Challenge at The Nursery Files.

Tommy Smithers, age 11, and his three best buddies were merrily trick-or-treating as they usually did every Hallowe'en.

"Hey, guys, let's go to that old house over there. I see a lit up Jack O'Lantern in that window."

"Let's not and say we did," Johnny James said, rolling his eyes. "I've heard stories about that house and anyway, my bag is full. It's eight thirty and I'm gettin' tired."

"Well, we may as well do one last house," Amy Jones suggested. "Then we can go home."

So, the four dressed as a monster from space, Superman, a princess and a striped uniformed jailbird (that was Tommy) made their way up the walk, hesitated a moment, then yelled,"Trick of treat!!!"

"Do come in," a voice replied. "The door's open."

The moment the children ventured into the old, run down house, they screamed and ran with still blood-curdling screams echoing throughout the street.

Tommy ran immediately to his mother. "Mom, you'll never guess what we saw in the old Hedows mansion."

"Honey,it's been abandoned for years. Now get that costume off while I go through your candy."

"But Mom,you have to listen. There were these real live dead-looking people, or whatever they were, a couple with heads missing and we have to call Daddy about this." Daddy was a policeman.

"Tommy, I'll humor you then, but he'll just laugh his head off at his station and tell me to say 'Good night' for him. Now scoot."

"Aww, okay. But we really did see these horrible looking things or people or whatever..."

Tommy's mother called his father and relayed the story to him, and he said to his felow officers, "Hey you wanna hear something funny about that Hedows house and what the kids thought they saw?"

When he told of these whatever they were in an abandoned old house on Hallowe'en night, one officer got onto the phone to Fox Mulder.

"Hey, old pal, want to hear something that's right up your alley but probably part of four kids' vivid imaginations?"

Mulder clicked the remote to mute an old horror film. "Okay, I'm game, Chuck, but this had better be good. They saw WHAT? You're kidding. Okay,since is just in Washington anyway, I'll give it a look-see.

"But I'm missing a great horror marathon here. You know me, I'm into almost anything unusual, paranormal or even alien. I've heard about that house. Let me just get out there, satisfy the kids so they won't have nightmares and come home for the last feature."

As Mulder hung up, he felt something WAS going on, because in his career at the X-Files, he had encountered some strange things, such as the haunting on Christmas Eve. He and Scully had been scared poopless and he could use a new oddity to wonder whether it was imaginary or not.

So, without further ado, he clicked off the "idiot box" as his father used to call it, and headed out the door in his leather jacket, cell phone in his pocket -- just in case. He was just out of Alexandria when his cell phone beeped. "Mulder."

"Mulder, I tried to reach you at home and you didn't pick up." It was Scully.

"I'm out for a drive," he replied.

"You're not going to the office are you? Oh, maybe you're going trick or treating."

"No, I'm not going to the office, but I am going to Washington."

Scully laughed. "They do have better candy there, from what I hear."

"Actually, I'm going to see a haunted house."

"But you were talking all day about how you wanted to see that horror movie marathon! Okay, it's a homemade haunted house, right?"

"Well... not exactly."

"Well. have fun. I have a movie I want to watch. I just wanted to make sure you didn't call me while I'm watching it. IT had better be an emergency, but... never mind. The operator can get hold of me if you get your ass in a sling." Click.

All right, so he was going to a well-known place in Washington that everyone had been told about and remembered all the legends and myths that surrounded it.She didn't need to know that. Mulder kept driving until he found the Hedows mansion.

At the same time, Mrs. Smithers had finished up her last call and all the children's stories had been the same. Amy was having a nightmare and her mother had to cut the call short.

Tommy Smithers was tossing and turning,images of grey looking people dressed in clothing from several decades, their eyes with dark circles and their horrible black fingernails. "Mom!!!"

His mother quickly ran into his room to comfort him. "Did you have a nightmare, Honey?"

"Uh, yeah," the bleary eyed boy replied. "It was those people or whatever they were."

"Maybe it was all that candy you ate and the costumes you saw. Some were pretty scary."

"No, Mom. I really did see those things, and so did my friends."

"Well, their mothers DID say they told them the same things you told me. Maybe somebody was just having a party. It could be someone has just moved in there. Now, go to sleep and dream about the fun you had before you went to that house, okay?"

Tommy was reluctant to agree, but he uttered "Okay" and put his head back on his pillow as his mother kissed him.

"Sweet dreams, Honey."

Mulder perred in through the window of the Hedows mansion and saw what looked like zombies, but what the heack, it was Hallowe'en, people did party, occasionally encroaching on abandoned parties, and he'd seen so many zombie movies anyway. However, he had checked on the children's stories and they were all quite similar. Still, should he go in?

He decided to contact Scully.

"Scully. This had better be good."

"Okay," Mulder reluctantly tried to explain. "I see zombies."

"I see a candy-filled Mulder with some Brandy and beer."

"Laugh, laugh. You know those things they portrayed in that movie bout us? They look even MORE real."

"Uh huh." Rolling here eyes, she muted the TV again.

"Anyway, I think I need you out here."

"Scared?"

"Oh, NOT. Just get out here. I need back-up anyway, even if it's only a home invasion."

"Okay. I just hope Officer Smithers isn't laughing his butt off."

"Doubt it. He's on a homicide case at this very hour."

"Zombie murders?"

"Knock it off. At least two of the kids have nightmares, and this party is still going on."

So, Scully made her way to Washington, met Mulder at the door, and the door was found open.

It seemed as though there was more partying than ghoulism, and the ever skeptic Scully proclaimed, "I ain't afraid of no zombies. I'm going to snap the latex off of these clowns' faces."

"You always did like to snap the latex."

"I'll snap some on your nose. Believe me, I know a farce when I see it. I ain't afraid of no zombies."

Well, it was true. The costume party was a college prank.

Tommy and his friends were told the next day that it had been a joke. A very sick joke.

"Very immature," Amy declared.

"I agree," Tommy said with a grin. "Weren't we silly?"

Jimmy nodded and shook his head. "I'm going to read up on 'Foolishness in American College Kids.'"

"So should my partner," Scully agreed.

So, the next time you pass by a costumer store, leave it to the kids. The little kids.

THE END