My Only Regret Was You by Holly Anglemyer - 1st Place winner of the Halloween Writing Competition 2025

“You're different today, Austin,” Chris said, cocking his head towards his best friend. They were walking home together After receiving a sceptical side-eye from Austin, Chris hurriedly corrected his statement. “Not in a bad way! You just seem happier, you know?” 

Austin was happier. Not for any reason he could tell Chris, though. No, this was a secret Austin would be forced to carry for the rest of his life. Not that he minded. Austin had chosen his fate with joy and even the nervousness bubbling in his stomach wasn’t enough to dim it. Tonight was the night. 

“I am,” Austin confessed, his voice husky as usual. 

Chris worried his lip, staring up at Austin with imploring blue eyes. “Have the nightmares gone away? 

Austin's expression shuttered. 

“It’s just I know you haven’t seen the counselor in a while, and I was wondering if it had gotten better—” 

“Chris,” Austin interrupted, coldly. “Drop it.” 

Chris promptly shut his mouth, a hurt look on his face. Austin felt shame crawl through him. He didn’t mean to be rude to Chris. It was just that, after Austin's parents had died three months prior, he found it harder to open up to anyone, his friends included. Austin loved Chris, that was a given, but he just didn’t understand what Austin was going through. Everytime he tried to help he just ended up making everything worse. 

They continued walking without a word. Autumn leaves crackled underneath their feet. Austin clenched his backpack straps tightly as he pondered how many more minutes they’d have to walk before arriving at the fork in the road that led to each one of their houses respectively. 

“You doing anything for Halloween tonight?” Chris asked, casually. It was obvious he was intending to break the tense silence that had arisen. Austin was grateful for the attempt, but as usual with Chris the question asked was yet another subject Austin didn’t want to touch on. “No,” he responded, flatly. “Are you?” 

“I think so!” Chris said, his face bright. “I met some nice new friends yesterday after school. They offered to pick me up and take me to my first Halloween party!”

“That’s great,” Austin said, a slight smile on his face. At least Chris would have a nice night without him. 

“I’m sure you could come! They seem like nice guys.” 

“I’m good,” Austin said, dismissively. 

“But Halloween's your favorite holiday!” Chris complained. “You can’t do nothing.” “I can, and I am,”

Austin growled. “God, do something yourself for once without dragging me into it.” 

Chris stopped in his tracks, looking as though he’d been struck. His mouth was agape, but for once no words came out. Austin stopped too. That shameful feeling returned. “Shit, Chris, I didn’t mean that. I just—”

“It’s fine,” Chris broke in, a pained smile on his face. “Really. I’m sorry. I know you’ve got a lot on your mind.” 

Austin opened his mouth to apologize, but Chris brushed past him hastily. He looked over his shoulder one last time as he sped away. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Have a good night.” 

Austin didn’t think he imagined his friend's last words coming out with the choke of barely restrained tears. Austin cursed under his breath, and kicked a nearby trash bin. He watched Chris go with an expression filled with sorrow. Luckily, after tonight, Austin wouldn’t have to feel that emotion again. 

… 

Austin drove to the address he’d been given with a mixture of anxiety and excitement coursing through him. In the past, passing all the decorated houses and costumed children would have filled him with a warm feeling. Austin would have driven slowly, possibly even walked, to his destination just so he could soak up all of the Halloween festivities. Now he greeted it all with apathy. All he cared about was that tonight was a success. 

He made it to his destination speedily. It was a ramshackle manor on the outskirts of town. He hastily parked on the road side, and hurried up to the house. With a swallow, he pounded on the door. Immediately, it creaked open. There was no one on the other side, only a dusty main entrance with doors at every wall. Austin took a step in, tentatively. “Hello?” Austin called. 

“You really did come,” said an amused voice. Austin turned to his left, and to his relief saw Alice waiting for him. She wore the same expression she had the day she’d recruited him: a smirk on her pristine red lips and a quirked eyebrow. 

“I said I would,” Austin replied, sounding breathless. 

“Yes, well you’d be surprised how many people say they’ll join us but end up turning tail,” Alice mused. She slowly turned towards the door closest to her and beckoned Austin with a hand. 

Alice opened the door and led Austin into a room he thought might have been a ballroom at one point. It was enormous and circular. High window frames lined the wall across from Austin as he entered, although they were all boarded up so that the window panes couldn’t be seen. If it was day, Austin doubted the sun's light would have entered. As it was, there were candles burning in a large circle in the center of the room. Surrounding the outside of the circle were several cloaked figures all in black, their hoods pulled low over their faces. Austin counted eleven in total. He frowned at Alice, but she spoke before he could ask his question. 

“They are the other members of our order,” she told Austin, smoothly. “They’ll reveal themselves to you once you are initiated.” 

Austin nodded, although he felt goosebumps start to crawl over his arms. This felt a lot more cultish than he would have liked. Alice led him to the center, but didn’t walk past the candles. He looked at her, and she gave him a confirming nod. He stepped over a row of candles and into the circle. From there he took his place in the very center. Alice's smile grew. “Austin Morris, you have come to us on this day to join our order,” Alice began, her voice so strong that it echoed in the ballroom. “I found you not even a fortnight ago. I was desolate, for I had lost the woman who was supposed to be this year's recruit. You were depressed in a different manner, due to the death of your parents. That night I stayed your hand as you prepared to join them.” 

Austin cringed, paling at the memory. He hadn’t known she would bring all this up again. It was something he did his best to forget. 

“Tonight you will not die. You will become something new. You will become one of us. Your human family will soon be a faint memory as you spend the rest of eternity with us,” Alice looked me dead in the eyes. “This is your final chance to refuse.” 

Austin gulped. There was an urge, for a moment, to refuse. To go back to his normal life (if they would even let him leave.). But the thought of going back to the nightmares and loneliness of his meager existence was all he needed to get back on track. Austin shook his head. 

Alice's lip curled upward. Without a word, she took a small knife from her jacket pocket. She held out her palm and sliced it open. Austin gaped as she crossed the candles on the floor and held her hand out to him. 

“Drink,” she said, simply. 

Austin hesitated for a moment. He wondered what it would taste like. Then, trying to regain some of his confidence, he took Alice's wrist and brought her palm to his mouth. He drank the irony fluid sluggishly, trying to resist the urge to retch. Finally, Alice pulled her hand away. 

“That's enough,” she said. Her mouth opened wide, and Austin could see her canines stretching out into fangs. “Now for the fun part.” 

Without another word, Alice lunged forward and sunk her teeth into Austin's neck. He cried out, and started to struggle but it was no use. Betrayal and confusion filled his pained mind before his vision quickly faded to black as she drained the blood from his body. 

… 

Austin woke up with a gasp, only to keel onto his side with a groan. His hands shot up to grip his head. It felt like someone was applying harsh pressure on his brain. “It will pass soon,” a voice said above him. Austin cracked open an eye. It was Alice, her usual entertained smile on her face. For once, the sight of it made him angry. He wanted to wipe it off. “Once you feed.” 

Right. He had to feed. Austin had known it would have to be done. He grudgingly pushed himself onto his feet, despite the protests his head was giving. Austin felt though he’d feed on anyone just to make the pain go away. Almost on cue, two of the cloaked figures opened the doors and led in a struggling human with a bag over his head. Austin felt a rush of pity flow through him. The person's wrists were tied behind his back, and muffled sounds were coming out beneath the sack. Austin imagined the guy was gagged. 

“This will be your first meal,” Alice announced, with a note of restrained glee in her voice. Austin furrowed his brow, Alice's joy irking him. “Feast when you’re ready.” The two older members lifted the sack from their victims head. Austin stared at the face and one word managed to escape his lips: 

“No.” 

It was Chris. Chris, bound and readied for the slaughter. His eyes were wet and his face was tearstained. To Austin's chagrin, Chris’s anguished expression lightened as soon as he saw Austin. Austin could tell there was no doubt in Chris’s mind that he was saved. 

“What is he doing here?” Austin choked out, whirling on Alice. She was watching the scene with obvious enjoyment. 

“You only have one last tie to your humanity left,” Alice said. “If you’re going to join us, you’ll have to destroy it.” 

“You can’t. You can’t make me do this.” 

“We don’t have any other humans here. If you don’t eat soon you’ll die.” Austin blanched. Alice grinned and walked over to him. Austin flinched as she put her hands on his shoulders and forced him to turn back to Chris. Austin glanced at his friend's confused face one time before looking down at his feet. If Austin had still been human, he would have cried. 

“Either you eat him and join us,” Alice crooned in Austin's ear. “Or you watch us take turns with him while you die. It’s your choice.” 

She let him go, and Austin crumpled to his knees. Mortification lined Austin's face. This wasn’t possible. How did Chris get dragged into this? How did Alice even know about Chris? If Austin had known he would have been put into danger— 

“Tick tock, Austin,” Alice chided behind him. “You don’t have long to decide. We’re impatient creatures.” 

Austin finally fully met Chris’s eyes. They were still confused, and fear was still prevalent in them, but there was also hope. A tragic, depressing emotion that only Chris could feel at a time like this. Chris really thought there was a way out of this. He really thought he could still live. 

Austin knew better. 

“I’m sorry.” 

With supernatural speed, Austin lurched from the floor and stood before Chris. Without another moment of hesitation or regret, Austin sunk his newly formed fangs into Chris’s neck while his shrieks filled the air. As soon as the blood met his mouth, Austin's grief vanished and was replaced with only one feeling: 

Hunger.