Claire just gave the kid a jump scare as he put his hand in the bucket to take a chocolate bar. She chewed on the fake blood tablet and began to vomit blood. She barely had time to enjoy the terrified look on the kid's face before he bolted off the porch, his candy bucket rattling wildly as he disappeared down the walkway. "Oh, c'mon, it ain't that scary," She yelled at the kid while chewing the fake blood tablet with a sense of satisfaction, but then realized how bad it tasted.
"Fffeew! Puuutttt!" She spat it all on the side of the door while coughing a bit. "Arg!"
A couple of kids farther down the path screamed and ran when they saw her spitting blood and coughing.
"Okay, that one might have been a little too real," she muttered to herself, wiping the corner of her mouth as she started to turn back inside.
The sound came fast and sharp.
Glass shattered behind her.
Claire froze for half a second before spinning around, her heart jumping into her throat as she saw the living room window cracked open, fragments still falling to the floor. Something dark and fast had come through, and before her brain could fully process it, Phil staggered backward, his body jerking as if he had been hit.
A deep red stain spread across his shirt.
Phil looked down at it slowly, then back up at her, his expression shifting into something distant and pained as he dropped to his knees.
Claire's breath caught. "Oh my God, Phil!" she cried, rushing toward him, her hands already reaching out, shaking before they even touched him. "Honey, what… what happened?!"
Phil's hand pressed weakly against his chest, his fingers trembling just enough to sell it. He looked up at her like he was trying to hold on to something slipping away. "They finally did it, Claire," he said, his voice strained and fading. "They shot me."
Claire's face went pale instantly. "What?! Who did?!" she demanded, her voice rising in panic as she dropped beside him, her hands hovering over the blood like she did not know where to press. "No, no, no, stay with me, Phil, stay with me!"
Phil let out a weak breath, his body swaying slightly as he leaned into her. "Tell the kids…" he started, pausing like it took effort to form the words, "tell them I hid the good snacks in the garage…"
Claire shook her head quickly, her hands finally pressing against his chest as if she could stop the bleeding by force alone. "This is not funny, Phil! Stop talking like that! We need to call someone, we need an ambulance, oh my God—"
Phil's head tilted slightly, his body going limp in her arms as his eyes slowly closed. Little blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Claire froze.
"Phil?" she said, quieter now, her voice trembling. She shook him lightly. "Phil. No. No, no, no, no…"
Claire's hands were still pressed against Phil's chest, her fingers shaking as if she could somehow force the bleeding to stop. Her breathing had turned uneven, quick and shallow, her eyes locked on his face as the color drained from it.
"Phil?" she said again, softer this time, like saying it louder might make it real in a way she could not handle. She shook him, a little harder now. "Phil, no. Stay with me. Please stay with me."
For a second, nothing happened.
Then, slowly, one of Phil's eyes cracked open.
He saw her face, filled with panic, fear, and tears beginning to form.
There was a pause where he almost reconsidered everything.
Then his expression broke.
"Ha… got you," he said, the words slipping out with a weak laugh as he suddenly sat up.
Claire froze completely.
Phil pulled his shirt open with both hands, revealing the fake blood pack taped underneath, the dark red liquid smeared across it in a way that had looked disturbingly real seconds ago. He looked proud, a little breathless, and entirely pleased with himself.
"Cinematic level, right?" he added, grinning as he gestured lightly toward the broken window. "The timing, the entry, the fall. I mean, I really committed to the—"
Claire was still staring at him.
Not panicked anymore.
Just… still.
Something in her expression shifted. The fear drained away, replaced by a quiet, controlled understanding that settled in far more dangerously than any scream could have.
She stood up slowly.
Phil's smile faltered just a little as he watched her rise, his hands dropping back to his sides. "Okay," he said carefully, a nervous chuckle slipping in, "in my defense, you were supposed to be impressed before you got mad."
Claire did not say anything at first. She just looked down at him, her face calm in a way that made it impossible to read what she was thinking.
Then she spoke.
"On the couch," she said, her voice even and precise.
Phil blinked. "What?"
Claire met his eyes, completely steady. "Two months."
The words landed without any rise in volume, but the weight behind them was unmistakable.
Phil sat there, still half-covered in fake blood, his mouth opening slightly as he tried to process it. "Two months?" he repeated, like maybe he had misheard.
Claire then opened her top, revealing sexy, transparent lingerie. "And this is what I've planned for us tonight. You can forget about it."
She turned, already walking toward the stairs without another word, her posture straight, her steps measured.
Phil watched her go, the realization sinking in with every step she took away from him.
He messed up royally. No sex tonight and couch for two months.
..
//Phil and Claire's confession//
Claire and Phil sat side by side on the couch, the space between them unusually careful.
Phil was quiet for once. His hands were folded together, faint smudges of fake blood still visible around his cuffs. He kept his gaze low, avoiding her eyes.
Claire sat upright, composed on the surface, but there was a sharp edge lingering in her expression.
"I thought he got shot," she said.
She let the words sit for a moment.
"I heard glass break, I turned around, and there he was. On the ground. Bleeding." Her voice stayed controlled, but her eyes betrayed how real it had felt. "I didn't think 'Halloween prank.' I didn't think 'Phil being Phil.' I thought…"
She stopped, swallowing slightly.
"I thought something actually happened to my husband."
Phil glanced at her, guilt written plainly across his face, but he didn't interrupt.
"My brain went straight to calling an ambulance, the kids, what I was supposed to do next…" she continued, shaking her head once. "And he's down there giving a speech about snacks in the garage."
Phil winced.
"In my defense…" he started, but after noticing Claire's deadly glare, he immediately stopped. "…no, there is no defense."
Claire said, "No. There really isn't."
A small silence settled between them.
"I misjudged the emotional realism," Phil said quietly.
"You think?" Claire replied. Her voice was not loud, but it cut cleanly. "You didn't scare me, Phil. You traumatized me."
He nodded quickly.
"Yeah. Yeah, that feels accurate."
He finally looked at her properly.
"I saw your face for like half a second before I said 'got you,' and I knew," he admitted, sighing. "I flew too close to the Halloween sun."
Claire almost reacted to that, but held it in.
"You think this is funny?"
"No," Phil said quickly. "No, I think this is two months on the couch."
Claire gave a small, satisfied nod. "Good. Because that's exactly what it is."
Phil exhaled, accepting it. "Worth noting, the stunt itself was technically flawless."
Claire just stared at him.
He immediately corrected himself.
"Emotionally devastating. Deeply flawed... Regret. So much regret."
Another pause.
Claire leaned back slightly, crossing her arms.
"I had a whole night planned."
Phil closed his eyes briefly.
"I am aware. Painfully aware."
"You don't get to weaponize fake death and then expect romance five minutes later."
"That is a fair boundary," Phil said.
Silence lingered again, quieter this time.
"For what it's worth," he added carefully, "you are still the scariest person in this house."
Claire looked at him.
A beat passed.
"Don't push it."
Phil nodded immediately.
"Not pushing. No pushing. Just stating facts from a safe distance. From the couch. Where I will live now."
Claire exhaled, some of the tension finally easing, just a little.
"You're unbelievable."
"I know," Phil said softly.
Another pause.
"…Don't ever do that again," she said, quieter now.
This time, Phil didn't joke.
"Never."
//Phil and Claire's confession End//
..
[On the other side...]
Jack and Haley were dancing together, along with the others and they were happily enjoying their night together.
Jay and Gloria were also at the party. Jay being Jay wanted to go over there and talk to Jack. But Gloria stopped him from ruining their romantic night and used her usual charms to make Jay stay out of Jack and Haley's way.
Jack and Haley noticed them... Gloria simply gave them a quick wave and a thumbs up before shifting her attention toward Jay.
--
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