title: Jack’s Halloween
author: callisto24
fandom: 24
charakters: Jack, Chloe, Tony, Michelle, Kim, Chase
category: drama, horror, little fun :)
theme: past season 2, a halloween party at CTU isn ‘ t that funny!
rating: R
warnings: spooky, a little mystery and very very weird!
sorry for mistakes, corrections always very welcome!
disclaimer: nothing belongs to me, no money made...
* * * * *

 
“Me? A costume? Are you nuts?”
Jack took a big gulp from his bottle and snorted contemptuously.
“No way!”
“Come on, Dad. You ‘ re always that serious, just try to have a little fun.”
Kim giggled and placed a tiny cowboy hat on her fathers hair.
“What a nonsense,” Jack grumbled, but nevertheless smiled slightly at her, who looked incredible cute in her catwoman outfit.”
“Yeah, Jack, what ‘ s the matter with you, man,“ Tony asked, presenting proudly his blinking vampire teeth to Michelle, who playfully pretended to run away in fear.
“Time for a little fun now, right Chloe?”
The redhead looked up from her mysteriously shining crystal ball, placed in front of her monitor and raised her eyebrows mumbling low. “I still don ‘ t know. Things appear strange tonight. I should lay the cards at first.”
“Alright Chloe! Guess you ‘ re a little too involved into the whole witchcraft thingy!”
Chase laughed amused and patted her softly on the back.
Chloes eyes shot flaming arrows, when she glanced at him, while he carefully smoothed out his red cape.
“It ‘ s a religion, Chase! Show at least a little respect to the powers of nature!”
“Chloe! Where have you left your magic wand, not to mention the big nose and your hump?” Tony teased her.
“Shut up, Count Dracula,” she replied in her own snippy manner. “It wouldn ‘ t to any harm to none of you, if you took this stuff more seriously! You can ‘ t deny, that everything is connected. Decide to act using this knowledge and a lot of your problems would vanish soon enough.”
Jack approached her, seeming curious.
“You mean, we should consider the consequences of our decisions, and so we would be able to control them? I ‘ m not sure about this.” “You should be! Remember the ancient rule, that each evil deed you commit will return to you three times. Could lead to more caution in your acting, cowboy!”
Jacks lips twitched amused, but he threw a sad glance over her desk where she now distributed the colourful Tarot cards.
“At least it would explain a lot,” he mumbled bitterly, before turning away to watch some people pulling chairs and tables aside to create some space for a small dancing floor.
“So I ‘ ve been right,” he mentioned to Michelle, who was busy placing some false pumpkins in the corners and afterwards lit up the lights, they contained.
“No urgent case to work on this evening, just a childish way to waste my time, while I could be comfortably at home and get some sleep. I nearly don ‘ t know anymore how it feels to rest in my own bed.”
“Don ‘ t be stupid, Jack! You could need some distraction, we all do.”
Jack groaned and lifted his beer again. “Only, that ‘ s not my kind of distraction.” He sighed defeated, when she smiled at him in her enchanted way and left him staring out of the windows, where darkness changed the usually bright city into an eerie place, filled with mysteries and disastrous secrets.
“Jack!” He flinched, when Chloe called him. She looked a little startled, when he approached her. “I... I don ‘ t want to frighten someone,” she whispered to him. “But are you aware, that this is the one night in the year, during which the doors separating the worlds are standing widely open?”
“I know.” Jack smirked amused. “And the deads are walking among the living, so we try to scare them with this huge, loud party.”
“That ‘ s no joke, Jack, especially not tonight. Something ‘ s going on, something horrible. I ‘ ve got this feeling of being haunted by an unknown power, kind of a big bad evil, stronger and more dangerous than any villain we ‘ d already had to do with.”
“Alright, Chloe! Calm down! It ‘ s just a night like each other, no need to be afraid of anything. Human mind is always making up things, sometimes you have to doubt your senses.”
“No Jack,” she grabbed his arm, held it in an iron grip. “Can ‘ t you feel it? It ‘ s coming... soon.”
“Chloe..., “he placed the bottle on a near desk and took her face into his hands. “Believe me, you have nothing to fear.”

 
In this moment a strangled cry passed through the dim building.
“What the... ?” Jack whirled around searching his surroundings observantly.
“Who... oh God... it ‘s coming from the basement... leave... hurry... .”
The former pleasant and happy mood had changed in an instant. Confused voices mixed, when agents collided, tumbled and fell upon each other. Dark smoke seemed to crawl out of the basement, spreading its disgusting scent, causing the people next to choke in desperation. They tried to flee, but the lucky ones who reached the exit couldn ‘ t open it and fell to the ground losing their consciousness. “Tony?” Jack called through the chaos for his friend, while Chloe still clung to him.
“We ‘ re under attack,” he shouted angrily and tried to shook Chloe off. “Damnit, move to your computer and find out what the hell is happening here!”
Sobbing she did, how she was told, while Jack discovered Kim next to the steps leading downstairs.
“Kim!” Eyes wide open he watched his little girl being devoured by a thick black cloud, reaching out hungrily for each human, which dared to stay nearby.
“Jack, shoot!” He heard Tony command, while the dark haired man fired some bullets into the darkness.
“No,” he screamed. “Kim is there!” In pure panic he rushed to the place, he ‘ d seen his daughter at last, when suddenly Chloe stopped him. “Jack,” she shrieked. “I found the demon who ‘ s after us.” “Jesus, would you please save me from this shit!” Jack yelled back, but Chloe already had pulled him to the next computer, typed in a code and turned the monitor, so he could watch it. “I told you, the dead return, and our guest tonight is Jack the Ripper.” Jack stared at the blurred picture of a masked man in a black coat. “Chloe, you lost your mind completely,” he cursed, but only one moment later stood still, staring in disbelief at the scenery, which unfolded in front of him. “Can ‘ t be true... ,” he whispered, when he watched the dark figure leaving the cellar, dragging the awful mass behind, which sticked to him, moving restlessly around, stretching its cold fingers for the startled people, who couldn ‘ t escape, no matter how hard they tried. “Jack, what is it?” Tony screamed to him through the noise grewing louder and louder, impossible to stop, until their ears seemed to explode. “It ‘ s him, the Ripper,” Jack called back, struggling hard to regain control again, though each fibre of his body refused to believe what happened in front of him. “Michelle!” The woman screamed in fear, when she was sucked into the blackness which seemed to emit a mad laughter, deafening, hurting until they couldn ‘ t bear it any longer, pressed their hands over their ears and curled onto the ground in agony. And then it was over. Jack stood up, terribly shaking, fighting for strength.
“Michelle,” Tony croaked getting on his feet again. “She is... .”
“No,” Jack stated, tolerating no contradiction. “They are alive and we will find them.”
He turned around. “We ‘ ll search the building and I ‘ ll kill the bastard, as soon as I will see him.” “You can ‘ t kill him, he ‘ s already dead,” Chloe mentioned.
“Then it ‘ s your turn to find a way.”
Jack loaded his gun with skilled and concentrated movements. “I ‘ ll go downstairs. Have it in my guts that I ‘ ll find him there.” He entered the cellar holding on to his anger, he knew, the only possibility to come through this. “Damnit, scum!” he shouted. “Show up, now!” “Jack!” He heard the voice from far away, followed the sound hastily. “Why this hatred in here? This place is evil, spoiled, perfect for you and me, for our first conversation.” “What have you done to my daughter?”
The black figure removed from the shadows and Jack could swear he ‘ d seen two red eyes glowing in enjoyment.
“Nothing! Just a little joke to make the game more interesting.”
“What game? What is it all about?”
“Oh Jack, don ‘ t you know? Can ‘ t you imagine why I decided to visit you?”
Jack raised his gun. “Dead or undead, I ‘ ll shoot you in a second, if you ‘ re not talking.”
His opposite giggled. “How sweet, you really try to scare me Jack. It ‘ s really fun to upset you, but you should be more careful!”
“I only want my family and friends being safe.”
“And maybe that ‘ s what you will get. Maybe not, and maybe you ‘ re not willing to pay the prize.”
“Don ‘ t talk in riddles!” Jack lost his temper again.
“Oh boy, I ‘ m clearer to you than to anybody else. It ‘ s all about you! It ‘ s all about your soul!”
“My soul, right!” “You still have no idea how precious it is... for me!”
“So, that ‘ s it!” Jack groaned. “What do you want? My soul? Me, coming with you to hell?”
He shook his head, nearly laughed out.
“You can have it, all of it! Take me right into the middle of purgatory! Do you really think I would fear damnation?”
Jack laughed now properly. “I ‘ m living in hell for a long time, and I ‘ m condemned since I started to work in this profession. Nobody would change it, and nobody would be able to scare me using such ancient phrases.” He approached the mysterious figure, pointing with his gun on its head. “Only one thing left to know. Why now? And why like this?” “Can ‘ t you see, Jack? I ‘ m coming in different shapes, and tonight I chose your incarnation from the past. Watch me and learn who you were, who you are when your soul is lost forever!” “Go to hell!” Jack screamed in fury and in fear, firing wildly around, well knowing, that he wouldn ‘ t be able to do any harm to the creature in front of him. “Go to hell, you monster,” he cried, feeling tears of anger and of desperation rise behind his eyes. He still fired, when the room lit up, when the soft light of candles flew around, when the cleaning scent of frankincense and wood streamed across the walls, filled the place, chased away the dark power, holding it in its grip. Jack didn ‘ t noticed Chloe murmuring latin words, he watched the Ripper slowly fading away, still giggling, and he heard him whisper words, mentioned only for his ears. “This isn ‘ t over yet. You ‘ ll see what hell on earth could mean!”
“Kim!” Jack turned around, looking into the pale features of Tony who hold Michelle in his arms and of Chase and Kim, who seemed to support each other. “Damnit!” Tony cursed. “What has that been?”
“Nothing!” Jack finally replied. “Nothing of any importance for your lives. Only the simple proof, that I should have stayed at home tonight.”