Halloween Night, He Mistook My Death for a Prank Chapter 05

The audience went silent for a second.

Then thunderous applause.

Someone in the front row stood up, tearing off their mask in excitement.

“Holy crap, the practical effects are insane!”

“Avery’s a genius—a beheading that looks this real!”

More and more people pushed forward with their phones. Flash after flash lit up the pale face at Nolan’s feet.

My eyes were half-open, staring right at him.

Nolan didn’t move. He couldn’t seem to hear the cheering around him. He looked down, the color draining from his face.

Sienna ran onto the stage, thrilled.

She was about to laugh when her eyes landed on my severed neck. Her whole body went rigid.

“That’s not my fake blood.”

Her voice was soft, but it cut through the cheers like a blade.

Nolan dropped to his knees, cradling my head in his arms, frantically wiping the blood off my face.

“Avery?”

“Stop playing.”

“Get up.”

His voice was still steady, but his hands were shaking too hard to even fix my veil.

People in the audience finally started to realize.

Screams erupted.

The crowd stampeded toward the exits. Jack-o’-lanterns were crushed underfoot. College administration officials were shouting to lock down the stage. The livestream camera was still on Nolan.

He didn’t seem to hear any of it. He just kept wiping my face.

“You always liked looking pretty, didn’t you?”

“Your face is dirty. You’re gonna blame me later.”

He tried to put my head back on my body.

Once. It fell off.

Again. It fell off.

The last bit of composure in Nolan’s eyes shattered.

“Where’s the campus medic?!”

“Call an ambulance!”

“Hurry up!”

The campus medic rushed onto the stage, took one look, and stopped.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

Nolan looked up, his eyes terrifyingly red.

“You didn’t even check! She was fine just now—she was just throwing a fit.”

The medic opened his mouth, then said nothing.

Sienna collapsed by the crystal casket, her lips trembling.

“No. It was a safe prop.”

“The label said safe prop.”

She suddenly remembered something and fumbled for her phone.

“There’s video. We recorded everything.”

She pulled up the footage.

On screen, I was thrashing wildly inside the guillotine, my hands reaching for them again and again.

Sienna was laughing.

Everyone around was laughing.

And Nolan raised his hand and gently patted the back of my neck.

Once. Again.

With each pat, the blade sank deeper into my flesh.

The video reached the part where he said, “Be good. See you in a bit.” Nolan’s hand finally let go.

My head rolled out of his arms again.

He stared down at his hands.

His palms were covered in my blood.