Warning: Much like Void, this is a horror story. No happiness here. There'll also be plenty of gore too! So, you've been warned. Happy Halloween!

Help Me

Ruby woke up hot and thirsty one late, summer evening. Her blanket was too thick and too heavy against her small frame. She kicked at it with her small, clumsy hands as she rose up from her bed. She stared at her rose colored blanket with heavy eyes as memories bubbled inside of her.

Mom always knew when to change the blankets. She always knew when nights would be hot or cool, and she always made sure her girls could sleep comfortably.

The little girl felt her heart ache for the hundred time that week. It had only been days since her mother's death, but the wound was still just as fresh. Despite so many people promising her that everything was going to be okay, Ruby, her father, and her sister didn't feel okay. The young girl lifted herself from her bed and landed on the ground on tired legs. She dragged herself to kitchen for something to drink.

Summer Rose was gone. Killed in battle against the Creatures of Grimm over a week ago. She left a hole in her family, and everyone in the small house dealt with the lost their own way.

Tai spent most days drinking from various bottles, though Ruby didn't know what it was he was drinking. It always made his breath stink and whenever he spoke, his words came out slurred, like he was always tired. Yang told the younger girl it was poison, and that Ruby should never touch the stuff. Why her father wanted to drink poison was beyond her, but her father told her it wasn't bad for him. That Yang was just making things up to mess with her. Ruby wasn't sure who to believe...

Her sister tried to be there for Ruby. She tried to be the girl's mother, but it just wasn't the same. Ruby didn't make the battle easy for her. Yang desperately tried to taking Summer's place, and part of Ruby hated her for it. Yesterday morning Ruby had refused to eat the breakfast Yang had spent hours trying to make. Her older sister was hurt, and hurt turned to anger, and neither ate anything until dinner that night...

Even Zwei acted differently. His tail wagged less and Ruby had to listen to him whimper when no one took him out for a walk, or when no one fed him. Summer had always remembered to feed the young pup, and now Ruby and Yang seemed to be the only ones to remember him. Tai barely acknowledge the small corgi.

Ruby saw her mother everywhere she looked. She saw her mother sitting by her daughters' beds, reading them a story of adventure and heroism. She saw her mother in the living room, where the entire family would cuddle by the fireplace. She saw her mother in the kitchen, with a plate of cookies in hand and a warm smile on her face.

The memories hurt. It hurt remembering what wasn't there anymore. Ruby had spent the first night after her mother's death crying. Now, she wasn't sure she had any tears left.

Ruby entered the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk. She clung to the mug with pale fingers, letting the cold drink cool her warm body. The nights at Patch could be smoldering, but this night was especially painful.

The silver-eyed girl glanced at the kitchen sink. She finished her drink, savoring the cool chill of the sweet milk, before placing it in the sink. As she lifted her head up from the dirty mug, her eyes caught something. The forest outside her house was something the young girl had gotten used to. Squirrels and raccoons could be seen at the outskirts of her home, but this was something different.

Ruby felt her body stiffen as the thing outside stood there. She felt it hard to breathe as her mind told her to cry out for her mommy and daddy. Her voice refused to heed her mind as her fingers clung to the counter below her.

The thing was too big, she realized, to be any woodland creature. The only reason she even see it in the darkness of night was because the moon's light was catching it just enough to make an outline. Something was standing outside her home. It was taller than her and her sister, but just below her father's height. It looked thin, but not gangly. Just something that was too big to be a critter, but small compared to a person.

A chill ran down Ruby's spine as a thought popped into her head. What if it's a Grimm?! It made sense, after all. Grimm were attracted by negative emotion. There was plenty of that to be found in her home, but another lesson calmed her nerves. All Grimm had glowing, piercing eyes. All of them. Her mother and father had never heard of Grimm that didn't. Whether it was yellow, red, or orange, all Grimm had bright, ethereal eyes.

So what was it outside her home?

The creature moved, shifting slightly in place and Ruby gasped as she took a step back. She expected it to run at her, charging with a roar or something, but it didn't. It just turned around and walked back into the forest.

Ruby raced back to her bed and hid under her covers, begging for sleep to take her away...

Ruby sat in the kitchen, playing with her cereal in quiet thought. She glanced at the window, just above Yang's head as her sister did the dishes, and she wondered if what she saw was still out there.

It couldn't have been. It wasn't, obviously; Yang would have seen it, but was it still out there?

She continued to play with the sugar-coated cereal in quiet thought as her sister called out to her. "Ruby? Hey, Ruby!"

"Huh?" She dropped her spoon into her meal and looked up, finding her older sister staring at her with a concerned frown on her face.

"You okay, Ruby?"

"Y-yeah. Just a nightmare." It wasn't a complete lie. It might have just been a bad dream, she told herself. But no matter how hard she tried to make herself believe, something just nagged at her. "Um, what were you talking about, Yang?"

"I was asking you about Zwei. Have you seen him?"

"Huh? No, why? Is he okay?" Ruby asked, eyes widening.

"I'm sure he is, but I haven't seen him the whole morning," she quickly answered. Ruby knew her sister was just trying to make sure Ruby didn't worry too much. Sadly, the effort was in vain for the poor girl. "I was calling out for him, but he didn't come. Wanna come with me to find him after breakfast?"

Ruby glanced at her father. There were times when Tai would take the girls out hiking. Other days, he'd walk Zwei around and joke about cleaning up the dog's waste. Today, Ruby's father didn't even seem to notice what his eldest daughter had said. Tai simply stared at his half-eaten sandwich with dull eyes.

"Daddy...?" Ruby called out to him, but he didn't say anything. He didn't even seem to hear her.

"Just forget him, Ruby," sighed Yang. "Come on. Finish your breakfast and we'll go look for Zwei." Ruby nodded her head, her eyes falling to her unappetizing meal. She quietly ate away at it, before dumping what she couldn't finish. Neither girl said goodbye to their father as they got dressed and went out looking for their dog.

Their search was fruitless. They couldn't find even a trace of Zwei, no matter how far they walked or how loud they called out to him. They came back home with sore feet, tired throats, and heavy hearts. Yang tried to be optimistic for her sister, but even Ruby could hear the strain in her big sister's voice.

Their father was already in his room by the time they returned. He wasn't asleep. He hadn't been able to sleep much since their mother's death, but they knew it meant he wanted to be alone. Both girls ended up going to their respective rooms to sleep, promising they'd search again tomorrow.

But once again, Ruby couldn't sleep. She stared at her bedroom window, at the the shimmering, broken fragments of Remnant's moon. Her eyes drifted along the empty, cloudless sky, until she realized she was staring at her own ceiling. Her father's room was just above hers. Yang's was just across the hall. Her family was so close, yet they felt miles away from her now. Ruby felt like she was on an island, lost in the middle of the sea.

She had never felt more alone...

The sound of crickets could be heard outside, but as Ruby laid awake in her bed, something else prodded at her mind. There was a sound that was eerily familiar, yet it caused her blood to run cold.

Footsteps. There was someone walking outside her house, and they were getting closer.

Ruby felt her body stiffen as a shadow fell on her window, blocking the light of the stars and moon. The silhouette was close to the glass, close enough to lay their hands on it as they peered into Ruby's room. Ruby's eyes struggled to see through the veil of darkness, and she realized just who it was staring back at her.

Mommy...?

Summer Rose was at her window, her mother was staring down at Ruby with the same silver eyes the two shared. Summer Rose was there, staring down at her child. Summer Rose, Ruby's mother, was there, right outside the child's window. Ruby should have been overjoyed, and for a single moment, she was. Then her joy turned to ice and the greeting on her lips turned to ash.

Those won't her mother's eyes. They were the same color, the same metallic shade of silver, but while her mother's eyes sparkled with love, these eyes were rusted with weariness and emptiness. They were devoid of of what made the woman Summer Rose. Her eyelids were stretched open, unblinking. The 'silver' eyes just peered into the room, slowly looking over Ruby.

The thing that looked like Summer wore clothes that resembled the real thing's. The same black and crimson dress that Ruby had always wanted to try on, but the fabric was damaged. It was ruined by dirt, stained with mud and grass, and her snow-white hood and cape was left in tatters. The remains of it hung from her neck, waving in the cold night's wind.

Her lips opened, but Ruby couldn't hear her through the glass. She spoke again, slowly, articulating every word with a parody of grace.

It took Ruby a moment, but she finally realized what her mother was saying.

"Help."

Summer whispered the word one final time, before turning and walking away. Ruby released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She was panting, gasping for air. A cold sweat covered her body as tears pooled in the corner of her eyes. She wiped the little droplets from her face, trying to make sense of what she had seen.

That wasn't her mother. It couldn't have been. Ruby's mother was dead. That thing wasn't her mother.

Ruby slept by Yang's side for the rest of the night. Yang didn't push her away. She never did. Ruby would have cuddled up between her big sister and Zwei, but the little dog was still nowhere to be seen. So Ruby hid under her sister's blanket, trembling as Yang snored away.

The morning came and Ruby pleaded for Yang to walk outside with her. Yang tried to ask her what was wrong, but Ruby wouldn't answer. Not until she pointed at the dirt ground outside her bedroom window.

"S-someone was here, Yang. Look at the grass!" It was a trick Summer had taught them. Grass that had been stood on was bent. Ruby tried to remember the lessons as she placed a hand on the ground. Just like Summer, she tried to look around, tried to be like the Huntress her mother was. But Yang could only see a child.

"Ruby."

"See? T-the grass here isn't as wet! That means someone was standing here! Yang, I-"

"Ruby..."

"Yang, I saw her! I saw mom last night! She was standing right here and-"

"Ruby, stop!" Yang embraced her sister, squeezing her into her shoulder. "Ruby, stop. You need to stop..."

"B-but Yang-"

"I miss her too, Ruby. I miss mom every single day. I miss her voice, I miss her smile, and I miss how dad used to be when she was around. I miss it all so much, but we have to accept that she is gone, Ruby." Yang's voice was heavy, and it tried to remain strong. The weight of her own grief broke her though, and Ruby could see tears falling onto her scarlet locks. "Ruby, she isn't coming back..."

"S-she was here, Yang. I saw her."

"You must have been dreaming. I'm sorry, Ruby, but mom's gone and she isn't coming back." The older girl held her sister tighter, thinking she was uttering the harsh, but real truth. Yang thought she was telling Ruby what she needed to her. Instead, all Ruby heard was what she wanted to hear.

Ruby gave up trying to talk to Yang. She was scared that her older sister just wouldn't believe her. She was even more scared that she was right. Was that night just a horrible dream? A nightmare that felt like reality? Ruby was a strange mix of hopeful and horrified at the thought. She didn't know what she wanted, she didn't know what she saw.

There was no one else to talk to, besides her sick father. He sat on the couch beside her, just staring at the plate that sat on his lap. Yang was in the kitchen, cleaning dishes, as Ruby and her father stared at his cold, untouched food.

"Dad...?" He didn't say anything. He didn't move. "Dad, I saw something last night." That caught his attention. He looked at her, his eyes expressing something beyond just the hollow, dull blue she had slowly gotten used to. There was a spark, like how he used to be.

"What... What did you see?" His voice was hoarse, like he hadn't used it in months. Despite his sore throat, Ruby couldn't hide her smile. It was nice to hear her father again.

Her smile didn't last as she tried to mutter a response. "I think I saw someone outside my window last night. I-it looked like mom..."

Tai was quiet, swallowing spit down his throat as he took a slow breath. "You saw her too...?"

Ruby didn't expect that. It was hard to even imagine someone believing her. Did her dad really see what she did last night? "Dad, w-what's going on? That couldn't have been mom, could it?"

"Who else could it have been, Ruby? She's come back to us," her father whispered. The corners of his lips rose, and it was the first time she had seen him smile in weeks. "She said she needed help, didn't she?" Ruby wanted to answer, but she couldn't utter a sound. Her father smiled down at her as his hands squeezed her shoulders. "She needs us, Ruby. Tonight. We'll go find her tonight, and we'll be a family again...!"

Ruby could see her father trying not to scream. He was smiling widely, clearly thinking that everything could go back to the way it was. He was desperate for it all to go back. The child watched as her father brought a finger to his lips.

"We can't let Yang know, Ruby... She won't understand. She doesn't want to believe that Summer can come back, that's why we need to show her."

The door opened and Yang greeted her father and sister. Ruby couldn't bring herself to say anything back. Her father's blue eyes glanced at her, and the remains of his smile could still be seen in his empty, hollow eyes. Some part of Ruby told her to feel pity for her father, but all she could feel was dread...

Tai's eyes never left Ruby. Maybe it was out of love. Maybe it was because he could see the temptation to tell Yang everything. Maybe it was because for the first time since Summer's death, he felt close to his youngest daughter. Maybe it was nothing at all.

Yang could tell something was wrong, but Ruby lied and told her older sister that everything was fine. Ruby went to bed first, hoping to hide from her father's stare. The child tried to think of a plan, but she was only six years old. What could she do, beyond hope for a miracle?

She laid on her bed, but she couldn't sleep. She just stared at the window, trying to breath as she wondered if the thing that looked like her mother was out there. Did it take Zwei? Was Zwei okay? Was there something that looked like Zwei in the forest outside her home?

There was a banging on her door, and Ruby nearly screamed. Her father's voice called out to her through the wooden frame. "Ruby. It's time. Summer's waiting outside."

She was already here? Ruby couldn't stop herself from trembling. She tried to catch her breath, but a sob broke through and she hid under her blanket as she pleaded for herself to wake up, begged her father to leave her alone, no, begged him to stay here, with her. Anything to avoid seeing that thing...

"Ruby?" The door was opening, and her father walked into her room to find his youngest daughter quivering under her sheets. "Ruby, what's wrong?" She could hear it in his voice. He didn't understand why she was so scared. How couldn't he see it?! That thing wasn't mom...

Did Tai not love Summer as much as Ruby did? Or maybe it was because he loved her too much? Ruby had Yang to hold her, to tell her everything was going to be okay, and Ruby tried her best to give Yang the same. Who did their father have? Ruby could almost understand her father. He was desperate. He wanted so much for Summer to be alive that he'd even accept that thing...

"It's not mom," she cried.

"What...?"

"It's not her, dad! That isn't mom!" Ruby sobbed. Tears were staining her pillow as her father slowly peeled the blanket off of his daughter. She saw into his heartbroken, empty gaze and he saw into her crimson, tearful eyes. "That thing isn't mom!"

"Ruby, h-how can you say that? Summer came back for-"

"It isn't mom!" Ruby battered her small fists against her father's chest. She tried to make him understand. Tried to help him see what she saw. "Didn't you look into her eyes?! That wasn't mom...!" Her voice cracked crying out those words, and she buried her face in her father's shirt. She wiped her snot and tears against the soft fabric as she begged him to listen. "Please... I-I don't want to see her..."

For a moment, Ruby feared that her father was going to yell at her. That he'd hate her for rejecting Summer's return. Instead he embraced her with warm, familiar arms, and whispered into her ear. "Okay... Okay. We won't go looking for her. We'll... we'll talk about this tomorrow morning."

Relief washed over Ruby. Her tiny fingers dug into his shirt, squeezing and wrinkling the fabric as her tears of fear and dread turned into relief. "T-thank you, daddy..."

"It's okay, Ruby... It's all going to be okay."

Ruby dared to believe that was true, until she heard Summer's voice through the walls of their little home.

"Help me."

Tai's chest became stiff, and Ruby choked on her own breath. Her hands tightly pressed against her mouth, terrified that it would hear her breathing.

"I-I left the door open, hoping she'd find us," Tai whispered. He wasn't talk to Ruby. He was just realizing his own mistake. "Stay here. I'll... I'll tell her she needs to leave.

"Dad, no-!"

"I'll be okay, honey. I just need you to stay here, okay?" He pulled away, and despite Ruby's pawing fingers, he left her side. She could see his blue eyes trying to hold back his own tears. He was afraid.

"Dad, p-please, I don't want to be alone!"

"I'll be right back, honey. Just wait here, okay?" And then he was gone. He walked out of her room and Ruby felt a familiar sense of dread wash over her.

Tai wasn't an idiot. No, he was something so much worse than just stupid. He was desperate. He had been desperate. Desperate to see his wife again, desperate not to lose another loved one, and desperate to see his daughters smile again. He had been so pathetically desperate to accept Summer back, that he didn't stop to think about if she really was back.

How did Ruby see it, and not him?

No. He had seen it. He saw into Summer's eyes,and those weren't the eyes of the woman he loved.

He was pathetic. He had to make things right.

"Dad...? What's with all the racket?" groaned Yang. His eldest daughter was walking down the stairs, rubbing at her eye as she glared at her father. "I keep hearing you and Ruby talking..."

"S-sorry, honey. Look, just go check on your sister for me. I promise we'll keep it down." He hated brushing Yang off. She deserved better. He promised he'd be better to both of his children when this night was over. He watched Yang follow his commands, but his blood ran cold as Summer's cries echoed once more.

"Help me...! Please!" Her voice shattered the silence in the air like a stone through glass, and Yang's eyes widened as she turned to face her father.

"Dad..." The look on her face was some kind of cocktail of disgust, shock, and confusion. Everything in Yang was probably telling her she didn't hear, what she had heard, and Tai wished he had an answer for her.

"Yang, go! Now!" Tai demanded, pointing to Ruby's room. Tai knew she wanted to stay, but he didn't want his daughter to see it. Yang tore her feet from the ground and walked, slowly. Tai took a deep breath and continued onward. He heard a crash coming from the kitchen, and he hurried after it.

Tai turned on the lights of the large room, and he found her. Summer was limping towards him, holding herself up with a hand on the wall. Her left foot was bent the wrong way, twisted as a snapped bone pierced through the pale flesh. A foul scent lingered in the air as Tai found Zwei beside Summer. The small dog should have been overjoyed to see one of his owners again, but he just stood there. Zwei was a hyperactive dog, always moving, always making sound, but this thing in the shape of Zwei was quiet. It didn't even seem to breathe, it just stared at him with hollow eyes.

"Help me!" Summer cried out again, limping forward. She stared at Tai, and he could see dried blood painted around her lips. Dark patches of brown and red stained her tattered, white cloak as she began to scream. "Help!" Her voice was getting louder, becoming hoarse. Who knows how long she had been crying for help...?

"Summer. I-I love you." Tai wished he could have told her something else. Something real, something tangible, but he failed her again. He didn't know what he could do or say to make this any easier. "I will always love you."

"Help..."

"I will. I swear, I will, but you... You need to go, honey. You need to move on," he told her. She stared into his eyes, and he knew that the Summer he knew wasn't here. This remnant of her soul needed to be put to rest. "I love you, Summer."

"Help me!" She held her hands out to him as her teeth bit into her pale lips. She forced her legs forward, only to stumble. She fell into Tai's arms as she sobbed. "Help me...!"

"Summer, I'm so, so sorry," the blond man whispered. He held her in his arms as she trembled. Her skin was so cold, chilled like ice, and she felt so fragile in his hands, like she'd snap in an instant.

"Help..." She continued to quiver in his hands as he promised to give her this small comfort, at least. "Me..."

Tai felt something brush against his hand as Summer buried her face into his chest, wiping her dry, red eyes against the soft fabric. She was pressing against him, her fingers digging into his shirt. She inhaled, shuddering as a loud snap filled the air. "Summer?" She spat black, cold blood onto his shirt as her fingers held him close. "Summer?!"

The blood clung to his clothes, slowly dripping down his body, but the residue was the last thing on his mind. Tai grabbed Summer's shoulders, trying to lift her up so he could look into her face. Summer lifted her head to face him, but her eyes weren't align right. One hung low to the ground, staring at his blood-stained clothes. The other eye rolled upwards, until he couldn't see her pupil.

"Summer...?"

Her cheek moved, but it wasn't like how a cheek was supposed to move. It moved like something was under it. It rose up, like a tent, as something tried to push its way out of her mouth. The skin began to tear like fabric as blood seeped from Summer's ripping face. Her cheeks were ripping apart as she opened her mouth wider and wider. Crimson eyes greeted Tai as he opened his mouth to scream.

The red-eyed creature pushed itself out, leaping out of Summer's blood-soaked throat and onto Tai.

"Dad!"

Yang's eyes widened in horror as their father's screamed echoed throughout the small house. The two girls were sitting on Ruby's bed, clinging to one another as they waited for their father. But for Yang, waiting was over. She pulled away from her sister and made a dash for the door. Her sister cried out to stop her, even jumping off of the bed to try and reach her, but Yang made it to the door. She pulled it open, only to stop as a familiar sight greeted her.

"Zwei?" Yang saw the small dog staring up at her. Ruby felt a chill run up along her spine as the dog just... watched them. Yang brow wrinkled, but she ignored the obvious question and moved to walk past the small puppy. Zwei moved in her way, brushing against her foot as the blond suddenly fell to the ground. "Ah!" She cried out in pain, lifting her foot to her hands as laid beside the dog.

Ruby's eyes widened as blood flowed from Yang's foot. Her ankle had been cut, and the wound was deep. Ruby ran to her sister's side as tears formed in Yang's eyes.

"W-what...?" Yang watched as her blood stained her fingertips and she struggled to breathe as Zwei laid down beside the two. "R-Ruby, help!" She was crying, trying to stay calm as her blood pooled below her.

Ruby's hands grabbed her sister's arm, trying to help her stand on one leg, but a loud snap froze them both. The two sisters watched as something moved under Zwei's skin. It pushed and writhed just below his flesh, slowly tearing it open as the dog's mouth opened. A black, sickle-shaped tendril tasted the air as a sharp ebony-colored knife tore through Zwei's skin.

The younger girl looked at the black knives that tore open Zwei's skin from the inside, and he looked at Yang's bleeding foot. Yang experienced the same revelation as Zwei's body, no, his corpse was ripped in to. The dog's head rolled onto the ground as blood splattered onto Ruby and Yang. The thing that was inside Zwei was a Grimm, but unlike any either girl had ever seen or heard of.

A white mask stared at them with six, or maybe eight, crimson eyes. Ruby couldn't tell what was an eye and what was just Zwei's blood. The body of the creature was small, bug-like, but the white, blood stained plates that made up its body twitched and pulsed, like a heart. A half-dozen, or maybe a dozen, limbs dragged it closer to Yang and Zwei. Some of the legs ended in blades. Others ended in hooks.

"Ruby." Yang pulled her sister closer, staring into her silver eyes. "Run."

"What?!"

A hook dug into Yang's wound, ripping the flesh open as the blond pushed her sister away. "Run!" Ruby watched as her sister was pulled towards the Grimm. The older girl lifted her hands up, trying to defend herself as scissor-like blades and blood-coated hooks tore her body apart. Despite her best efforts, Yang screamed in pain as her fingers were sliced and her stomach was stabbed.

Ruby ran. She tore her eyes away from her sister's death and she ran. She ran out of her room, her bloody pajamas clinging to her body as she saw her mother and father limping towards her. Her mother's face was ripped open, her jaw hanging from her head by a few strains of flesh.

"Hheel..." Ruby could see burning, scarlet eyes from Summer's opened mouth.

"Help me..." Tai dragged himself towards his daughter, his eyes staring at her as his entrails dragged along the ground. Blood flowed like a waterfall from the huge gash on his chest. "Help."

Ruby watched the two slowly move towards them, tears falling from her face as she realized that she was all alone. She took a deep breath as she saw something move in the corner of her eyes. Yang was standing up as the creature dug itself into her wound. It filled her body, moving its legs into the right spots to move her arms and legs like a marionette. The thing that wore Yang's skin looked at Ruby, slowly turning her eyes to stare at the little girl.

As the three things that wore her family's skin surrounded her, as the creatures outside called out for her blood, Ruby found herself whispering to the nothingness around her.

"Please, someone... Help me."

END

It's Halloween, and I half-assed this thing before work. Had the idea on my mind for a while, wanted to try writing something scary again.

Man, I hate writing horror. It's hard... I need to go back to writing Lancaster smut...

Maybe I should do horror stuff for all of the RWBY girls? Blake has Void, a psychological horror, Ruby has this... thing. This bloody, gore-filled horror thing. Eh. We'll see.

Happy Halloween, everyone!