Chapter 12: The Innocent Girl
The remaining members of The Gold Bachelors were on edge. The gruesome deaths of their friends had left them paranoid and fearful. Each of them was trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy, but the terror of knowing they were being hunted by something supernatural loomed over them.
One evening, Jasper, one of the last remaining members, was driving home from a late-night party. The streets were unusually quiet, and an unsettling fog had rolled in, reducing visibility. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes darting around as he navigated the empty roads.
Suddenly, his headlights caught the figure of a young girl standing by the roadside. She looked no older than ten, her dress torn and dirty, and her eyes wide with fear. Jasper slowed down, his heart racing.
"What is a little girl doing out here alone?" he muttered to himself.
He pulled over and rolled down his window. "Hey, are you okay? What are you doing out here?"
The girl looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "Mister, can you help me? I'm lost and I can't find my way home."
Jasper's heart softened. Despite the terror he had been living in, he couldn't ignore a child in need. He stepped out of the car and approached her cautiously.
"What's your name, sweetie?"
"Carlotta," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Can you please help me?"
Jasper nodded, kneeling down to her level. "Of course, Carlotta. Let's get you home. Do you know where you live?"
Carlotta shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"No, I was with my mommy, but I lost her. I'm scared."
Jasper's protective instincts kicked in.
"Don't worry. We'll figure it out. Come on, let's get you in the car where it's warm."
He led her to the passenger side and helped her in, then got back behind the wheel. "Okay, Carlotta, we'll drive around and see if we can find your home."
As they drove, Carlotta's sobs quieted. She seemed to relax, and Jasper felt a small sense of relief. He glanced at her and gave a reassuring smile.
"It's going to be okay. We'll find your mommy."
Carlotta looked up at him, her eyes now dry. "Thank you, mister. You're very kind."
Jasper's phone buzzed, and he glanced at the notification. It was a message from one of the other members of The Gold Bachelors, warning him to be careful. Ignoring it for the moment, he focused on the road.
Minutes passed in silence until Jasper noticed something strange. Carlotta's reflection in the rearview mirror seemed different. Her face appeared older, and her eyes... they were filled with a sinister gleam.
He blinked, thinking it was just a trick of the light. But when he looked again, Carlotta was staring at him, her innocent expression replaced by one of pure malice.
"Who are you?" Jasper asked, his voice shaky.
Carlotta's lips curled into a twisted smile. "Don't you remember me, Jasper?"
Jasper's heart pounded in his chest.
"What are you talking about?"
In an instant, Carlotta's form began to shift and morph. Her body elongated, her hair darkened, and her eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. Jasper watched in horror as she transformed into Madison, the girl they had raped and killed.
"Madison!" Jasper screamed, trying to swerve the car to throw her off balance.
But Madison held firm, her voice dripping with venom.
"You thought you could get away with it, didn't you? You thought you could forget."
Jasper fumbled with the door handle, desperate to escape, but Madison was faster. She reached out and grabbed his wrist with an iron grip.
"You're not going anywhere, Jasper."
With a supernatural strength, she yanked him from the driver's seat, sending the car skidding to a halt. Jasper fell to the ground, scrambling to get away. But Madison loomed over him, her eyes burning with rage.
"Please, Madison! I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to happen!" Jasper begged, tears streaming down his face.
Madison's face twisted into a mask of fury. "Sorry? You think sorry can undo what you did?"
Before Jasper could respond, Madison's fingers elongated into sharp claws. With a swift, brutal motion, she gouged out his eyes, his screams echoing through the empty street.
Blinded and in agony, Jasper flailed helplessly. Madison didn't relent. She grabbed an axe from the back of the car, the moonlight glinting off the blade.
"Goodbye, Jasper," she hissed, raising the axe high.
With a sickening thud, she brought the axe down on his head, splitting it open. Blood splattered across the pavement, and Madison let out a chilling laugh. She reached into the gaping wound, pulling out Jasper's brain and devouring it with savage delight.
Jasper's lifeless body lay crumpled on the ground, a gruesome testament to Madison's vengeance. She stood over him, her undead form bathed in the eerie light of the streetlamp.
In the distance, the faint sound of sirens grew louder. Madison glanced towards the approaching police cars, her lips curling into a sinister smile. She had plenty of time to disappear before they arrived.
As the sirens drew closer, Madison melted back into the shadows, leaving behind the bloody scene. Her vengeance was far from over. There were still others who needed to pay for what they had done.
Back at the Parker house, Naomi and Calvin were pouring over old photos and letters, trying to piece together any clues about Madison’s transformation. They had just settled into an uneasy silence when Naomi's phone rang.
"It's Investigator Abner," she said, answering quickly. "Hello?"
"Naomi, you need to come to the station," Abner said, his voice tense.
"There's been another incident. One of the Gold Bachelors... Jasper. It's bad."
Naomi's heart sank. "What happened?"
"I can't explain it over the phone. Just get here as soon as you can."
Naomi hung up and turned to Calvin. "There's been another attack. We need to go."
Calvin nodded, grabbing his jacket. "Let's go. We need to figure out what's going on before more people die."
As they drove to the police station, the memory of the sinister mirror and Madison's threat loomed large in their minds. They knew that stopping Madison would be more difficult than they had ever imagined. But they couldn't give up—not when so much was at stake.
Arriving at the station, they found Investigator Abner waiting for them, his face grim. "Come with me," he said, leading them to a conference room.
He spread out photos of the crime scene, showing the gruesome state of Jasper's body. Naomi gasped, covering her mouth, while Calvin clenched his fists.
"It's Madison," Naomi whispered. "She's getting her revenge."
Abner nodded. "I don't know how, but it seems like she's targeting them one by one. We need to find a way to stop her before she kills again."
Naomi took a deep breath, her resolve hardening. "We will. We have to."
As they planned their next steps, the memory of Jasper's fate hung over them like a dark cloud. They knew that the path ahead would be fraught with danger and terror. But they also knew that they had to face it head-on, for Madison's sake and their own.
Together, they would confront the darkness, no matter the cost. And they would not rest until Madison's vengeful spirit was laid to rest, and the evil that had claimed her life was vanquished for good.