(A/N):
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A hard crack split the night.
Crack~
One instant the van was rolling backward,
Headlights stabbing the dark.
The next, a jagged stone slammed into the driver-side windshield with the force of a thrown boulder.
Glass spiderwebbed,
Then exploded outward in a spray of glittering shards.
Jackson's head snapped down.
At the driver seat flinched, the wheel jerked,
And the van fishtailed wildly on the gravel.
Sreecchhh~
Inadu didn't breathe.
She stood with both hands lifted,
Pale light humming along her knuckles—
Cold, precise.
"____"
The stone she'd flung hovered an instant above the shattered glass,
Then dropped, thudding into the wheel arch.
The impact locked the axle.
The engine died with a choked, angry cough.
PUFF~
For a beat everything moved in slow motion.
"____"
Jackson slammed a palm to his face to clear the blood trickling from a cut on his brow and spat a curse.
He fumbled for the radio, then the phone —
Only to find the handset skittering across the van's dash where a shard had knocked it free.
The screen went black when he tried to call.
The signal stuttered, then died.
Inadu's weave had not only stopped the van—
It'd put an invisible lid on their quick calls.
No last-minute warning to the so called backer for this psycho.
"YOU'RE DONE,"
Jojo said softly as he stepped off the headstone and walked toward them.
He was all casual menace now —
Human, but every inch of him still carried the echo of hellfire.
The two cannibals in the back hunched instinctively.
They'd expected an easy return,
Not a crippled vehicle and a man who laughed at death.
Jackson swung the shotgun up, eyes murder-raw.
"Get out of my sight, you—"
He never finished.
A flying chain whipped out from Jojo's shoulder and wrapped around the barrel, jerking it sideways.
The weapon skittered from Jackson's grip and clattered into the dirt.
The chain's heat singed his knuckles.
The two cannibals scrambled for the rear doors as the van settled onto its axle.
One stumbled, catching on the broken step;
Another lunged and was hooked by a tendril of pale rock by magic Inadu sent slithering under a tire,
Yanking it so the foot slipped and the man crashed to his knees.
Fear snapped into the pack like ice.
They'd come ready to kill.
They hadn't come ready for this kind of precise, quiet power.
Jackson roared, angry and stunned,
He spat at Jojo, teeth bared.
"We'll bring the witch! Gladys will—"
"—get a boat,"
Jojo said flatly.
"And a nicer group of thugs. You just burned your good will."
He gestured once with his chin.
"Go home. Crawl back to your witch and tell her she is the ugliest women in the world."
Jackson's eyes were a hard, dangerous thing.
For a second he looked like a man deciding exactly how far he'd gamble.
"____"
Then he made the choice.
He slammed himself back into the van, shoved the other in,
And the rig coughed as they tried to force the engine.
The wheels spun uselessly in the churned gravel.
Jackson slammed the van into gear,
Then threw it into reverse in a blind lunge —
But the axle had been locked.
It didn't budge.
He pounded the steering wheel, swore, and finally gave up with a strangled, furious bark.
Eyes burning with the promise that they would return—
But this time with a witch, or the Father, or whoever Gladys could drag along.
Jojo watched them go, then turned to the group.
The graveyard smelled of ash and crushed talismans,
And the moon was a cold coin above them.
He brushed a few glass shards from his sleeve and grinned, all easy menace.
"They'll run to their masters,"
Freya said, voice low.
"Gladys huh... she must be the voodo practitioner and that church the Father you mentioned will make move."
Inadu's jaw hardened.
"____"
"They'll call everyone. And return to the slaughter house."
Hope's lips curled.
Grin~
"Then why should we waste time here let's go. The resort's where the center is. Cannibals—if Gladys, the Father. they'll focus there."
Jojo nodded once.
Nod~
"We hit the resort. There were innocent there need to be saved. Make them scramble."
He turned to Inadu.
Jojo didn't pretend the look on his face was casual.
The smirk faded.
"____"
The ghost of something older and harder tightened his jaw.
He'd seen this script before—
His memories from his pervious life,
Scenes from lives he'd lived that stitched into a warning he couldn't ignore.
In those versions of the story,
Curious teenagers answered a mysterious deed and walked straight into a trap.
They trusted.
They laughed.
They died.
That thought sat heavy in his chest.
Freya watched him for a long beat, eyes unreadable.
"____"
She didn't press.
She'd learned a long time ago when Jojo went quiet it was better to give him space to carry whatever storm he needed to carry.
"____"
Instead she moved—
Silent and efficient—
Preparing in the way she always did.
Mapping possibilities, readying contingencies.
Her calm told him she trusted his judgment even if she didn't know all the ghosts that haunted it.
They made the decision together without a ceremony.
The van had retreated.
Jackson would sprint into Gladys's arms and whine like a boy who'd broken his toy.
That meant reinforcements were on their way—
But it also meant there would be a window.
A narrow one.
"Inadu,"
Jojo said, voice flat.
"How long 'til they can call the witch and get here?"
"In about an hour if the line stays clear,"
She answered.
Jojo nodded.
Nod~
He looked at Hope, then at Joshi and Lizzie—
"____"
"____"
"____"
Young, fierce, and already harder than most folks twice their age.
Jojo needs to consider carefully.
And how wrong it was to lose those innocent's to hungry men with gods of frog heads.
"Plan,"
Freya said.
"We split. Two go loud, draw attention and cut the power lines to the resort's wings. Two get in close—quiet—and save them."
Hope's eyes glittered.
"I'll go inside. I blend; I can't be the one who does the heavy lifting, but I can move like I belong."
She glanced at the twins.
"____"
"____"
"Joshi, Lizzie—on me. Keep your siphons sharp. We pull reserves only if we need them."
Jojo sighed, a low rumble that carried the weight of frustration and command.
Sigh~
"____"
Hope's plan—
Slipping in quiet, pretending to blend—
Sounded clever on paper.
But Jojo had knew clearly that it was the most stupidest plan he had ever heard.
He leaned against the hood of the van, crossed his arms,
And gave her a look that shut down argument before it started.
"NO."
His voice came out like a growl,
And for a moment, the faint echo of the Rider curled beneath his words.
"WE'RE NOT SNEAKING AROUND LIKE RATS. WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR."
Everyone blinked.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Freya arched an eyebrow.
"You're serious."
Jojo gave a humorless grin.
Grin~
"When am I not?"
He straightened, cracking his neck.
"These bastards thrive on fear. Let's take that away from them. Loud. Clear. Simple. They see us coming, they panic. That's how we win."
Inadu smirked faintly, muttering,
Smirk~
"You really do enjoy chaos, don't you?"
Jojo shot her a sideways glance.
"Only when it works."
The others reluctantly fell in line.
Plans adjusted.
They got into the car they had come and made their way towards the Hobb's Spring Resort.
Hobb's Spring Resort...
Toni stepped carefully across the lobby tiles, her arms wrapped around a empty jug.
Her throat was dry, her nerves tighter than she wanted to admit.
Danny still hadn't come back,
And something in her gut screamed that he wasn't just drunk somewhere with Vic.
She walked toward the kitchen.
The overhead light flickered.
Flick~ Flick~
"____"
The door was slightly ajar, a dull rhythm thumping from within—
chop… chop… chop.
It was slow.
Deliberate.
"____"
Not the rhythm of meal prep.
Toni froze halfway through the doorway.
Her fingers clenched the jug tighter, pulse pounding in her ears.
The smell hit her next—
Iron and salt, raw and wet.
"Danny?"
She called softly.
No answer.
The chopping stopped.
"____"
The silence that followed was worse than the sound.
Then something—
Someone—
Shifted in the shadows beyond the counter, scraping metal against wood.
Toni stepped forward, each footfall careful, the floorboards creaking beneath her.
Her eyes adjusted to the dim,
And she finally saw what was on the counter—
A cutting board slick with red.
Something long and pale resting beside it.
For a moment, she didn't understand what she was looking at.
Then she saw the wedding ring still on one of the fingers.
Her breath hitched.
The jug slipped from her hands, shattering on the floor—
"____"
And the figure in the shadows turned, smiling through blood-stained teeth.
Toni didn't wait a second—
Her instincts screamed louder than her thoughts.
Kyaaaa!
She spun on her heel and bolted, her shoes slipping on the blood-slick floor as she screamed—
A raw, terrified sound that split through the silent corridors of the resort.
Her cry echoed up the stairwell, reaching every room.
On the second floor,
Rod jerked upright, startled, the half-buttoned shirt on his chest forgotten.
While in the other room
Nick swore, pulling on his jeans while Jillian,
"____"
"____"
Still breathless and flushed, clutched the bedsheet to herself.
"What the hell was that?"
Rod muttered, already grabbing his flashlight and yanking open the door.
"Sounded like Toni,"
His girlfriend said, wide-eyed.
Meanwhile the same discussion in going on in the room Nick and Jillian were at.
Nick exchanged a quick, uneasy glance with Jillian.
"That came from downstairs,"
He said, voice low.
"Something's wrong."
All four met when they came out of the room.
They didn't even bother finishing dressing properly.
The four of them spilled into the hallway—
Bare feet, half-zipped jackets, panic painted across their faces.
The corridor lights flickered overhead, throwing long, nervous shadows on the walls as they hurried toward the staircase.
"Toni!"
Rod shouted, his voice echoing through the hall.
"Toni, where are you?!"
Kyaaa!
Toni's scream tore through the air again—
Louder, rawer, soaked in terror.
Rod didn't think.
None of them did.
"____"
"____"
"____"
They thundered down the stairs, hearts hammering, and burst into the lobby—
Only to freeze at the horrific sight before them.
A grotesque, blood-smeared man, his skin pale like curdled milk and his teeth jagged and yellow, stood by the counter.
His eyes burned with feral hunger as he yanked Toni by her hair,
Dragging her toward a wooden block spattered with old blood.
In his other hand gleamed a rusted meat cleaver, raised high, ready to fall.
Toni's trembling hands clawed at his wrist, her legs kicking uselessly as she screamed,
"Help me!"
Rod's breath caught.
"____"
Then instinct took over.
He spun toward the corner where an ancient suit of armor stood as decoration—
Its spear clutched tightly in its gauntlet.
Rod wrenched it free, spun once for momentum, and hurled it with everything he had.
Whistle~
The spear whistled through the air,
A flash of silver slicing through the dim lobby light.
THUNK!
It drove clean through the cannibal's chest, the iron tip bursting out just inches from Toni's face.
"____"
The man staggered, choking, eyes wide with disbelief as blackish blood poured from his mouth.
The cleaver slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor.
Toni fell backward, gasping for air, her heart pounding so loud she could barely hear Rod shouting her name.
Rod rushed forward,
Nick close behind him, as the creature dropped to its knees—
Gurgling, twitching, then collapsing into a lifeless heap at Toni's feet.
Jillian whispered in horror,
"What… what was that thing?"
But Rod didn't answer.
"____"
He knelt beside his sister, gripping her shoulders, checking her face for injuries.
Toni's eyes—wide, glassy, terrified—met his.
And in a trembling voice, she whispered,
"Rod… this house they were cooking human flesh. I saw a human hand being chopped."
Rod's arms instantly wrapped around Toni, pulling her close—
Tight, desperate, like if he just held her hard enough,
The horror of the last few seconds would fade away.
"Toni… it's okay. You're safe now, you're safe,"
He whispered, his voice trembling more than hers.
But even as he said it,
He could feel her heart racing against his chest,
"____"
Her hands clutching his shirt like she was afraid to let go.
For Rod, the rest of the world vanished—
The creaking of the floorboards, the stench of blood, even Nick's voice calling from behind.
All he could think of was her.
After their parents died,
Toni had been all he had left.
He'd promised himself that no matter what, he'd protect her.
He worked extra shifts, skipped college parties, sacrificed everything just to make sure she never felt alone.
After she got her self a partner who she deeply love he moved on to his life taking next step.
She was his world—
His only family, his only reason to keep going.
And now seeing her moments away from being butchered by that… thing
—it shattered something deep inside him.
He pressed his chin against her hair, whispering softly,
"I've got you. I swear, no one's ever gonna hurt you again."
But even as he said it, Toni's trembling voice broke the fragile calm.
"Rod…"
She breathed, barely audible. "This resort is full of cannibals."
Rod's arms stiffened.
"____"
He slowly lifted his head, eyes darting toward the dark hallway leading deeper into the resort.
The faint sound of footsteps—
Wet, dragging footsteps—
Echoed from beyond the kitchen.
He tightened his hold on Toni once more,
Then looked toward Nick and Jillian.
His voice was cold, controlled,
But the rage underneath it was unmistakable.
"Get ready,"
He said, picking up the fallen cleaver from the floor.
"Because whoever—or whatever—comes next…"
He glanced at the corpse sprawled on the ground, blood pooling around it.
"…they're not touching my sister and us."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
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