As I parked my car beneath the flickering streetlight, a chill crept up my spine. The night was deep, and the shadows seemed to stretch further than I remembered. I stepped out, the gravel crunching under my shoes, making the only sound in the heavy stillness. I cast a glance back at my car, then set my sights on the bleachers that loomed in the darkness ahead.
"Rowan!" I called out, my voice echoing against the empty expanse. The silence that followed sent a wave of unease through me. My heart raced as I ventured further, scanning the inky shadows where the faint outline of the bleachers stood. The air was thick with anticipation, and I didn't like how the darkness seemed to close in around me.
"Rowan, where are you?" I called again, this time with a hint of urgency. Each step felt heavier than the last, and I could feel the prickle of fear at the back of my mind. I strained to hear anything other than my own breath, but the world felt like it had swallowed every sound whole.
Just as I turned to head back, a sudden weight hit me from behind. My instincts kicked in, and I spun around, adrenaline flooding my veins. In the dim light, a figure loomed, and my heart raced as I struggled to make out the details. Was it Rowan playing a cruel trick, or something far more sinister lurking in the shadows? I was about to find out.
The night wrapped around me like a suffocating shroud as I stood frozen in place, heart hammering against my ribs. "Well, well, look who's here all alone in the dark." The voice dripped with malice, sending a chill racing up my spine. I spun around, desperately trying to locate its source.
"Still scared, Alley Cat?"
"Who are you?" I yelled, my voice trembling, a mix of fear and defiance.
"Here I am, bitch."
When I turned again, my breath hitched. "Maggy?" Confusion clouded my thoughts. "What the hell? I'm already scared half to death, and now you decide to show up and scare me even more?"
She laughed, a sinister sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Ding ding ding," she taunted, eyes gleaming with a manic sort of glee. "I told you to stay away, but you took my spot as captain. You took my boyfriend, my crew… my pride. As if you owned it all."
The distance between us shrank, and I felt her fury radiate like heat from a fire. She looked poised to attack, her expression morphing into something dangerous. "Well, I will ruin you so no one can have you."
Shock coursed through me like ice water. I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could, two strong arms seized me from behind. "Let me go!" I screamed, panic igniting inside me.
Maggy smirked, a twisted grin that sent dread curling in my gut. "Ruin her, boys. Nothing is left for a street rat."
In that moment, I realized the stakes had never been higher. The darkness around me felt alive, pulsing with the thrill of conflict, and I knew that this battle was far from over.