With a Vengeance

♤8

  The loud scream echoed off the school walls and resonated inside of the auditorium as the lights switched back on. The sheriff stood up quickly from beside the young girl in labor and drew his gun, running quickly into the hall with Calvin right behind him. They saw Jonathan laying on the floor and holding onto his head as he tried sitting up on the ground.

"Jonathan?" Sheriff Bennett called, running over to the boy. "What happened? Where's Alli?" Jonathan just grunted in response. "Where's Allison?!" The young boy moved his hand away from his head and he saw blood slicking across it. Calvin quickly holstered his weapon and pulled off his tie, applying pressure to the back of his head. "Stay with him," Carter demanded, standing up and running to find his daughter.

"Where are you going?" Calvin shouted after him.

"We know where he'll take her. I'm not letting my little girl end up like the others."

~~~

Everything was cold and dark. Confusion set in as Allison attempted to make out her surroundings.

"H-hello?" She called into the darkness. She struggled to stand up, only to realize her arms were tied together above her head. "Hello?!" She shouted. Suddenly, a light flipped on infront of her. "C-Carson? What's happening?"

"Hey, Benny," he said, kneeling down next to her. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and letting out a soft breath. "Even right now, you're still the most beautiful person I've ever met," he whispered, cupping her face in his hand.

"W-what are you doing? Why are we here?" she asked. Panic was rising in her chest as she noticed where she was. She was tied to a tree in the same clearing as the other murders, but it wasn't the same tree.

"You really don't remember?" he spat. "After everything we've seen together here, you still haven't remembered?"

"Remembered what?" she asked softly.

"Everything I've done here has been for you. Wiley, Vanessa, and Tommy; they were all trying to hurt you Benny."

"So you killed them?" Allison could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she stared up at her best friend: the boy responsible for everything happening around them.

"I didn't kill all of them, Benny. You have to remember. Remember what happened! Remember what they did to you! Remember how I protected you!" He shouted, insanity filling his voice. His expression calmed as he looked into her fearful eyes. "Remember how I'm protecting you now..."

"What are you-" Carson turned his flashlight and aimed it across the clearing, illuminating a figure tied to the base of the tree that the other three had been murdered beneath. "Kyle!" she shouted, struggling against her bonds. "Don't touch him! Don't kill him like you killed the others, Cars... please."

"How are you protecting him?!" Carson shouted, all traces of sanity were long gone now. "He's hurt you more than anyone else! He deserves to die! This time, I won't just clean up the mess like with Wiley and the deputy. This time, I'm here to protect you. I'm going to make sure you never have to do it again..."

"What are you talking abou-"

"Wh-wha... Alli?" Kyle asked quietly. Carson turned his attention back to him and stepped towards him.

"Carson! Don't! Please, don't do it!"

"You're never going to be hurt ever again, Benny. I promise."

"You're hurting me now!" she shouted, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. He turned and looked her in the eyes before quickly turning his attention to the blade that now rested in his hand. "You don't have to do this... please. I never wanted anyone to be hurt because of me." Carson said nothing. He walked back to Allison and cut the ropes that bound her to the tree.

"I-I'm sorry," he muttered, dropping to his knees infront of her. The knife fell to his side as  he began sobbing into his hands. "I'm sorry, Allison. I didn't mean to." She sat up quickly and pulled him into a hug. 

"I-it's okay. It's going to be okay. You're not going to hurt anyone else..." Suddenly, the sound of a knife sinking into flesh filled the air along with a sharp gasp at the loss of air.

"Allison?!" Kyle shouted. Carson grabbed onto his stomach, trying to stop the bleeding as he stared her in the eyes. He slowly fell forward and rested his head on her shoulder as she continued hugging him. He coughed and gasped for breath before whispering his final words in her ear. "Allison, are you okay?" Kyle called, struggling to get away from the tree. Carson fell to the ground, gasping for his final breath before going silent. Allison looked down at her dress and shuddered before standing up. "Alli? Alli, it's okay. He can't hurt us..."

"I-I killed him. I killed my best friend... I-I killed them all." Without warning, she dropped the knife and began running deeper into the woods. 

"Allison? Allison, wait!" Kyle shouted after her. He was unable to run after her. He pulled against the ropes that pinned him to the tree, rubbing his wrists raw while doing so. He began shouting for help, hoping someone was nearby to save her. Sudden voices sounded in the distance, along with heavy footsteps running in his direction. "Help! Help! Over here!" he shouted. The sheriff ran into the clearing along with many of his deputies and Calvin, all wearing bullet proof vests.

"Kyle?" Sheriff Bennett asked, running over and beginning to cut him loose. "W-where is she? Where's my daughter?" Calvin kneeled next to Carson's body, feeling for a pulse.

"She took off into the woods. Sheriff, it was Carson all along. He killed everyone!" A deputy ran to their side and kneeled next to the boy who lay motionless in place.

"Never mind about him. I need to go find Allison." Without waiting for backup, he ran off into the woods after his little girl.