“She’s out of time,” Carol stated, grabbing the microphone once again. Her booming voice echoed through the quiet streets of Carlisle once again. “Sasha, your time is up. Your little girl will now pay-“ A loud bang! erupted in the still night and somewhere off in the distance a fireball rose to the heavens. Simultaneously, a car came speeding down the road directly at the crowd. Panicked people ran in all directions to avoid becoming hood ornaments. In the pandemonium, Carol left the town hall door wide open and unguarded.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sasha watched the chaos from around the corner from the town hall. She couldn’t help but be proud of the plan she had concocted. Like something straight out of an action movie, the cars in the parking lot had been rigged to explode by ramming pieces of cloth into the gas tanks. She had found a hoody draped across the back seat of an older Mustang. After smashing the window, she tore sheets of the fabric free. Finding road flares in the driver side door in one of the trucks gave her the opportunity she needed. Leaving one car untouched, she found a rather heavy rock and placed it on the gas pedal. She also ran a long stick through the steering wheel, hoping it would keep it straight. Once all the bits of cloth had been lit, she started the car with the rock on the pedal and pulled the shifter to drive. It whined and revved loudly at first and she worried it wouldn’t move but it did, tearing off at great speed down the road. A few moments later, utter chaos.
She now watched people run for their lives from the runaway car and couldn’t help but smirk. There was no sympathy in her body for anyone left in town. One or two citizens of Carlisle nearly became nothing more than marks on the windshield. The explosions in the distance seemed to work perfectly. It caused the perfect amount of panic and chaos which she had used to sneak closer to the town hall.
When Carol had moved away from the open door, Sasha knew it was her opening. Sasha had fully anticipated fighting the old hag. She was confident she could win that fight but she would rather grab her daughter and run. They wouldn’t stop until they reached the next town.
Sasha darted inside the town hall and spotted her daughter across the room. As she sprinted to her side, she could hear the pitiful crying from under the bag and it broke Sasha’s heart. Quickly, she removed the bag and looked into her daughter’s eyes. Immediately, they lit up with excitement and relief.
“I’m gonna get you out of here, sweetie.” Sasha’s tone, despite the chaos and excitement outside, was tender and loving. Her daughter had been through enough. There needed to be something to make life seem far more normal for her.
Without hesitation, Sasha untied the ropes and pulled her daughter to her feet. Before she could turn to run back out the front door, a voice called out from behind. Sasha’s shoulders slumped in defeat. If Carol had found them, it was only a matter of time before others would join.
Sasha turned to face the older woman and shoved Tara behind her. “Let us go.” It was less of a plea and more of a demand. To Sasha’s dismay, the woman merely laughed. “We both leave your town and we never come back. Just let us walk out that door.”
Shaking her head, Carol said, “I don’t think so. Justice needs to be served. This town will never survive if the only murderer in history got away.”
“That’s what you don’t understand. The killer didn’t get away.”
“You’re right, she’s standing right here.”
“No, you’re not listening. The real killer is dead. His body is in the woods. There’s things you don’t understand here.”
“Let me guess, an ex-lover come to finish you off?”
Sasha nearly gasped at how accurate her description had been. For a brief moment, she wondered if the whole thing had been set up between Carol and her husband. But she quickly shook the feeling away.
“Well,” Carol continued. “Maybe he killed those people, maybe you did it. Or you’re practicing black magic. In the end, it doesn’t matter. The town needs someone to blame and that someone has to be you.”
“But I didn’t fucking do it. I’m a victim too. Can’t you see that?”
“You brought the murderer to us which means you brought death to this town. You’re guilty either way.”
“You’re insane. I’ll tell everyone out there the truth. They’ll have to believe me. They will see you for what you are. A bloodthirsty, power-hungry hag.”
Carol scrunched up her nose at the insult and a fiery anger burned in her eyes. Sasha wondered if the insult had been too much.
“And they’ll see you as a witch. Which do you think is more terrifying?”
Sasha knew the woman was right. No matter what she said, the town would never believe her. Not as long as Carol had a voice. She would merely manipulate everything she said. It would end with her being punished for her husband’s crimes. Worse, Tara would suffer for the sins of her father. Sasha would absolutely not allow it.
She turned to her daughter. “Run, Tara. Find the back door. Get out of here. I’ll be right behind you.” Sasha could hear Carol running up behind her now. There was no more time. “Run!” She screamed and pushed her daughter away. Carol lunged at Sasha but she kept her eyes fixated on her daughter. When she saw Tara had made
