𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍. ᶠᵉᵃʳ ˢᵗʳᵉᵉᵗ

04

Josh looked up like the puzzle was coming together. "A razor?"

"Yeah, for like old-timey shaving, or in this case, I guess, slashing her—"

"Wrists," Josh and Beckham finished and looked at each other. "She slashed her wrists," he said. "Was she singing something? Was she singing a song, like an oldie song?"

"Jesus, Rain Man. How the fuck do you know that?"

They moved down to the basement where Josh's room was and immediately took notice of the newspaper clippings and written notes hung up together, almost like an investigation board. He ripped off one of the articles to show them.

"Holy shit, that's her." Simon leaned down to look at the photo.

"That's Ruby Lane. She sang as she murdered her boyfriend, her friends, then she killed herself. Slashed her wrists," Josh informed.

Beckham slammed her hand on the table. "I fucking told you, no one believes me!"

Josh went back to his wall and pulled out more articles from various newspapers, laying them out for them to examine. "Ruby is one of Shadyside's killers, just like Skull Mask. I mean, Ryan Torres. Look, 1978. Sixteen years ago. 'Masked psycho murders kids at—'"

"Camp Nightwing," Kate finished. "Yeah, my mom's sister was there. That screwed my family up for a long time." They turned towards Beckham who went quiet at the mention of the massacre.

"Yeah, my mom was there too. She was one of the few that made it out." Simon had grabbed her hand under the table, squeezing it comfortingly as Josh continued.

"1950, Harry Rooker, local milkman slashed a bunch of housewives. 1935, Humpty Dumpty Killer. 1922, Billy Barker. 1904, Grifter guts girls, and on and on. It happens in Shadyside over and over. Normal people turn into psychos."

Simon looked down at one of the drawings of an older man with black eyes that resembled a bottomless pit. "Jesus. Look at this guy."

"That's the pastor, Cyrus Miller. 1666. He was the first one recorded."

Beckham took the drawing in her hands, staring down at it with mild horror. "I've seen him before. When I was younger, I used to have nightmares about him. He'd be in some sort of church and lured kids in to—"

"Cut out their eyes," Josh confirmed solemnly. Sam suddenly stood up and walked out, Deena following, as Beckham looked at him through her blurred vision and back at the drawing.

"The nightmares only stopped two years ago, but sometimes I think I can still hear him at night. It's like he'd whisper this incantation or something. Do you know what happened to him?"

"The towns folks found out what he did and he was killed. That's all they wrote down. But none of this is random. It's Sarah Fier." Upon hearing her name, their heads snapped up. "She's turning Shadysiders into killers."

"Do you really believe that," Kate questioned. "No one actually thinks that this witch shit is real." She glanced at Beckham who was staring down at the table with deep thought.

"Yeah, it's something babysitters make up to scare kids," Simon agreed, not wanting to believe it either.

"No, no. Just listen to me," Josh instructed. "1666. Sarah Fier was hanged for witchcraft, fact. But ever since she was executed, she's been possessing people, turning them into killers, to take revenge on the town."

"It's like the nursery rhyme," Simon pointed out. "'Before the witch's final breath, she found a way to cheat her death. By cutting off her cursed hand, she kept her grip upon our land. She reaches from beyond the grave to make good men her wicked slaves.'"