I
Amberly walked quickly toward Olean State High School. She was twenty minutes late, and she knew the rest of the girls would already be there. Her long gray coat kept her warm against the freezing weather, concealing the elaborate costume she wore for such an important occasion. The air had been icy since she woke up. When she opened her eyes and looked out the window, there were no welcoming rays of sunlight—only thick gray clouds, an omen of the storm to come. As if, somehow, the weather knew what was about to happen. The nerves had been with her since morning.
From the moment Silena proposed the plan, it had seemed insane. Even now, after agreeing to be part of it, Amberly still thought it was madness. This wasn’t right. But she kept searching for ways to justify her actions. She reminded herself that, after what they had done to her, they deserved everything that was coming—and more. When they hurt her, they knew it was wrong, but they did it anyway. They enjoyed it. They had humiliated her in the most painful way imaginable, and not just her; they had hurt people she cared about, too.
Today, Amberly would finally rid herself of the guilt that had weighed on her since that night. The nightmare that haunted her would end. Today was her chance to set things right. People like them shouldn’t exist. She would make sure they didn’t.
This October 31st would be a night no one at school would forget. One that would make headlines. One that would change everything.
Since agreeing to this, she had often imagined herself as a vigilante. She told herself that this wasn’t just about revenge. That there was something deeper, something purer at its core. That in the end, something good would come of this.
Those thoughts comforted her when her conscience made the days unbearable. They carried her through the past few months of preparation, through the training that resurfaced old wounds, through the fear Silena instilled in them all. She had countless chances to walk away—but she never did. No matter how terrifying it was, how many doubts plagued her, she had stayed. And now, it was too late to turn back.
Amberly was so lost in thought that she barely realized she had arrived at the school. When she snapped back to reality, she was already at the back entrance, knocking in the sequence Silena had taught them. The door creaked open, revealing Rebecca’s face, her blue eyes shining with relief. As soon as the door was fully open, Rebecca pulled her into a tight embrace—a hug that only made Amberly’s nerves spike. This was real now. No longer just plans or whispered words. She was here, and over Rebecca’s shoulder, she saw that everyone else was too. She was the last to arrive.
“I was worried. I thought you backed out,” Rebecca whispered, still holding her close.
“I couldn’t. I already agreed. I can’t back out now,” Amberly whispered back, running a hand through her friend’s blonde hair.
The others watched her, their gazes a mix of reproach and uncertainty. They had likely assumed she would abandon them, but that wasn’t an option. And even if she had wanted to, Silena wouldn’t have let her. Silena had told them they were free to leave at any time. But Amberly never believed her. The way Silena looked at them when she said it carried an unspoken threat—one none of them wanted to test.
At first, Silena had seemed kind, a girl with a strength they all admired. But as time passed, as they endured the training she put them through, they glimpsed a side of her none of them truly understood. For some, admiration turned to devotion, almost worship. For others, like Amberly, admiration turned to fear. She realized that Silena was nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And once you got involved with her, there was no way out.
“Well, now that we’re all here, let’s get started already,” Lena said impatiently. The little girl, no older than twelve, stood with an eager grin, as if about to play a harmless prank.
The sight squeezed Amberly’s heart. She had always opposed Lena being part of the plan. She was too young. She had her whole life ahead of her. She shouldn’t have to get her hands dirty—not now, not ever. But that wasn’t an option. Lena wasn’t innocent. She had never been given the chance to be.
It was an open secret at school that Lena’s mother sold her body to survive—sometimes even at home, with Lena locked in the next room. Every day, students mocked the little girl for it. Amberly had always felt the need to protect her. Whenever she could, she had. But there were times when she couldn’t even protect herself.
Lena had been one of the reasons Amberly agreed to this plan.
That little girl, with her porcelain-white skin, dark red curls—so dark they resembled blood—and those golden eyes, looked ethereal, angelic. Just one look at her, and you wanted to shield her from the world. And that was exactly why Amberly had agreed to this. To keep Lena from having to stain her hands. She would do whatever it took to make sure Lena didn’t have to.
The girls had already started the final preparations. Most of the Halloween decorations were already up in the school hallways. The classrooms and hiding places were locked.
There would be nowhere to run.
No one would escape. No one would be spared.
Amberly took a deep breath and glanced at them again. Rebecca was dressed as a nurse. Julia was wearing a ballet dancer’s costume. Little Lena, an angel, with delicate wings on her back that only made her look more unreal. Hanna was a police officer. Hayle, a witch. Silena, a schoolgirl, her black hair tied into high pigtails. Sage, her strange boyfriend, was also in a school uniform costume.
Silena and Sage were an odd couple in Amberly’s eyes. They didn’t act like a couple at all—more like master and servant. Sage followed Silena’s every word, no matter what it was. There were times when Silena treated him coldly, even cruelly, and yet he always came back. As if being treated that way was all he wanted.
Amberly didn’t understand how anyone could be comfortable with that. But she never said anything. If Silena already intimidated her, her boyfriend was just as unsettling. He was always smiling kindly, but it never reached his eyes. And his presence, no matter how still, always felt like a threat.
