Chapter 17: Rowan's Desperation
The Caldwell mansion was a fortress now. Rowan's paranoia had reached its peak after his father was murdered by the seemingly kind nurse who turned out to be the vengeful spirit of Madison. Fear had driven Rowan to the brink of madness, and he decided that extreme measures were necessary. He hired mercenaries, seasoned fighters who promised protection against any threat, human or otherwise.
Rowan paced the luxurious living room, his eyes darting to every shadow and corner. The once confident and arrogant leader of the Gold Bachelors was now a broken shell of his former self. His friends were being picked off one by one, and the fear of Madison's wrath consumed him.
"Are you sure you can handle this?" Rowan asked, his voice trembling as he addressed the lead mercenary, a burly man named Hector.
Hector, a man of few words but immense presence, nodded.
"We’ve dealt with worse. Nothing gets past us."
Rowan tried to take comfort in Hector's assurance, but his anxiety was palpable. He looked at the other mercenaries scattered around the room, each armed to the teeth and ready for battle. Yet, deep down, he knew that Madison was no ordinary threat.
As night fell, the mansion was cloaked in an eerie silence. The mercenaries patrolled the grounds, their weapons at the ready. Rowan retreated to his father's study, the place where he felt safest. He locked the door behind him and collapsed into the leather chair, burying his face in his hands.
"I didn’t mean for this to happen," Rowan muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper.
"We were just having fun. We didn’t mean to kill her."
The guilt and fear were eating away at him. He glanced at the framed photo on his father's desk, a picture of him and his friends, all smiles and arrogance. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Suddenly, the lights flickered, and Rowan's heart skipped a beat. He heard a commotion outside the study, the sound of gunfire and shouting. Panic gripped him as he listened to the mercenaries’ desperate attempts to fend off whatever threat was attacking them.
Hector's voice boomed through the chaos. "Hold the line! Don’t let anything through!"
Rowan's hands shook as he reached for the hidden compartment in the desk. He pulled out a handgun, his last line of defense. His breaths came in short, ragged gasps as the sounds of battle grew closer.
The door to the study rattled, and Rowan aimed the gun, his finger trembling on the trigger. The door burst open, and Hector stumbled in, his face pale and eyes wide with fear.
"It’s her," Hector gasped, blood seeping from a wound on his side.
"We can’t stop her."
Rowan’s eyes widened. "What do you mean? You said you could handle this!"
Hector shook his head, collapsing to the floor.
"She’s not human. Our weapons... they do nothing."
Before Rowan could respond, the lights went out completely, plunging the room into darkness. He heard a soft, sinister laugh that sent chills down his spine.
"Rowan," a voice whispered, cold and vengeful.
"You can’t hide from me."
Rowan's blood ran cold. He knew that voice. Madison.
He backed away, the gun shaking in his hands.
"Stay away from me! I didn’t mean for this to happen!"
The room seemed to close in on him as Madison's figure emerged from the shadows, her prom dress tattered and bloodstained. Her face, once beautiful, was now a grotesque mask of decay and rage.
"You didn’t mean to kill me?" Madison's voice dripped with venom.
"You enjoyed every moment of my suffering."
Rowan’s grip on the gun tightened.
"Please, Madison. I’m sorry. Just let me go."
Madison’s laugh echoed through the room. "Sorry? It’s too late for that, Rowan. You and your friends took everything from me. Now, I’ll take everything from you."
She moved closer, her eyes burning with hatred. Rowan fired the gun, but the bullets passed through her as if she were made of smoke. The mercenaries' weapons had been useless, and so was his.
"No!" Rowan screamed, dropping the gun and falling to his knees.
"Please, I’ll do anything! Just spare me!"
Madison loomed over him, her presence suffocating.
"You’re a coward, Rowan. You were always a coward."
As she reached for him, Rowan scrambled back, his mind racing for a way out. He remembered the secret passage his father had installed in the study, a hidden escape route. Desperation fueled his movements as he fumbled with the hidden latch.
The panel slid open, revealing a narrow passage. Rowan glanced back at Madison, her eyes locked on him with an intensity that promised no mercy.
"I’ll find you, Rowan," Madison said, her voice a chilling promise.
"You can’t escape me."
Rowan bolted into the passage, the walls closing in around him as he ran. His breaths came in ragged gasps, fear propelling him forward. He could still hear Madison's voice, echoing in his mind, a constant reminder of the horror that followed him.
He emerged in the garden, the night air cold against his sweat-soaked skin. The mercenaries lay dead or dying around him, their bodies twisted in unnatural angles. Rowan's stomach churned at the sight, but he forced himself to keep moving.
He ran through the garden, the shadows seeming to reach for him. He could feel Madison's presence, a cold weight on his chest. As he reached the gates, he glanced back, expecting to see her right behind him.
But there was nothing. Just the dark, empty garden. Rowan's heart pounded as he stumbled through the gates and into the night, his mind a whirlwind of fear and desperation.
He had to get away. He had to find a place where Madison couldn't reach him. But deep down, he knew that no matter where he went, no matter how far he ran, Madison's vengeance would follow.
As Rowan disappeared into the night, Madison stood in the garden, her eyes fixed on the spot where he had vanished. She knew that his escape was only temporary. She would find him, and when she did, he would pay for his sins.
Madison turned away, her gaze shifting to the mansion. There were still more of the Gold Bachelors to deal with, more souls to make suffer for what they had done. Her rage was unquenchable, her desire for revenge all-consuming.
Rowan might have escaped for now, but his time would come. Madison would make sure of it.