Amanda Hofsink enjoyed her job as a news anchor in a small town in Illinois. Nothing terrible ever happened. Murders were rare and kidnapping rarer still. It was a big change from her former job as a reporter in New York City. Here, she could feel genuinely safe. Nothing bad ever happened in a town where everyone knew everyone else.

"Hey Mandy, good catch with the Missouri mix up. We nearly got in trouble with that." The man in charge of the teleprompter, Jesse, called.

Amanda leaned back in her slightly uncomfortable chair, "Hey just doing my job."

The crew shared a laugh. Everyone knew how the producer emphasized the point of helping each other out. Amanda and Jesse had made a sort of game out of it. Jesse would make a 'mistake' and Amanda would correct it.

Suddenly the assistant director ran into the room, "Guys! Breaking news!"

She tossed the clutter of papers she was holding into Amanda's hands. The anchor sat up straight, quickly reading through the papers. Amanda's faced transformed from annoyed to horrified.

"No." She whispered.

"What's wrong?" A camera man asked as he put new batteries into the back of his camera.

Amanda bent her head, "Amity Park has gone up in flames."

The crew looked at each other nervously. Amanda couldn't help but share their sentiments. The self-proclaimed most haunted town in America was a very controversial subject. Anytime the neighbouring town would be mentioned, the news station would be bombarded with complaints. Nobody liked Amity Park. Many thought it was a hell on earth, if the rumors were to be believed. Some thought that the people were part of a government experiment. Some just though the town was full of lunatics.

The room fell into silence. The assistant director escaped from the room back into the control room. Amanda wished she could leave the awkward silence as well. What would she do once she left? Amanda was sure. The producer's commanding voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"We are about to air in ten… nine…"

The crew scattered to get in position as the producer boomed his countdown. Amanda prepared herself.

"three… two… one…"

Amanda sat up straight and plastered a smile onto her face.

"Welcome back to Channel Fifteen News. I am Amanda Hofsink bringing you the most recent news."

She allowed her smile to fall into a frown. The teleprompter remained black. Apparently, the crew hadn't had enough time to insert this story into its scheduling. She was on her own for this story.

"As of eleven pm, Amity Park has burst into flames. Officials still aren't clear of when the fires began, though it is believed that there were multiple starting points for the flames. Many residents have been evacuated. There is an estimated five hundred still among the fires. Hospitals are overfilled with more than seven hundred Amity Park citizens injured. There have been twenty-one reported deaths. Channel Fifteen will keep you updated, now onto Katie Miller with the weather."

Amanda slouched as soon as she was given the signal. This was going to be a sleepless night. She was sure that the burning town would join the terrors she had seen back in her old city.

"You okay Mandy?" Jesse approached her. Amanda didn't pay him attention. Memories of some of the victims of atrocities had flooded her mind. When Jesse placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, she slapped him.

"I'm so sorry!" Amanda cried exiting her trance, "I didn't mean to!"

Jesse laughed it off, "Can't blame you. Should have known better."

Behind the laugh, the anchor could see the hurt in the man's eyes. She didn't have time to apologize before the producer indicated the weather report was nearly over.

Amanda straightened up, ready once more for the camera.

"Welcome back to Channel Fifteen news."

Author's Note

So… since it's the three-year anniversary I thought, why not try writing the story again? Maybe see if my writing has become better or not.

In the original story, it was a school shooting. Looking back, it wasn't the best idea to start like that. It wasn't very tasteful or even believable. I thought it might be best to change that up.

The original story was written on my old account 'Nocturnal Dreams' It was called 'Take Me Home' if anyone is interested in reading it. This story is going to greatly diverge from the original.

See you in the next chapter!

Starr Waves