BRAD

Man, things are just super crazy lately. Ever since that mantis attack and what my little siblings have been getting up to. I mean, this was NOT what I was expecting when I heard that we needed to get away from all the business of the big city.

News reports are coming in about more and more strange stuff as well. And just this morning I saw a black cat with red eyes just…watching me. Creepy.

Now I feel a lot more…paranoid at night. Bad news too, because sometimes I end up having to come home from work at the grocery store during then. It's not too far. It's about a 5 to 10 minute drive. Tonight it seems like it'll be less than 5. No one else seems to be on the road.

The light turns green, and once I begin to accelerate, I hear and see something just from the corner. I turn to look and-.

"WOAH!"

I slam on the brakes hard, and the black car zooms past as fast as a race car, having been THIS close to crashing into me.

"HEY! WATCH IT, YOU IDIOT!" I yell in anger. "YOU TRYING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT?!"

I look both ways before crossing, just in case it comes back. It seems far gone by now, so I just head back on the usual path.

Maybe I could find a shortcut…

CORY

"So, you got THIS close to becoming a crash test dummy?!"

"Minus the test part." Brad says, settling down. "That maniac just sped right by! And he had a red light!"

"Well…at least you didn't end up as the less fortunate." I say. "You might want to take a look at this."

I grab the remote and turn up the TV volume. On it is an overhead view of a fatal crash.

"Reports have been coming in about a speeding driver who drives completely recklessly in both streets and roads all across town." The reporter continues. "Several other innocent motorists have found themselves the victim of such aggressive road rage, having been killed in high speed crashes, rammings, and worse. The unknown driver has yet to be apprehended, but remains at large wanted for speeding and manslaughter. Whether this is a case of drunk driving or not is yet unknown. Witnesses state that the car was going too fast to identify the driver, but have identified the vehicle to be a black 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III. Any law enforcement pursuits have ended with reports that the suspect's vehicle had mysteriously vanished without a trace…"

I perk up at this. Vanished? Without a trace?

"I think I know what we're dealing with here." I say. "Question is…how do we catch this guy?"

"Before you ask, NO, you may NOT use MY car or Mom and Dad's!"

"As much as Lisa would love a high-speed chase, that's not the method I'm aiming for." I reassure Brad. "Maybe I can find a way to trap the Speed Demon…"

At least it's a Saturday. Lisa and I stand near a cliffside where there's a turn.

"So what's the plan?"

"Well, this maniac driver's been speeding for the past few days. Nothing the cops have come up with has worked. The car just smashed right through roadblocks, nitro turbos can't speed police cars up enough to catch it, spike strips didn't even slow it down, it was too fast for chopper light to spot, jammers had absolutely no effect, and not even EMPs could make the driver pull over! But I've noticed a pattern. The driver's always aiming for a fatality! To cause a crash or an accident! Like when it nearly hit Brad! It even tries ramming right into someone that's not even driving! Like a pedestrian! So…here's what I'm having as bait…"

Working my magic, I summon up an astral holographic projection of an oblivious teenager listening to music and texting.

"Perfect. Once the driver sees the innocent bystander, WHAM! He'll speed right off the cliff and into the water below! Then we'll fish him out and turn him in!"

"Oh yeah, heh heh heh…" She rubs her hands like an evil genius. "This is gonna be AWESOME!"

Suddenly, we hear something. Like a car horn!

"Here it comes! Get ready!"

We run into the nearby woods and peek out through the trees. The magic projection is still completely oblivious, the music blocking him from the outside world.

Finally, the car swerves into view from a path from the woods, and then moves at high speeds towards the dummy. 3…2…1…IMPACT!

It smashes through the railing and the illusion fades away the moment it touches it. The car then flies off the cliff, careening towards the water below!

"YEAH! We got 'im!" Lisa says. "Busted for sure!"

We rush over as I try to come up with a good cop one-liner. But what we see isn't a sinking vehicle.

Instead, we see the car glowing! An eerie ghostly blue. And it's…FLYING!

"WHAT?! COME ON!" Lisa groans as if she failed to catch the Road Runner.

"I knew it." I note. "It's a GHOST car! That's why it kept vanishing!"

"So…who's driving it? Ron Weasley? Mrs. Frizzle?"

The ghost car swerves back around until it faces us directly. And the window rolls down. And my face falls when I see who it is.

"SLAPPY?!" I gasp. "H-How are you-? W-Why would-?!"

"Sorry about that, kiddies!" He says. "I would've slowed down, but my foot can't reach the brakes! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"Wow! Your brain must REALLY be rotten!" Lisa says. "Who taught you how to drive, Evil Kenevil?"

"As much as I love all things Evil, no. That my friend, would be Becka Douglas."

"Who?"

"A real tragedy, this one. She took her family's car for a joyride, but ended up crossing the finish line of her life. She wanted revenge, something that is totally in my book, but after it went horribly wrong, she wound up in that stupid Limbo! Luckily, a new friend of mine helped her bust out, AND even got her a new ride."

Douglas…Douglas…have I heard that before?

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for a date with Mary-Ellen back at Horrorland! Ta-ta, dummies! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Suddenly, the car drives right at us, then there's some kind of powerful explosion and blue flames are left in its wake as if it was a Delorean.

"Just to be clear…that thing can't time travel, right?"

"As far as I've heard from Slappy, it's no Paradox ghost." I answer Lisa. "But we might know someone who's an expert on all things ghost…"

"Becka Douglas?" Hannah asks when we're back in Shadow House. "Dana just told me that she escaped Limbo, punished for both escaping the Shadow Realm and trying to bring others there. And yet…I'm reminded of something related to her vehicle."

"Does the Shadow Realm have any fast transportation?" I ask.

"Yeah. We have Ghost Trains. Worldwide, and right where the stations are in the living world. These trains follow different tracks, though. They can phase right through anything, with the living only feeling a cold breeze. And they're operated 24/7, possessed by the conductor who worked on a train in life."

"So this car can operate similarly to those?" I ask.

"It's possible. Phantom vehicles need no batteries or any fuel source to operate. They're powered only by magic."

"Is it possible to cut off the magic source?"

"No idea. But if the vehicles themselves are magical, they're never without a power source."

"Dead House might know something about how to trap Becka back in Limbo." Sue says. "I'm sure the Reapers are trying to find her, but I doubt it'll be easy."

She then leaves for that place, and afterwards, Lisa notices something on her phone. Unanswered calls from an unknown number. And a text from that same number.

Your treehouse phone wasn't being picked up. But I know what you're up against.

Lisa only sets the phone down after dialing the number shown, and puts it on speaker.

"Good, you called back." The girl on the other end says. "My name is Marissa Meddin Douglas."

"Douglas? Like…Becka Douglas?" I ask.

"She…was my sister."

"Sister?! W…What happened?"

"When she was 14, she took our Dad's blue 1986 Chevrolet Sports Corvette out for a joyride. She got into an accident and died in a crash. Broken hearted, Dad tried getting rid of that car ever since. Eventually, someone bought it. But his son, Mitchell Moinian had some strange…fascination and obsession with the car. But it was Becka, manipulating him into getting in. She wanted revenge for dying so young, and wanted to take someone else with her. She told me all this herself."

"So she was a Fallen One before she possessed that car." Lisa realizes.

"But as long as she had something to possess, she couldn't return and be imprisoned in Limbo." Hannah adds. "Apparently it works for both living and inanimate objects."

"I've been researching the supernatural since her encounter, so I know what you're talking about. How I know you all is another story. I'm sure you've heard of it."

The mantis attack. Of course…

"Anyway," Marissa continued. "She managed to get Mitchell inside when his parents were away, and after a reckless drive, she planned to crash into his house to kill him. But thanks to a wire accident his dad made, being a wannabe handyman, the house was set on fire. If Mitchell hadn't been forced into the joy-ride, he would have died in the fire. Becka saved his life despite her mission being evil."

"So…redemption?"

"No. She had made a deal with something calling itself the Shadow Lord, as I found out. If she could bring it a single soul for it to corrupt and turn into a Shadow Demon, she would be able to become part of something called the Killers. A lethal group of Shadow Demons. With the deal having been broken and her mission failed, Becka melted away, the Shadow Lord sending her back to the Shadow Realm. There, Reapers locked her up in Limbo for her crimes."

"Then why is she out again?" Hannah asked. "Maybe Slappy busted her out."

"I know who that is, but no." Marrisa says. "It was…a woman. One who created a new car body for Becka to possess after her dark magic tore a hole into Limbo. She released not only Becka, but hundreds of ghost criminals. Most of which now serve Slappy. Whom she has an alliance with."

"Who is this woman?"

"I…don't know. But when I saw Becka's new body, I saw something painted on the side of the car. A red crescent moon."

"Red…crescent moon?" My eyes widened. "Marissa…you might want to brace yourself for this…"

SUE

The house seems completely silent. I feel my blood get hotter and hotter. As if I am…afraid.

I came across an old massive study. There's some newspapers here. I look through them and note some odd things about them. One reads Lovely Teen Tragically Taken In Fatal Car Crash. Another says Family House Burns Down To The Ground.

I read through them, and I only feel...sadness. Someone wanting to get rid of a car because it reminds them too much about what terrible tragedy happened there. At least no one was inside the house when it burned down. Not even a pet, if they had one. The article says that it was a complete accident. The father was a handyman wannabe and a wire mistake caused the fire.

There's another. Reckless Speeding Driver Still At Large. It talks about that driver and the murders he caused. Wait, there's one more…

Rumors of Bloody Witch Cult Strike Fear And Superstition.

Suddenly, my magic sense goes off. I quickly arm myself with my sword and shield and find…a black cat? It seems female, and it has red eyes.

"Well…you seem to be one lost from time." She says. "Yet…you haven't lived so many centuries. No, you…skipped ahead. Since you were not patient. Or because your life was in danger…"

"I can sense your dark magic." I say. "Who are you, witch?"

"I have been called many names." The cat smirks. "Baba Yaga. Morgan Le Fay. The Devil's Daughter. Sarah Fier. Cataluna. The Crimson Queen. Carrion, sometimes Carrie for short. And many more that very few dare to speak."

"What should I call you?"

"Just…Christine. Christine Grimhilde."

"As in…Clarissa and Vanessa?!"

"Ah, so you know. My little sister could never bring herself to live up to our family name of terror and murder. And my daughter was nothing but an utter failure as an heir to my coven. But Slappy…he managed to fix all that. Finally, we have been united once more."

"You embraced your legacy."

"Even better. I made my own. Tell me…does this look familiar?"

Suddenly, she begins changing. It looks rather painful, but she hardly reacts to it! Is this what early shapeshifting was like?! UGH!

Finally, I see a figure. A human woman. She's wearing a backless outfit. And on her back is…a big red crescent moon.

Wait…crescent…moon?

"You're…a Cataluna?!"

"More than that." Christine says, turning to show her blood red eyes. "I was the original founder of that clan. And a master practitioner…of your uncle's arts."

That's when I saw something carved in her palm. An upside down pentagram that glows as blood surrounds it. It seems tainted, and looks too dark of a red color to resemble human blood.

"The Blood Cult has helped me realize the true extent of my power, even when it no longer was. And let me assure you, child…you've never seen ANY magic like mine."

To demonstrate, she makes a dim light bulb explode with a snap of her finger, shatters a mirror with a clench of a fist, and even lifts a piano with telekinesis before slamming it back down.

"All this and more…I used to burn down Salem Village. How else did you think Danvers came to be?"

"Wait, WHAT?!" I gasp. "You were alive during the Salem Witch Trials?"

"Wizards and witches like myself have an incredibly long lifespan thanks to our ability to harness magic. Nearly 400 years and I still remain at youth. Much like my sister and daughter, finally having embraced their gift. Thank your uncle for that. Once I learned he was with Slappy, I offered a trade. Slappy would bring out the true power of my relatives, while I would expand upon mine."

"So you're with him too…"

"Besides, I'm sure you've heard about the hit-and-runs. More victims, more sacrifices, more power to add to my incredible magic. Slappy informed me of powerful spirits he would like to see recruited to his cause. Knowing of my power, he tasked me with tearing a hole between realms. Mrs. Douglas was but one…of many."

My eyes widened. Oh no…the Reapers are gonna be PISSED!

"How many souls did you set loose?!"

"Hmmm….it depends. How many were in Limbo?"

I don't think I need to hear the answer to that.

"Why don't you…ASK them?"

She reaches out and violently clenches her fist. I feel my magic kick in and block that attack. Her eyes only go wide.

"What?! I…Impossible!"

"So, you prefer to crush someone's heart telekinetically for a quick and swift death. Given your personality, you prefer to have your victims' deaths be slow and painful. So…why the rush?"

She only growls in rage, and I feel the room shake as many objects are lifted.

"Maybe because I want to show you just how wicked I can BE!"

She throws them at me like a Sith Lord, and I quickly slice through them with my sword before she uses her telekinesis to yank it out of my grip and send it hurtling towards my throat! I yell and duck, the sword impaling the wall! She even yoinks my shield and slams me in the face with it with her magic telekinetic Force powers! Lucy said that Bloody Mary was a powerful Blood Mage…is Christine any stronger?!

Her anger…that seems to be channeling her magic…

"I have missed this feeling…" She chuckles with a crazy look on her face, licking her lips. "The taste of blood…almost as good as the feeling of pain…"

She takes a knife and cuts herself rather hard. Wait..was that a moan?! Is…Is she seriously ENJOYING THIS?!

"UGH! You really ARE twisted!" I gag.

"Oh, but pain is pleasure, my dear!" She giggles. "Why, I've endured far more pain than you ever have. It's really quite easy…once you've already lost yourself…"

I see various cuts and scars across her body, mostly self-inflicted. Sheesh! Someone has a bad case of self-abuse!

She then fires a beam of crimson red magic energy with a banshee-like scream, and it shatters my magic shield glyph instantly! Oh man, she IS powerful! My magic defense has never been shattered with a single blow before!

Suddenly, I feel myself paralyzed…and I'm lifted up! No, she's not lifting me up! It's the armor! She's holding me by the armor.

"Now…this house shall live up to its name…"

She slowly begins clenching her fist, and I feel my armor begin to crush me! I can't help but let out a scream of pain, which must be music to her sick twisted ears.

"MMMM! Yes! Scream for me! Scream some more!"

"I can see why Vanessa left you!" I groan. "You really are one sick twisted ugly motherAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The armor gets tighter and tighter! I think I heard a bone or two crack! Can't…take it…off!

Wait, my sword! Maybe…just maybe…I can…mimic her telekinesis and…

With a flick of a finger, my sword dislodges itself and impales Christine hard. The blade goes all the way deep and through, and I hear a scream from her as I fall to the ground. But rather than pain, it's…ecstasy! EW!

"Ooooo…..so…exquisite…" She moans. "Yet I…have experienced far much more. Amputation…decapitation…burning at the stake…so good…"

"Wait…don't tell me…you…have…"

Her telekinesis rips the sword out, and I can see the gaping wound. Which, to my shock, suddenly heals at a rapid pace!

Regeneration…crap…

"I love it when they fight." Christine giggles. "They are willing…to bleed a lot more…"

"You…need serious help…" I only wince. "Welp, gotta go!"

"I already HAVE all the help I ever need! And soon my family will join me in this bloody ecstasy! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Yep! Totally insane!

I only make my way out as fast as I can. That laugh is going to haunt my dreams.

Oh…oh no…I'm not gonna have to call her my AUNT, am I?!

RAMONE

The wait is going incredibly slowly. At this point, I'm practically DYING to get some action.

The Lincoln Continental Mark III had a top speed of over 132 miles per hour. Yet the speedometers tracked the car going even FASTER! Some kind of modification, perhaps?

Regardless, she'd be ready for when the reckless driver sped by. This was a straight highway road leading out of town, and into the woods. He thinks he'll have somewhere to hide in these trees? I've been patrolling these parts of the woods for months. I know my way around.

Suddenly, I hear something. A loud beep before three short ones. A car horn! Suddenly, I see the black car zoom past, so I flip on the sirens and floor it!

"All units, we have a high priority situation on Hudson Highway!" I radio. "Requesting backup, over!"

"Copy that Officer, Interceptor Units en route. ETA 10 minutes, over."

The sirens were blaring like mad as I gave chase, catching the black vehicle in my high beams. The strange moonlight seemed to be messing with me, though. Because for a split second, it seemed like the car was glowing in the light!

Focus, it's just your imagination!

The mist surrounds me as the pursuit gets more and more heated. The driver begins swerving recklessly, trying to shake me off!

"Driver, pull over and stop the vehicle!" I radio. "I repeat, pull over and stop the vehicle!"

The car only lets out a loud roar of its engine as it continues speeding. I can barely keep sight of him as the mist thickens.

Suddenly, once it clears, I notice that we're back on a highway heading into town! Not ONCE did he pull a 180!

"Suspect is barreling right back into town! Stop all major traffic!"

"Copy, let's get this guy."

Once the suspect speeds right into Hollowville, more units begin their pursuit alongside me. Five of us, one of him. Not gonna jinx our odds, though…

"Set up a road block at Main Street and send an aerial pursuit unit! Do whatever it takes to slow this guy down!" One of my comrades radios. "And hurry, he's going even faster!"

"Copy, stand by!"

The road almost seems empty, but when I manage to get next to the car, it suddenly swerves and slams into me with brute force! I manage to swerve to avoid hitting a building.

"Suspect is using force! I repeat, he's using force!" I radio.

"EMP's aren't getting a lock on him! And our equipment seems jammed, it's not picking this guy up!"

The road block is just up ahead, but the car slams right through! And they covered the gaps with more muscle cars!

"Yeah, uh, he is NOT slowing down."

"Well, if he's using force, then so are we." I say.

I manage to get right onto his tail, but the exhausts erupt with blue flame, blocking my view. I swerve to the right and maintain pursuit. The chopper gets in front of the car and deploys a spike strip, but the suspect just keeps on driving even when it goes over!

"What?! The strip didn't even hit it! This guy's good!"

"Can't even find him with the chopper's searchlight!" The pilot radios. "What kind of mods does this guy have?!"

We speed onto an open highway with the suspect nearly out of view due to being so far ahead of us, and after we speed past a construction sign, I gasp.

"This road hasn't been finished yet!" I radio. "There's a dead end coming up ahead, we've got him!"

"Copy that, moving in for the-wait, what's he doing?"

I can hear the engine roar before suddenly seeing the headlights come closer and closer!

"BREAK OFF, BREAK OFF! HE'S DOING A 180, HE'S COMING RIGHT FOR US!"

"AAAAAH-!"

I manage to get out of the way, but one guy isn't so lucky, as the suspect viciously slams into the vehicle and completely totals it!

"Officer down! I repeat, officer down!"

"Holy cheese, who IS this guy?!"

I manage to get behind the car, but more mist comes up since we re-enter the woods, and when it fades, he's GONE!

"What the?!" I gasp. "I lost contact!"

"What?! How could you lose him, he was right in front of yAAAAAAAHHHH!"

I hear something crash and the car tumbles before slamming into a tree!

"He's behind us! I repeat, the suspect is behind us!" The third unit radioes. "Command, we need backup NOW!"

This isn't good. Only three of us remain!

Wait…he's turning the tables! The suspect is chasing us!

"We can't confirm your location, get him back into town!"

More mist, and the suspect vanishes again.

"Where is he?! I can't see him!"

"Behind you, watch out!"

"I can't shake-AAAAAGH!"

Another slam and the third car swerves into a cliffside!

"This guy's insane, we gotta stop him and we gotta stop him now!" I hear panic in the second officer. "We're getting him back to town! Where the hell is that backup?!"

The urban landscape manages to come back into view again, and what I hear next shocks me.

"This is HQ, uh, we're only getting two readings, over."

"WHAT?!"

Suddenly, the suspect's engine roars and he slams the second car…RIGHT AT A GAS STATION!

I hear a scream before there's a powerful explosion, and from my rear-view mirror, I see the black car leap from the flames, completely on fire!

"This guy's crazy!" I radio. "HQ, I need that backup NOW! I'm the last interceptor unit out here!"

Static? What in the…?

"HQ, do you copy?!"

That's when I hear some kind of…laughter through the comms! A…girl?

"Tag…you're it!"

With a yell, I narrowly avoid a vicious slam as the car chases me back into the woods.

"Suspect, identify yourself! Who are you?!"

In front of me lies only the darkness and foggy mist of the woods. Behind me is a flaming shape with its taillights having been damaged. It resembles a yellow-eyed fiery beast. As if whoever drives that car is pure evil…

I even catch a glimpse of an…odd house in the woods, and someone entering. But the loud honks keep me focused on the chase. Remembering my duty, I try to slow down to let the car pass me, and once it does, I slam it back. It doesn't stop.

Wait, there! There's a clearing! If it leads back to town, I might be able to lure the suspect into another dead end and force the vehicle to a halt!

"You are under arrest for speeding, aggressive driving, murder, and assaulting an officer!" I ordered. "Anything you say can and will be used against you!"

The flaming car is right next to me, and the window begins to roll down.

"Driver, this is your last warning! Stop the vehicle or I will have to use lethal force! I repeat, pull over and…and…"

My eyes go wide. No…no way…

There's…

THERE'S NO ONE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT!

When I see what's ahead of me, it's not the town…but a CLIFF!

I scream and slam as hard as I can on the breaks. I'm going too fast, and the car sounds like it's screaming as the tires try screaming to stop. The flaming car, however, doesn't stop.

I brace myself for the fall, and after a tense moment, I feel the car stop. Upon looking, I see that my vehicle is THIS close to going off the edge. As for the other car, it leaps off a rock formation that seems like a ramp, trying to jump to the other side of the gorge!

That maniac….he's not going to make it…

I hear some eerie laughter as the car jumps the large gap. As if it's a flaming demon taking flight. It begins falling too, and I brace myself for the massive explosion for when it hits the side of the cliff.

Instead, much to my shock, the car just goes straight into the cliffside, vanishing without a trace! And here I thought the model was too OLD to be a self-driving vehicle, but…but THIS?!

All goes silent. The only thing I hear is my own panicked breathing, slowly coming down. I…I don't believe it. First those people at the mall…and now this?!

What….what is happening here?!

I hear some static on the radio before a message gets through.

"...us, repeat, what's your status, over?"

I only grab the radio and try to find the right words.

"Suspect escaped." I inform them, knowing I'll never be believed in a million years. "I…I don't know how, but…he got away. I lost him."

Silence.

"Report back to HQ."

"Copy."

I only shift the car into reverse to get away from the edge, and as I drive back, I slowly come up with something.

The giant mantis bugs attacking the town…the zombies in the mall…and now, some kind of…ghost car. These aren't just coincidences, right?

Maybe the guys who fought the giant bugs might know. But…do I ask questions or…?

There seems to be another thought in my head. Telling me that no matter what, I can't tell anyone about what just happened. And it's not just because they won't believe me…

So…what do I do now?

Emerging from the Shadow Realm, the Haunted Car, now void of all flames, managed to swerve into a perfect spot in Horrorland's parking lot. Normally all the vehicles here would explode. Luckily, hers was an exception.

Rendering himself under the illusion of being inanimate to avoid being spotted, Slappy got back up in the backseat.

"Hee hee hee! I love a good car chase!" He said. "Thanks for the ride, ghoulfriend!"

Finally, the ghost materialized herself in the driver's seat. A phantom of a 14-year-old girl.

"How dare they try and damage my precious car. It is the only thing I have ever loved."

"Of course you should be appreciating it, Becky! It's the most evilest car I've ever seen! It even survived being blown up! So, a little magic modification from yours truly later, this baby's a ride to DIE for!"

"Yes…this body is…so powerful. I can…feel the evil that once drove this car. Something cosmic, yet taking a more…demonic form…but I don't care about what had this before. It's mine now. It is all mine."

"Oh yes, it sure is. Ooo, here comes my favorite part!"

Slowly, all the damage the Haunted Car had taken, all the dents and cracks and fenders, slowly became undone. The dark magic powering this vehicle was indeed incredibly strong. Now that she made this car alive again, there would be no stopping it.

"Even better, those pesky little Reapers won't be able to get to you! Maybe it's because of the evil vessel you possess, but I'd say that you're too fast for them to catch! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"Yes…I have truly become an unstoppable speed demon! Let this be a message to all who try to come after me. Catch me…if you can."

As Slappy got out and walked towards the gates of Horrorland, he could still hear Becka's laughter, her ghost completely lost and consumed by the evil of the car.

All he could do…was smile evilly.