Sweet Revenge (Pumpkinhead)
Sorrow and rage filled Jade Warren's heart since the moment when the only man she had ever loved, left her. It was so sudden, so unexpected; and Jade couldn't get over the shock for a long time. When she found out that Joel was having an affair with a woman named Darla behind her back, Jade confronted him; in the result it ended up with a strong argument, and then he did something that she never expected him to do.
He beat her up.
"I'm having an open relationship," he said in conceited voice. "It means I can visit Darla whenever I want. Either you cope with that or leave. Have I made things clear to you?"
"Clear as a day," Jade hissed through her teeth.
This memory has burned itself into Jade's soul for a long time, hurting her every time she remembered that. Since that moment Jade left him for good. She wasn't going to bear the humiliation and suffer whenever her man slept with another woman. It was too much. Jade scolded herself for being so stupid. But then she had no idea that Joel was such a bastard. He seemed very loving and caring in the beginning, but then his mask fell off and he showed his true face. What did he even need her for then if he wanted to be with that woman, Darla? It seemed that Joel almost enjoyed seeing her suffering like that, which was most likely. Maybe Jade wasn't the first victim of his cruelty, but if so then no one has done anything so far to teach him a lesson, which is weird. The more she thought about it, the stronger was her wish to come up with some revenge plan. Jade was lost in thoughts when a sound of a car engine in the distance reach her ears followed by several male voices. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that the voices grew louder, and they seemed to approach her house. She peeked into the window and saw four men and among them she recognized Joel.
"Great," she huffed. "When you remember shit, it always happens."
Joel and his friends were drunk as hell, and Jade knew that when he took even a small amount of alcohol, he became aggressive. She sure had no wish to deal with him, especially when he wasn't alone. What could she, a fragile woman, do against four drunken men? And judging by what they were talking about, as they wanted "to have fun", they were planning to rape her alternatively. Jade felt her insides shaking from that thought, but there was no time to ponder about anything as the unwanted guests started banging at her door.
"Open up, bitch!" one of them yelled in a drunken voice. "You better cooperate, or we can have it the hard way. The choice is yours!"
Jade wasn't going to wait when those drunken pieces of crap broke into her house and did unholy things to her. She opened the kitchen window and crawled outside, doing her best to remain unnoticed. Lucky for her, the neighbors' place was located nearby, and she rushed to their house to ask for help. It was evening, but not yet that late; and the windows had bright light in them. The house belonged to the farmer couple, Henry and Minnie Davis; and Jade had always had good relationship with them, so she was sure they would never refuse to help. And in the moment Jade reached the front door of the house, one of the intruders spotted her.
"Hey, there she is!" one of them shouted, but it wasn't Joel. Jade had no problems recognizing his voice among the others. "Get her!"
"Shit…" she swore quietly, seeing that all four men moved to her direction. She had no other choice but to start banging at the door, and in a moment it opened. Henry Davis stood in the doorway with his wife behind him.
"Jade? What happened?" he asked, seeing her frightened face. Jade was really so scared that she could barely form coherent words.
"Please, help! Those four men are after me!" she pointed behind her back, and the old man could see four strangers moving his way. "They wanted to break into my house or even something worse."
"Come inside, dear, quickly!" Minnie said, and Jade almost rushed into the house. Minnie could almost feel the young woman shaking while holding her hand. Henry then grabbed the shotgun from the wall and aimed it at the intruders, not forgetting to check if it was loaded before.
"Hold it right there!" he shouted angrily, pointing the barrel of his shotgun to the intruders. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Hey, stay calm, old man," one of the men said. "We were just visiting the neighbor of yours, and it looks like she is by you. We meant no harm."
"Oh, is that right? Doesn't seem so to me, judging by how she is frightened," Henry said. Minnie then took the flashlight from the drawer and shone it at the unwanted visitors. Her husband then recognized one of them. "Hey, I think I know you. You're Joel. You can't trick me, rascal. I know what you're up to." He then turned his head to his wife for a second. "Minnie, call the police. Now!"
While Minnie spoke to the police on the phone, Joel and his company still tried to reason with Henry and persuade him to let them get to Jade, but the old man remained inflexible. The police station wasn't located far from their place, and soon enough the sirens blared through the air. Joel and his friends quickly turned around and ran to their car, but before that he turned to Jade, piercing her with his eyes full of hatred.
"You're so dead, bitch! It's not the end yet!"
They left right the second before police arrived, and Henry, his wife, and Jade almost simultaneously pointed to that direction, telling the cops to follow the car that had just left their territory. The police vehicle then followed Joel's car, and the farmer couple then invited Jade into the living room. She was still scared, but felt better.
"Are you alright, dear?" Minnie asked her. Jade nodded.
"Yes, thank you so much," she said. "I don't know what they would have done to me if they managed to break inside. They spoke about "having fun" with me, and that could only mean they planned to take me by force."
"Jesus Christ!" the old lady exclaimed with indignation. "How can Earth even carry such people?"
"I hope the cops catch those imbeciles," Henry grumbled, putting the shotgun down. "No, you just look at that impertinence! Trying to break into the house of a lone woman and then threatening her with violence! They should lock him in prison for the rest of his life!"
"Couldn't agree more," Minnie nodded. "Jeez, Henry, the poor girl was trembling all over when she walked inside!"
"Yeah, I could see that," Henry agreed. "Well, at least tonight they won't disturb us. Oh, and did I mention that they are driving in a drunken state? That's plus one more trouble for them."
"Yes, sure," Minnie said and turned to Jade, patting her shoulder. "Settle down, dear. I'll make you a cup of hot tea now. It will help you relax."
"Thank you," Jade smiled. Minnie then went to the kitchen, and Jade talked to Henry, telling him more about Joel and what his purpose was. The farmer was old and had seen many things in his life, but even he was shocked to find out how cruel some people can be; and the young woman before him was unlucky enough to stumble upon one of them. Joel deserved to be punished, and all three inhabitants of the farmer's house hoped that he gets what he deserves. Minnie soon returned with a teapot and three mugs, and all had a nice cup of hot tea in a friendly atmosphere. And when the clock showed half past nine, Jade thanked her kind neighbors and got up, ready to leave; but Minnie stopped her.
"Why don't you stay in our place for this night?" she asked. "You can sleep in peace, and tomorrow then you can return to your house."
"Um… thank you so much, but…" Jade stuttered "I don't feel very comfortable. I feel like a third wheel, you know…"
"Oh, Christ, you better stop that nonsense," Henry laughed. "Throw these thoughts out of your head. There's a place to sleep on the sofa in the living room. Take a look, it's reserved specially for guests."
The old farmer then walked to the sofa and spread it so that it turned to a bed. It was enough even for two people to sleep on it.
"There you go. Make yourself comfortable," he said kindly. "Oh, and Minnie is already here with the bed sheets."
Jade didn't even noticed how Mrs. Davis left the room, and here she was with a pillow, a blanket, and bed sheets in her hands. It looked like they were serious about her staying in their home.
"You better listen to him," Minnie giggled. "It's more than enough place. Come on, we insist."
Jade sighed and lifted her hands in defeat with a thankful smile on her face.
"All right, you won," she said. "How can I ever thank you? Really, God bless you for your kindness."
"Ah, don't mention it, sweetheart," Minnie caressed Jade's hair gently, like a mother. "You know, Henry and I have our two children, a son and a daughter; both are adults with their own families. They live in the city, and we sure miss them very much, although sure, sometimes they visit us. You live beside us here, and for us, you almost seem like our third child. No, it really is like that. So you can always count on us if you need help or something."
Hearing Minnie's kind words, Jade couldn't hold her emotions back anymore and fell into the old lady's embrace. She really needed to feel such tenderness, even if these people weren't her parents. Long time ago she lost her own family, as father lost his battle against leukemia; and her mother began drinking from sorrow of losing her husband. Jade even started thinking that there might be some kind of a curse on her, that only misfortune followed her in her life. But in the moment she met Henry and Minnie Davis, she grew sure that life wasn't that bad after all. Finishing the tea, Jade helped Mrs. Davis to wash the dishes and then the owners of this hospitable house went to sleep. Jade went to bed in a moment as well, but her mind didn't let her fall asleep quickly. She was sure that Joel wasn't going to leave her alone. If he threatened her like that, he would undoubtedly make his threats come true. Police was after him, but she doubted that they would succeed, at least not that soon. She had to think of something.
And then it suddenly dawned upon her.
In the area where she lived there was a local legend about a creature known as Pumpkinhead, a demon of vengeance summoned by an old witch on people's request. There were cases during her life when an unfortunate victim banged at the doors of houses and cried for help, the monster being on his tail. But the locals didn't even try to help the victim as no one wanted to get in the demon's way, otherwise his wrath would fall upon them as well. The more Jade thought about it, the stronger was her desire to summon Pumpkinhead to kill Joel and his whole company. He had threatened her with death, and death is what he will get instead. After thinking for some more time she finally made her decision.
Just like the rest of the locals, she knew where Haggis, the old witch lived; and tomorrow night Jade would visit her and summon the demon of vengeance, setting him on Joel and his poor excuse of friends.
0o0o0o0o0o0
The next day went on peacefully, no sign of any threat from Joel's side, but Jade was still nervous. Not so much because of him, but of what was going to happen tonight. She couldn't stop thinking of the many ways how Joel would be punished, how he would be squealing like a pig before the deadly glance of the monster. Her lips stretched in an evil grin. All she could hope for now was that the deal with the old sorceress goes smoothly.
Jade sat at the window in her house, watching how the last lights of the dusk faded; and as soon as the entire area was enveloped by darkness, she exited her place quietly, making sure to remain unnoticed. The witch lived deep in the forest where people rarely dared to go; only when it was really necessary. Jade never liked to be alone in a dark forest, always frightened that she was being watched in the darkness; but she had to do it. It took some time to reach the destination until the golden light of burning candles in an old hut pierced the blackness of the night. Jade hesitated for a minute or two and then took the courage and knocked at the wooden door.
"Come in," a screechy voice said from inside. Jade pressed the handle and stepped inside, closing the door after herself.
"Good evening, Haggis," she said, thinking how to begin the conversation to get to business.
"Come in, Jade, my child," Haggis continued. "Come in and tell me what's inside your heart."
Jade widened her eyes in surprise when the witch said her name. She wondered how Haggis knew that it was her, but considering her respectable age and occupation, the sorceress had her ways of knowing things without even looking at them. Jade then walked closer to the witch and sat on the right side from her.
"You're thirsting for revenge, my child," Haggis said and looked at the young woman before her. Externally her face showed no emotions at all, and Jade couldn't tell what the sorceress was thinking at the moment. But what she said was right though, so Jade decided to get to business.
"Yes, Haggis, it's true. My heart is full of rage and desire for revenge against the man who cruelly betrayed me," she said, clenching her fists when thinking about Joel. "I loved him, I really did; and he just threw me out like a piece of garbage."
"Tell me the whole story first."
Haggis asked for more details, and Jade was more than glad to share the whole story with her. She told all the truth about Joel, how he betrayed and then beat her up when she tried to resent; and how he tried to break into her house with his drunk friends and how Henry Davis and his wife protected her. The witch listened in silence, and when Jade finished her story, she spoke again.
"Yes, Davis is in fact right, some people can have a really black heart," Haggis shook her head. "So what you wish now is to summon the demon of vengeance to punish him, right?"
Jade nodded in response.
"Yes, if this is possible," she replied. "Joel must be punished and get what he deserved. He might be able to escape from the police, but not from the monster."
Haggis was silent for a couple of minutes and then spoke:
"Now, listen to me, my dear. Your wish to punish that man is pretty understandable. He really does deserve it. But you must think well before you make a final decision. Once the demon is summoned, he will not be stopped until his mission is complete. If you attempt to get in his way or stop him, his wrath will fall on you too. With every victim he kills, you will become one with the monster. Each injury he takes will cause pain to you. You will feel his pain and he will feel yours. Besides, you will feel the pain of every victim he kills."
"It means I will suffer physically, right?" Jade asked. "In this case, I'm ready for that. No matter how painful it will be, it's nothing comparing to the pain he made me go through."
The witch smiled and continued:
"But that's not all. When the demon's mission is finished, he will take you with him to the underworld, and you will disappear from the world of the living forever until the creature is summoned once again. Then the new demon of vengeance will be you."
Jade widened her eyes again, this time both from horror and surprise. That was what she didn't know about the whole business. She had no idea that in the end it results in death of the one who requested the summoning.
"Yes, my dear, that's how it works," Haggis said. "That's why I'm warning you. I need you to understand the bridge you will be crossing, as there will be no way back. If you're still determined to continue, we will begin the ritual."
Jade sat in silence, lost in thoughts. She really had to think things over before making a decision, weigh all the pros and cons. The perspective of dying in the end wasn't satisfying at all, but, on the other hand, she had nothing to lose. Jade lived completely alone: no friends, no family. She lost her parents when she was ten years old, and now the man with whom she hoped to create a family in the future, betrayed her. Of course, Henry and Minnie Davis will be very sad, but they at least have their own children and grandchildren. It will be easier for them to get over the grief. She lifted her glance upon the witch then and spoke confidently:
"I am ready. Let's do it."
"Is it your final decision?" Haggis asked one last time; and Jade nodded.
"Yes, it is. You know my life story, Haggis. I have nothing to lose. If I am to die in the end, so be it; the fate cannot be avoided. At least I will achieve my goal and take my revenge on that rascal; then I can die peacefully."
"Well, it's your will, my child," Haggis said. She still sat in her place motionless, like a stone statue, but deep inside she felt sorry for this maiden that made such a fatal decision willingly. But a deal is a deal, and it had to be fulfilled. "In this case, let's get to business. See that shovel at the wall behind you? Take it and the lantern on the table, too. All you have to do is go to the pumpkin patch graveyard nearby and find the highest hill surrounded by pumpkins. That's the creature's grave. Dig up its corpse and bring it here. The rest is my job."
Jade obeyed and did all what she was told. The graveyard Haggis mentioned was located within a few meters from her hut. It wasn't difficult to find Pumpkinhead's grave as it stood up higher than the rest of the graves. She started digging and soon found what she was looking for. The corpse wasn't buried too deep, and as soon as she saw it, Jade's face twisted in a grimace of terror and disgust. The corpse was so disfigured that it barely held any similarities to a human being. It was indeed a dead monster buried beneath this ground. But Jade had a job to do. Holding back her feeling of disgust, she dug out the monster's corpse, and it took her some time to carry it back to the witch's hut. And as soon as the dead monster lay on the floor in front of the sorceress, she asked Jade to give her one of her hands. Haggis explained that her blood is needed to make the demon arise from the dead. Jade obeyed once again and stretched her arm out while the witch took a blade and made a cut on Jade's hand, pouring her blood on the dead creature. Pumpkinhead then began to move and finally came to life. As he stood up in his entire macabre glory, Jade was close to fainting. She had never seen such a monstrous creature in her life. Haggis helped her to stay still while the monster studied the maiden with his eyes; the one that wanted him to live once again. Then he turned his back to both women and left the hut, disappearing in the darkness.
"It's done, my child," Haggis said, smiling. "The demon will now do what he has to do. You can go home now."
"How will he find his target?" Jade wanted to know. Not like Joel was somewhere nearby at the moment.
"Don't worry about it," the witch replied. "The victim will come himself to meet his demise. Now go. Stay strong."
"Thank you very much," Jade gave a grateful smile to the old sorceress and left the hut. On her way home she thought about what Haggis had just said. The victim will come himself to meet his demise. It pretty meant that Joel was going to come here again to fulfill his threat, maybe not even alone.
But this time, someone will be waiting.
0o0o0o0o0o0
On her way home Jade repeated the witch's words in her mind again and again. The victim will come himself to meet his demise. It meant that Joel was going to come after her, and during the time she spent with him Jade had already learned that he never threw his words out for nothing, especially if it was a threat. But when was that going to happen? Would the demon wait as long as needed? Jade was worried, but if Pumpkinhead was already summoned, he surely would wait for him victim, no matter how long it would take.
Jade slowly walked towards her place, smirking. She sure couldn't wait to see Joel's face expression when he faces a creature that will be doing her bidding. That will be fun, but a painful fun, as Haggis had warned. But Jade was ready. If she had to suffer physically, so be it. At least Joel will get what he deserved.
As she approached her house, Jade lifted her head to look at the clear night sky. She always loved to enjoy the magnificent view of stars shining in the depth of darkness, and the moon was full tonight, making the night even brighter. And that's when she spotted something out of ordinary. A dark, hunched silhouette was sitting on the roof of her house, and as soon as it heard her footsteps, it crawled to the edge of the roof. At that distance Jade recognized the being as none other than Pumpkinhead. She froze in her spot, being afraid to move; her heart beating frantically in her chest. But her anxiety decreased quite soon as the monster obviously made no movement towards her anymore and had no plans to harm her. Pumpkinhead still sat on the roof, watching the woman and making quiet guttural sounds. Jade tilted her head, her curiosity growing stronger with every minute; and to her surprise, the monster returned the head tilting gesture and growled. Such sound would surely scare any human being at night, but Jade could unmistakably hear that this growl of his contained no threat in it. It seemed almost… gentle to her. Jade couldn't help but smile, but the next moment she had a feeling like her stomach turned upside down and her heart skipped a beat again, but this time for another reason. The more she looked at the monster above her, the more she realized that he had his own plans for her, and it sure wasn't death. That lustful glance of his, the movement of his thick, long tongue against the rows of sharp teeth… The way he looked at her made Jade feel… naked. She was glad it was night and he couldn't see how red her face became. Or maybe he could see well in darkness, she wasn't entirely sure. The heated tension among them was growing stronger, and Jade felt that if she continued standing there and staring at the demon, it might result in something she didn't expect at all. It was becoming unbearable, so she just shook her head violently and rushed inside the house, locking the door tight after her. After all, he was summoned for a different reason, right?
Joel didn't appear tonight which made Jade feel both peace and anxiety simultaneously. On the one hand, she was glad that bastard wasn't here, as she couldn't bear the mere sight of his disgusting face. But, on the other hand, the anticipation was killing her. She knew what will follow after Pumpkinhead's mission is complete, and the thought of death awaiting her at the end was difficult to deal with. But it was her choice, and she was ready to accept her fate. She had nothing to lose.
Jade slept peacefully which surprised her a lot, considering what she would be going through in the nearest future. Morning sun shred its light around, and with that a new day began and nature awoke once again. As soon as sunlight got into Jade's room, illuminating it brightly, she finally opened her eyes and yawned. The weather outside provided a good mood for the rest of the day, and Jade even managed to forget about Joel and Pumpkinhead for some time. All she wanted right now was to spend the day as pleasantly as possible, enjoying her life while she could. It might be her last chance.
As the day approached its end and the sky began to grow dark, Jade stepped out of her house. If Joel decided to come tonight, the first location he would go to would be her place. So she considered it to be a good idea to hide in a nearby forest to stay out of sight. And right then, just like summoned, the peaceful silence of the night was broken by voices. Jade felt her lips stretch in an evil smirk. It pretty much meant that Joel has finally come, and he wasn't alone. He had his three friends with him, plus there were also female voices heard among them. So he has brought his new girlfriend with him and maybe some other friends of his did the same. Not like it mattered anyway. Soon all their pathetic company will be joining their ancestors.
Very soon.
Darkness has become Jade's ally while she stood among the trees, watching the company of four men and two women. One of the men was Joel, she could recognize him anywhere and anytime; he was accompanied by a fair-haired woman around his age. Finally Jade could see what this Darla looked like and wrinkled her nose in disgust. She was more or less fine in appearance, but her behavior… It looked like she was ready to give it to any guy she saw. And Joel didn't seem to mind at all. That man was seriously messed up. Jade could now only be surprised about herself, what she saw in him before; but it was only for her good to leave him. It's better late than never.
Jade watched them leaving their two cars in quite a distance from her house and make a fire at the opposite edge of the forest that surrounded the area. She crept a bit closer to see better and listen to what they were talking about. Their conversation provided nothing of importance, but Joel glanced at her house now and then; and even in darkness, in the light of the fire hatred in his eyes was pretty visible. But Jade's hatred for him was ten times stronger, and in any moment it will devour him and his entire company fully and without mercy.
While she stood in the dark and watched, a quiet sound of a guttural growl reached Jade's ears. It came somewhere from behind and with every second grew stronger. The woman froze in her spot again, only tuning her head slowly to glance back. Pumpkinhead approached her in a slow, leisure gait. She looked into his grey, almost lifeless eyes for a minute or two and then whispered:
"Kill them. Kill them all." She then turned to face the group and pointed at Joel. "But leave this one as the last. He must suffer."
The monster growled again and passed her by, moving in the direction of his potential victims. Jade could only wonder how he managed to move so quietly, considering his size. She was indeed curios about how he was going to deal with each of them. She only had to wait and see.
After some time she noticed that Joel had separated from the group and was obviously heading to her house. Jade smirked, fighting the urge to laugh at that stupid idiot. He had no idea what awaited him. But in a few moments his slut of a girlfriend followed him in a distance. Neither of them spotted Jade in the darkness among the trees. And as soon as Darla passed Jade's hiding spot, she heard bushes rustling behind her and stopped right there.
"Who's there?" Darla asked, her voice betrayed the fear she felt.
No one answered of course.
Darla turned around, ready to run for it, but she had no chance to make even one step forward when something grabbed her from behind. She let out a piercing scream which didn't last long, and the next moment her lifeless body fell to the ground where Jade could see it, with her throat turned into a bloody mess. Jade fell to her knees, clenching her teeth in pain and feeling her entire neck and part of chest burning like fire. She held to the soaring spots of her body and tried to breathe deeper, but everything remained intact. No blood or injuries were visible on her body. She felt just the pain of Pumpkinhead's victims, just like the old witch said. She couldn't see the monster tear Darla's throat apart with his claws, but her death was quick, and the pain Jade felt also subsided relatively fast. Most likely the others were going to die in a similar way, so she wasn't afraid to go through that. Joel's death would be the most painful, as she wanted him suffer; and the demon of vengeance would take good care of it.
Joel had undoubtedly heard his girlfriend screaming, and so did the others. Jade knew they all would be coming to the source of the noise, so she hurried to move away from there far enough to stay unnoticed and not to lose the sight of the events as well. The sound of cursing and frightened talking was heard very well in the night.
"Who did this?!" Joel yelled in rage. "I swear if I get my hands on you, bastard, you're dead meat!"
"Her throat… oh God!" a female voice exclaimed.
"Stay calm, Kim," another guy spoke. "We mustn't panic and think soberly on our next actions." He crouched next to Darla's corpse and illuminated it with his lighter to see it better. "I think she was killed by some wild animal."
"How do you know that, Cody?" Kim asked, glancing at her boyfriend.
"Look at the wound," Cody said. "Of course, I can be sure of nothing, but I can hardly imagine such wounds to be the result of some weapon. I can only think of one option – claws. And their owner seems to be a large one."
"Large or not, it will be dead in no time," Joel declared proudly. "Come on, we have to get to the cars."
And right in the moment he spoke the last word, a loud noise that sounded like glass and metal breaking startled them all. At first no one understood what it was, but then it dawned upon them quite soon.
"Shit, it's our cars! Come on!"
Joel ran the first, and the others barely could keep the speed. He was determined revenge Darla's death, no matter who was the culprit. He totally forgot about Jade, the main reason he returned to this place, but when they are done with this mess, he would finish what he wanted. Right now there were more important things to do.
Just as he reached the cars, he stopped where he was, unable to believe his own eyes.
"Fucking shit on a stick!" he swore. "No! No, no, no, no! It cannot be!"
"What happened, man?" Andrew asked.
"See for yourselves," Joel huffed, turning his face to the cars.
His friends came closer to the two cars they came here with and all widened their eyes in surprise and horror. Both doors at the driver's side were torn off, the steering wheels broken, and the control panels smashed to shreds. The cars totally were not in a working order.
"What happened to our cars?" Kim asked. She was the most surprised by this event.
"I don't know," Cody replied, scratching his head. "I just know that we're not going anywhere."
"Don't tell me that it's some animal again," Luke said, looking at Cody. "It can only be the work of a human being. I doubt animals are intelligent enough to do something like that."
"Sure, you're right," Kim agreed. "I have a bad feeling that there is someone who doesn't want us to leave."
"We will leave this god damned place even if we have to walk," Joel said, opening the trunk and pulling a shotgun out of it. "Let's kill that motherfucker and leave at once."
"I'll be on the light duty then." Cody took his flashlight out of the glove compartment. "It will be easier to spot him with the light."
"Yeah, I think we'd better…" Kim began and suddenly widened her eyes in terror, leaving the sentence unfinished. In a matter of a second two large clawed hands appeared behind her boyfriend's back. "Watch out! Behind you!"
"What…" Cody managed to say just one word when someone or something grabbed him and in the next moment he felt himself being roughly pulled up, making him drop the flashlight. Kim quickly grabbed it instead, shining it where Cody was pulled up and now screamed in the dead of night. That's when the whole group froze in their spot, unable to move or make even a smallest frustrated squeak. A horrible pale-skinned creature with a long tail sharp as a spear sat on one of the branches high up a tree, holding the screaming guy in the air. Cody was kicking and undulating, trying to free himself from the creature's grasp. But his pathetic attempts did nothing to help him in any way, and then a nasty sound of cracking bones reached their ears. Cody stopped yelling and calling for help, his limbs went limp, and the next moment a lifeless body fell to his friends' feet, his neck twisted unnaturally. All the remained young adults were in a state of shock, but when consciousness returned to them, the creature vanished.
"Did you see that?" Andrew gasped. "What the hell was that thing?"
"I don't know, man," Luke said. "He murdered Cody in cold blood right before our eyes. But why didn't you shoot it, Joel?"
"Yeah, why?!" Kim almost yelled at him, her eyes filling with tears. She has just lost her beloved one and could do nothing about it.
Joel lifted his hands in a defense manner.
"If I tried to shoot, I would have hit Cody," he explained. "His body was in front of the creature. I don't know if you noticed or not, but that thing was like covering itself with Cody's body. It's not as stupid as you might think, and obviously very agile. I have to be careful and watch whom I shoot. And I sure didn't expect that we would be facing a real monster."
"Yes, but you could have tried at least," Kim insisted.
"I will, have no doubt," he said. "Did you see its claws? Now I'm more than sure that it killed Darla as well. He owes me. In fact, he owes us all."
While the rest of the group argued, each of them was oblivious to the fact that as soon as the demon of vengeance claimed another victim, Jade Warren once again suffered from agonizing pain, clenching her neck with hands when unbearable pain pierced it. She fought hard not to let out a scream, otherwise she would attract the unwanted attention, and it wasn't the monster. No matter how much it hurt, the last thing she wanted was to let Joel find her before she planned to reveal herself to him. But to do that, she had to make sure that everyone else of his company was out of the way, so he would have no one to help him.
Joel, in turn, tried not to show the fear that overwhelmed him, but Jade knew him well enough to see that he was trembling like an aspen leaf.
"Listen, we have to take cover somewhere," he offered. "If we stay outside, that thing will easily get us all. Come on, follow me."
He already knew where exactly they were going to hide. The only option he had was Jade's house. It won't be difficult to force her to let them inside, considering the fact that he had a shotgun in his hands. And when they have a place to hide, then starting from there they would think of some plan. Right now the main objective was to hide from the monster.
Joel ran to Jade's house, his friends following his footsteps. Unlike the neighboring houses in the area, this one was completely dark, not a single light visible in any of the windows. Joel didn't care about knocking and just pressed the handle; and to his surprise, the door wasn't locked. He entered the house, followed by his friends, and switched the light on. Everything was quiet.
"Looks like nobody's home," Kim said, looking around. "It's weird why the owner left the door unlocked. Any thief can technically come in and steal things."
"By the way, why did you choose this place where no one's home?" Luke wanted to know. "There was one more house where lights were on."
"Because those people won't let us in," Joel explained. "Do you remember last time when we were here when my ex ran to the neighbors? The old couple that called the police. Do not doubt that they wouldn't have let us inside. They hate us, especially me, you know."
"Oh yeah, I remember that," Andrew nodded.
"So this is your ex-girlfriend's house?" Kim asked.
"Yes," Joel replied. "So I thought it was better we hide here. I only wonder where she is and why she left her house practically open."
"She probably forgot to lock the door," Luke pondered.
"Even if she did, where could she be in the middle of the night? It's not safe with that… thing out there," Kim looked worried.
"She might have perished as well," Joel was somehow sure of that. He walked into the kitchen and put the shotgun on the counter at the window. "That thing moves very fast, so I doubt it's possible to run away from it for a long time. It will catch you later or soon. I guess she fell into its claws."
Deep inside Joel was happy that Jade supposedly fell victim to the monster. He wanted her dead from the moment they separated, and especially after the last time when she ran to the neighbors who called the police. At least there was one problem less. They now had much more serious things to deal with.
Kim walked to the window in the living room, trembling from head to toe. She could have never imagined that she would ever experience anything like that. She had never believed in monsters, and here they were, chased by a horrendous creature that methodically took them down one by one. The young woman couldn't come up with the idea why that thing was after them. What did they do? She knew she would never find answers to her questions, even if they survived this night. At least she hoped for the latter.
But little did she know that all her hopes were false.
While she peeked into the window, trying to locate the threat, Joel and his friends were discussing their ideas of surviving. All were nervous and on the edge of panic, so the men raised their voice now and then. It was hard to concentrate and think soberly with a murderous creature on their tail. And that's when they were startled by a sound of breaking glass and a piercing female scream. It came from the living room.
"Shit, Kim is in trouble!" Andrew screamed. "Come on!"
All three men rushed into the living room just to see Kim being dragged out of the window. Joel then ran for his shotgun and stepped outside, followed by Andrew and Luke. A few seconds ago Kim's screams echoed through the night, but not everything was eerily quiet. Like time itself had stopped.
"Where is it?" Luke asked, looking around, shining the flashlight that Cody dropped in the moment of his death.
"Come on out, you filthy bastard!" Joel yelled into the night. "Come on and fight me if you're not afraid!"
As a reply to his challenging voice, a dead female body was dropped before his feet with a gaping bloody hole in her stomach. It looked like she was pierced through with some sharp object. And the identity of the victim left nothing to guess.
It was no other than Kim.
The hole in her stomach indicated that the monster had used his tail to kill her. While it took a minute for the men to process the most recent happenings, Pumpkinhead decided not to wait this time. He pounced on Joel from the spot where no one could see him and pinned him down to the ground, knocking the shotgun out of his reach. But he wasn't going to kill him at the moment, not yet. This guy was the monster's main target, so he was going to leave him as the last one. And now the rest of the company was going to witness how fast and agile the monster was. Not thinking twice, the pale demon grabbed the shocked two remaining men by their heads and bashed them against each other with all his might. The impact was so strong that very soon their faces were bruised and covered in blood, noses were broken, and crimson liquid was oozing from their mouths. Pumpkinhead had no plans wasting much time on them, so with one swift movement of his clawed hand he twisted Andrew's neck with the same unpleasant cracking sound, and his spear-like tail went through Luke's body, ending their life instantly. Joel, in turn, slowly rose on his feet, keeping an eye on the monster that watched his every step. Sweat ran down his face when both his friends were brutally murdered right before his eyes, and he failed to save them. He felt so pathetic, especially now, when this terrible being was standing before him, ready to end his life any moment.
Only then he noticed something weird about the creature. The first time he caught a glimpse of it, the monster had such a face that can only be seen in a nightmare. Now he noticed a change in it.
The creature's face looked more human than before.
All of this seemed strange to Joel, but now he had no time or wish to ponder about this. He and the monster stood opposite each other, and Joel glanced at his shotgun that lay on the ground a few meters away. If he could get to it somehow then maybe… maybe he would have the chance to survive.
Joel was prepared to run for it, but didn't manage to move from his place. He heard light footsteps approaching him from behind. Before he could check who it was, he noticed that the creature was looking somewhere behind his back, and its mouth stretched, almost resembling a… smile.
"Well, hello there, Joel," a female voice suddenly spoke behind the man's back. "We have been waiting for you."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Joel turned around slowly to face the source of the voice. Who else could have been waiting for him beside the monster? The surprise his face expressed was indescribable when he saw the one to whom the voice belonged.
It was no other than Jade.
"You..? How can you still be alive?" Joel muttered. "That thing is going to kill us both now. We must run!"
Jade shook her head and smiled.
"Yes, he will kill you, have no doubt about it. But me… it's very unlikely that I will die from his claws."
"What do you mean?" Joel asked in a confused voice, tilting his head. That's when he noticed something out of ordinary about his ex-girlfriend. Her black hair was a mess and her eyes… They barely even looked human. Instead of her deep dark eyes he saw black, misty eyeballs with barely visible red circles on their edge. Jade looked almost… demonic.
"What happened to your eyes?!" he exclaimed in terror. "Jade, answer me! And this thing's face has changed as well. What's going on?"
Jade still smirked, and that sinister grin made the shivers run down Joel's spine.
"He has a name if you didn't know," she said. "It's Pumpkinhead. He's a local legend."
"I don't give a shit about his name!" Joel almost yelled angrily. "I asked you a question!"
"Alright, I'll answer," Jade shrugged. "What you see now, these changes in me and him, means that I and Pumpkinhead are one."
"You and him are what?" Joel asked again. "What does that mean?"
"It means that we are connected and he's doing my bidding."
When Joel still showed the signs of incomprehension, she continued:
"Did you really think that I would forget all the sorrow and suffering you made me go through? You think I do not know what you and your drunken friends were planning to do to me? Well, I have to disappoint you then. I vowed to take my revenge on you, and that's what's going on now. I made a deal with a witch to summon Pumpkinhead, the demon of vengeance." She pointed to the monster standing behind his back. "I know you want me dead. That's why you are here, aren't you, Joel? But you will be the one who dies. I will perish in the end after he's done with you, so much I know. But at least I will die happy. I have nothing to lose. Now, it's time for you to die." She then glanced at the demon, nodding to him and thus giving the sign to act.
Joel stood with his mouth agape, unable to believe his ears. So this woman even chose to give her life to a monster only to see him being killed in a most horrific way? Now he had no doubt that she lost her sanity.
"So that's it? You summoned this creature on me and my friends? Alright, so be it. I may die tonight, but only after you die, bitch!"
Before Jade could reply or react, Joel's fist slammed into her stomach. She let out a painful moan, holding her stomach, but it wasn't what made Joel stop beating her. It was a deafening roar of a monster behind his back. The surprised man turned around and saw Pumpkinhead holding his stomach as well, and it looked like that he felt Jade's pain as well. Joel widened his eyes and blinked fast. So that's what Jade meant by saying that she and the monster were connected. It's not just becoming similar to each other. It's also sharing the pain from getting damage. Realizing this, Joel decided to take a risk and run for his shotgun. He knew now that he had to kill Jade. It was more than clear to him that if she dies, the monster will die with her.
Pumpkinhead was now in rage. He knew he wasn't going to let this vile man win. Hissing angrily, he pounced on Joel one again, he knocked the man off, not letting him reach the weapon. Jade watched how Pumpkinhead grabbed Joel by the neck and lifted him up so that his feet couldn't reach the ground. Joel writhed and undulated, feeling the air slowly leaving his lungs and tried as much as he could to rid himself of the creature's grasp. But the monster wasn't going to suffocate him. That would be too easy. He was summoned to make this rascal suffer, and he would do his job well.
Grabbing one of Joel's arms in his clawed hand, the demon used his strength to twist the arm roughly so it was unable to move anymore. Joel yelled in hellish pain, feeling his left arm being broken so that it was unlikely to fix it ever, even if anyone tried. The other arms suffered the same fate, and Pumpkinhead growled in satisfaction, hearing Joel scream. He reveled in the man's suffering, and his painful screams were music to him. Jade, in turn, had no reason to hold back anymore, and she allowed herself to howl in unbearable pain when both Joel's arms were broken and now hang down like pieces of a rag. But the monster wasn't going to stop. The final blow had to be delivered. One last time Joel's agonizing scream echoed through the forest when Pumpkinhead's long and sharp tail went through the entire body of a man, exiting through the mouth. The monster put him on his tail like a pig on a skewer and now his mouth stretched in a satisfied grin, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. To make sure the man was dead once and for all, Pumpkinhead plunged his teeth into Joel's neck, ripping a mouthful of flesh from it and leaving a bloody gap in it, his tail visible through it. Joel finally stopped moving, and his body went limp. The man was finally dead, and Pumpkinhead just threw the corpse aside, indicating that his job was finally done.
Jade thought that she was going to die in agony, but the pain in her body slowly began to subside. She knew that Pumpkinhead has completed his task, but what now? What was he going to do now? She was prepared to death, so all that remained was to close her eyes and wait for him to finish her and be done with this mission once and for all.
But nothing happened. Jade opened her eyes and saw Pumpkinhead crouched over her. Never has he been that close to her, and that look on his face that she saw yesterday was back. It was pure lust, his desire to claim her as a female before he leaves this world with her soul. The monster wanted to do that last night, but decided to wait until he's done with his task, and now he had every possibility to give in to his sexual hunger. Jade, in turn, wasn't surprised. From the moment she saw him on the roof of her house, his intentions were clear to her. So she decided to allow him to have what he wants, to let them both delve into pleasure before she abandons the human world forever. The pale-skinned demon let out a quiet and rather gentle growl when her soft palm brushed along his head and face, and he nuzzled to her hand like a cat. Jade smiled at this reaction of his and sat up to remove her clothes. Pumpkinhead watched her baring her entire body to him while his own body was engulfed by heat with every second. Just as Jade had her flesh free of all clothing, she caught a glimpse of his male organ that she was sure she hadn't seen a few moments before. It looked like two bony plates opened on his crotch like shutters, revealing the sight of his male part. Jade tilted her head, studying the monster's anatomy. His member didn't look entirely like a human one, but it wasn't anything grotesque as well. Generally it resembled something like proboscis, but the tip looked more similar to what human males have. The size seemed more or less normal, or so Jade thought. The creature wasn't a giant, so his member wouldn't cause problems.
Pumpkinhead ran his glance over the beautiful naked form of his potential mate, absorbing every curve. He wanted to claim her more than anything, but before he did that, he decided to satisfy his wish to feel her skin. Jade tensed a bit when his hands ran over her bare skin and let out a light moan, feeling his claws touch her soft mounds and the sensitive tips. She felt herself being in heat already, as did the monster. Feeling her arousal and her being ready for him, Pumpkinhead lifted her body up so that Jade could wrap her arms around his neck, thus pressing her close to him, and in one stroke he entered her body, letting out a loud growl. Jade felt no pain and that was no surprise, considering how much pain she has endured this night. She felt herself being a heroine after going through so much physical suffering and still being alive. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to last long, so she made sure she would enjoy every moment of her coition with the demon of vengeance.
The sound of skin slapping against skin, the lustful growls combined blissful with female moans echoed through the night while a human female and a demonic creature engaged in a sinful act of love, and the silent trees and pale moon were the only witnesses of this unusual coupling. Pumpkinhead moved with inhuman speed, and with each thrust of his bony hips Jade was approaching the peak of her bliss until it was unbearable to hold back anymore; and she finally climaxed with a loud moan of pure, unadulterated euphoria. It was the best orgasm she had ever had in her whole life, and Jade did not regret anything. If she had to give her life now, so be it. What she has just experienced was worth to live and die for.
Pumpkinhead soon followed her with his own release, accompanying it with a deafening roar, but this time it was a roar of pleasure. It was the first and most likely the only time he claimed a human being as a mate, and when her soul finally leaves the physical body, he will make sure it stays safe with him. Pumpkinhead held the weak body of a woman in his arms and stared into her demonic-looking eyes. Jade's life was fading, and, collecting the last remains of strength, she lifted her hand to the demon's face and caressed it gently. Once again he nuzzled to her palm, and Jade smiled weakly and spoke the final words on her last breath.
"We are one."
With that her eyes shut and her hand fell down. Jade Warren has fallen asleep forever.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The next day the bodies of Joel and his friends were discovered by the locals who immediately called the police and the paramedics to collect the corpses. Of course, the locals had an idea about what happened the last night, and considering that Jade's body was never found, everyone could guess that she was the one who asked the old witch to summon the demon known as Pumpkinhead. Henry and Minnie Davis were in deep sorrow and mourned Jade's demise. Minnie cried bitterly, pressing her face into her husband's shoulder. They loved that unfortunate young woman as their own child, and her death was a great loss for them.
And when the night fell on the area, the old witch visited the pumpkin patch graveyard once again and buried the corpse that has once been Jade Warren. When the work was finished, Haggis smiled and cast one final glance at the grave.
"He sure liked you. Now you are together forever."
With that she turned and left the graveyard, disappearing inside her hut. And Jade would be resting in this grave until the demon of vengeance is summoned once again.
She will be the new Pumpkinhead.