Tell me somebody among my very few readers and followers for this story saw this part coming. I'd like to know if I startled anyone within this chapter alone.

...I hope I won't give anyone nightmares with this chapter. If I did, don't sue me. I am innocent.

And I am sorry if this is really short.

Enjoy!

I own nothing except my OCs.

Read, leave a review, but no flames allowed.

Chapter 16: Caroline's Demise

By the time Caroline had come out of her drunken state, she was informed by Kairi that it was late at night and everyone else had already returned home while she was recovering from her daze. Needless to say, she was very upset about it; not only did she lash out in rage at the idea that she had not been brought home as well, but she also made nonsensical accusations against Mary under the self-persuasion that she had set it up so that she wouldn't be able to come home with them. No matter what Kairi and Xion tried to do to tell her that it was for her safety, Caroline would hear none of it and brazenly announced that she was leaving immediately.

It took a turn for the worse when she hastily grabbed her cloak and began to march angrily out the door into the dimly lit streets by herself, and both cousins chased after her in fear of her going out alone.

"Caroline, wait! You shouldn't go out there alone!" Xion called out. "At least let us give you a ride home!"

"No! I'm heading back myself, and when I do find Mary, I will make her wish that she showed more respect!" Caroline refused furiously.

"But Caroline! The professor said that no one should travel through Twilight Town alone once night has fully crossed the sky!" Kairi insisted in fear, "If you go out there alone, someone might take advantage of it and do you wrong! You don't want that happening to you, don't you? Caroline, please reconsider!"

"I don't care what that kook had to say! They shouldn't have left me while I was too dazed from earlier!" Caroline refused again.

No matter what the good cousins tried to do to dissuade her from her foolish ventures, the proud woman bitterly brushed them off and was already too far out for them to reach her. With this knowledge, it made Kairi and Xion dread what will happen afterwards.

"This is bad…This is very bad, Xion! What are we going to do?" Kairi asked; fear filling her voice, "If Mary finds out, what would she think about this? There's no doubt that she would get angry at her sister."

Xion shook her head sadly. "There is nothing we can do now, Kairi. It's too dark out, and she's already out of our sight. The only thing we can do now is wait for morning. Once dawn rolls around, we'll get out there and find Caroline as soon as possible."

As much as Kairi didn't favor the idea of not going out there now, she knew her sister was right on the fact that the streets at night could be too dangerous for them right now. The only thing she could hope is that nothing terrible happens tonight, and pray that Caroline will be safe. Even then, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was very wrong tonight and that something awful might happen to Caroline at any moment.

"When morning does come, should we find help as well?" Kairi asked nervously.

"That is what we shall do, if it's the last thing we do. But until then," Xion said sadly, "we have to stay indoors and hope that no horror comes to our doorstep."

That was something that could be understood, but even then, both of them are well aware that there's nothing they can do to help Caroline since she brought this on herself. Despite this, neither of them could shake off the feeling that neither of them will be able to prepare for the worst that can be delivered to their doorstep.

The darkness clouding nearly the entire town kept sending chills down Caroline's spine as she trekked her way through the lonely streets. Although her anger was still there, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched. But where was the stalker watching? And for that matter, who would be watching?

She tried to shrug it off, not wanting anything as trivial as that deter her from getting home as soon as possible. But as she walked further down the streets, Caroline kept hearing unnerving sounds within her surroundings; it didn't help one bit that there was not a living soul wandering the streets with her, giving the impression that many a civilian has confined themselves into their sanctuaries for protection from the darkness that spread outside.

Every few moments, a dry breeze brushed through the alleyways with an icy chill as though mocking the serenity of the night, the leaves rustling gloomily along the cobblestones and letting loose an unsettling melody which almost bordered on a dirge. The clouds blackening the skies rumbled lowly with a growl, nearly in tune to the small splashes of what few water puddles there were like a storm was about to approach but refuses to give any indication as to where and at what hour. Not even the lampposts, scattered around every few paces, with all their flickers of light trying to offer a brief few seconds of comfort, were able to ease the fears and push away the nightmare of the dismal streets that have shadows stretched father than the naked eye could see with no light on sight.

Within this lonely environment, Caroline suddenly felt an icy chill down her spine and realized on instinct that she was being followed. But how could that be? She didn't hear any footsteps behind her, not even a heavy beating against the stones of the walkways. As though she had no choice, she hastily turned around to find nobody behind her.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

There was no one to answer her; nothing but the breeze and the rustling around her.

Caroline could sense her breaths getting short and rattled from a growing fear that she couldn't keep under control for long. She couldn't stand being this situation.

It made her wish that she had listened to her cousins earlier, but it was far too late to turn back to their home. Why? Because she realized too late that she was already lost and she doesn't know where to go now. She couldn't even find anything to let her know that she was getting closer to home.

Her only slimmer of hope is for her to keep going, and pray that she can find their other cousin's home somewhere. Surely, just maybe, she could find Terra and let her back in as soon as she finds his home.

But one sound convinced her otherwise.

A harsh wind stirred around her, forcing her to clutch her cloak closer to her body for what protection she could get. This wind was far from normal, like multiple blades cutting through the environment without leaving a single mark and yet stinging her like needles against her tender skin.

She couldn't take it anymore. "Who's there? For the love of God, leave me alone!"

"Too bad, Caroline, but God can't help you now that you're all alone."

The instant Caroline recognized that sly voice; she quickly turned back and saw a hooded figure standing partly under the small light flickering against the gales. It wasn't until the figure stepped into the dim light and flipped his hood back that she immediately recognized the dreadlocks and the malicious gaze of the stranger near her.

"No…! No, not you again! Why did it have to be you, Xaldin?!" Caroline cried out in fear and hate, "What do you want with me?!"

"Isn't it obvious? Revenge," Xaldin answered nonchalantly, his voice barely showing bitterness. "You gave me a lot of trouble, dismissing me as though I was nothing. If you had been a good girl, I would've spared you of this horror. But instead, you rudely rejected me and now you have made your sisters distrust us. What a shame. I'm sure the master would've loved to have Mina by his side, and perhaps let us have more fun with the rest of you."

Hearing all of this sickened Caroline, making her wish she didn't have to listen to this. "How dare you regard us as nothing but dolls or prey you can do whatever you want with! Go away, and leave me alone!"

"Out of the question," Xaldin answered bluntly. "Though, since you're here, let's see how you like leeching off the lives of others. You seem to take pleasure in hunting for something to sate your desires, so how would you like it if I helped you take such vices even further?"

"NO!" Caroline screamed.

Not wanting to stick around any longer than she already has, Caroline made a mad dash away from him despite how futile her chances of escape were. Even now, she could hear him laughing behind her, mocking her pathetic attempts to flee from the inevitable; but she didn't want to hear it.

Everywhere she turned, the piercing winds followed along with her, stabbing her at every turn and even making her lose her balance time to time. She knew that she was running out of time; she had to do something! If only there was someone who could help her… But who could she turn to? Where could she turn to for help?

Caroline ran to every door - any door she could reach and pounded on them with the best of her efforts, but no matter how hard she forced her hands against the door, nary a soul ever answer her desperate pleas for help or mercy.

"Help me! Somebody, help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

No light came on to let her know someone is there, nobody heard her cries and her pleas. Fear overwhelmed Caroline as she kept running everywhere she could, pounding and crying out only to receive a cold shoulder from any possible shelter. There was nowhere for her to run, nowhere for her to hide from the fiend that seeks her blood.

Her biggest mistake was when she tried to lose her pursuer in one of the darkest alleyways in the hopes that she'd be able to escape from the danger she already caught herself in. Just when she had reached the middle of the alley, a painful wind rushed past her and – when she least expected it – she felt something sharp stab her in her leg. With a cry of pain, Caroline collapsed to the ground and hit herself onto the hard stones, suffering scrapes and scratches in the process. She could hear the sinister chuckle coming closer as she struggled to get up despite the agony of whatever it was that pierced her leg.

"Where were you running? No one can help you now…" Xaldin could be heard speaking behind her.

With what little strength she could muster, Caroline turned to look behind her and – to her horror – she found her leg had been stabbed by the blade of a spear that came out of nowhere. It terrified her that she had caught like this, but it was even worse to see herself bleeding without anyone who can help her.

Before she could make any response, she watched helplessly as the spear stuck fast to her leg suddenly pulled itself out – which in the process caused Caroline to scream out in agony the moment the blade came out in such a rush. It revolted her to see the blood oozing around her leg, but even more so when she looked up just enough to see Xaldin coming closer to her with that spear hovering close to him by an invisible force.

"Oh, was that painful for you? Trust me, this won't be the only wound you'll be given," he said with a smirk most sinister.

Desperate and filled with pure terror at being cornered like a frightened mouse, Caroline struggled to the best of her efforts to escape regardless of the wounded leg, fueled by the urge to survive long enough to find a way to save her life. But it was pointless for her. Just as she began to make her way out of the alleyway again, she suddenly felt several stabs into her as well as her body flying back-first into the wall; when she regained her vision again, she was horrified to realize that she had been impaled by more spears right into her arms and legs, which sent a powerful surge of agony through her system.

Trapped and utterly helpless against a force that she had no chance against, all she could do was detect the bitter taste of her blood slowly oozing from her lips and the nauseating scent of the same substance flowing around her. Caroline could barely make out the sight of Xaldin as his eyes changed to a blood-red color, slowly and maliciously licking his lips as though he had been looking forward to a delicious meal for a long time.

"Look at you, Caroline. All that blood running out of you, your strength diminishing before me…Oh, you have no idea what you'll be experiencing next," Xaldin drawled, "But don't worry. You're not the only one who has caused quite a lot of trouble for us. Your sister, Mary, is a problem herself. Perhaps the both of you can suffer in bloodlust, or would you prefer to be the one condemned to feeding on the living mortals and let us simply kill of Mary?"

Caroline shook her head, trembling ceaselessly and choking out what words she could. "N-No! Not my… Not them! You…you can't kill Jane…Mina! No! No! No! Don't…them! No…not my fam…!"

"Oh? What's this? Are you pleading for life, for you and your sisters?" Xaldin asked. "Sorry, but on your part, you have been…denied."

With no power to fight back against the malicious force, Caroline could only helplessly feel a sudden pierce right into her neck as the foul creature that pinned her bit into her and violently began to consume what blood still remained within her body. All she could do was let out agonizing screams one after the other as her strength vanished little by little.

…Silence soon filled the entire town as the screams suddenly stopped. None knew of what went on as the night rolled on quietly…

…Until one early morning, two passersby about to take a walk suddenly saw a pool of blood forming from a river that stretched out into the alleyway. The two people grew curious and nervous at the sight…until they looked around the corner and found the most disturbing scene they had ever come across.

Word spread fast that a woman was found brutally slaughtered alone within the streets of Twilight Town. The question is: what really happened to her?