The town is quiet as its residents disappear inside their houses for the night, each of them fighting the cold winds howling outside. The ground is sprinkled with an early snowfall and golden leaves that fall from the trees while the sky overhead is dotted with the faint glow of stars and the full moon hanging behind wispy gray clouds. The only sound to be heard comes from the edge of town where the football field is located, several teens lounging in the metal bleachers with coats and blankets to keep warm.
They aren't supposed to be there so late at night, but no one will stop them as long as they aren't damaging anything on the property. There are only five teens and one adult, four of the group are made up by boys that have been drinking since early that evening and can't make the simplest decision by themselves. The only two girls in the group are mostly sober and keep the boys from tumbling off their seats.
"Seriously, though, why don't we go to the city this weekend," the oldest man asks, his words slurred but understandable. He's tall and fit with pale hair that hangs in his eyes and obscure his dark eyes. He had graduated high school two years previous but finds himself hanging around high school students more than adults. He's what most people would categorize as a loser, the type that will never do much aside from drink and hustle pool games.
"Because you're the only one with a license and it's suspended," Brittney points out with a giggle, swatting away the man's hand when he tries to rest it on her head. The man, Tyson, is laughing now, the type of laughter that has him throwing his head back and belting it out.
"That's never stopped him before," James points out with his own laugh. Their happy moods slowly dim when they begin to hear rustling below them. "What was that?" The men, drunk and foolish, peer beneath the space between the bleachers towards the ground, finding nothing that could've made the noise.
"It was probably just a rabbit," Logan suggests, taking another drink from the can in his hand. "They're all over this damn town."
"There wasn't a rabbit down there," Kelsey points out.
"Then it was the wind." Logan shrugs and stands on wobbly feet. "Who wants to go see if I'm right? If I am, then we can cook up Bugs Bunny tomorrow for lunch." James, Tyson, and Henry join Logan and start down the stairs while Brittany and Kelsey huddle together for warmth and watch the guys to make sure they don't hurt themselves.
"They're so stupid."
"No shit," Brittany agrees. She turns slightly, watching over the edge of the bleachers as Logan and Tyson begin kicking piles of leaves out of the way to get a better look. "Wanna head home?" Kelsey nods and the two of them lean on each other as they make their way down the stairs and over to the others to say their goodbyes.
"Good luck with the wabbit hunting!"
"Hey, you two be careful," Henry calls over his shoulder while the other three boys just wave them on. Still wrapped up in their blanket, the girls continue on their way back to town, the blacktop slick under their feet from the melting snow and recent rainfall. "Guys, maybe we should head back, too. I mean, y'all don't want to get sick and have to miss practice."
"Yeah, and that rabbit's probably long gone by now," Logan shrugs.
"If there even was a rabbit," Tyson remarks, ruffling Logan's messy brown hair.
As the four of them reach the street and start walking the way the girls had, they hear the first scream. With their testosterone in high gear, all for of the teens begin a dead sprint in the direction of the scream. Tyson is the first one to reach the scene, letting out a shriek of his own when the murderer turns to face him, the man's gloved hand grasping Brittany's head by hear long blonde hair. Despite his fear, Tyson can feel his rage building at the fact that his baby sister has just been murdered and he wasn't there to protect her.
"Holy shit!" The man drops the head and kicks it over to them, Brittany's face frozen in an expression of absolute horror.
"C'mon, man, we gotta get out of here," James cries. He begins to run back towards the football field, but Tyson is frozen in place. The man is clothed in all black, his cape whipping around behind him and his sword glinting in the moonlight, stained crimson in places from the blood of Kelsey and Brittany.
"You son of a bitch," Tyson growls, his shaking hands balled into fists. He's struggling to get at the man even as Logan and Henry yank him backwards with them. Unlike James, the other three are moving around the man and towards the town. While Logan is just thinking of warning his family, Henry is able to connect the dots and wants to make it over the bridge.
They can hear another scream behind them, cut short and followed by a wet thump.
"Fuck, that was James," Logan gasps, picking up his speed and tightening his hold on Tyson's jacket.
"Get to the bridge," Henry shouts. Tyson remains quiet, his breaths coming out as small white clouds as he pants. "Hurry, get to the bridge!" The bridge is in sight and Tyson feels a surge of energy as he runs faster than his two friends.
He hears the sound of metal whistling through the air, a horse's whinny, two thumps, and then nothing as his feet hit the bridge that spans across a small lake and leads into town. Tyson turns and watches in horror as Henry throws himself forward as the man swings his sword again. Tyson squeezes his eyes closed, the sickening crunch of bone and the wetness splattering his face telling him exactly what's happened.
When he opens his eyes again, the man is gone and his best friends are dead.
Just to be clear, the Sleepy Hollow town I'm basing this one on is fictional and not one of the real ones. Also, you can blame this original case on a movie called "The Hollow" it's pretty cheesy, but I loved watching it when I was in middle school and I recently found it on iTunes, so bear with me here.